A Texas woman reported missing by her family has been found living among a lost “African” tribe in a Scottish forest.
Texas native Kaura Taylor has been found with the Kingdom of Kubala, a group living in a forest in Jedburgh, about 41 miles south of Edinburgh, that is trying to reclaim land stolen from their ancestors, UK-based media group SWNS reported.
The group is led by King Atehene, 36, who was once an opera singer under the name Kofi Offeh, his wife, Queen Nandi, and their handmaiden Taylor, who now goes by Asnat, according to the outlet.
“To the U.K. authorities, obviously I am not missing,” she said in a video message from the group. “Leave me alone. I am an adult, not a helpless child.”
It’s unclear when Taylor was reported missing or why her family was unaware of her location.
The group said they’ve been served eviction notices and been targeted in an attack that involved someone setting one of their tents on fire. While they “don’t recognize local laws,” they say they only follow the rules of their God, who is named Yahowah, according to the outlet.
“We live a very simple life of returning to innocence,” King Atehene told the outlet. “We connect to nature. We connect to the trees around us. We get grounded every morning. We bathe in the springwater. We are living a simple life of relying daily on the creator for food, shelter and clothing. We live in a tent without walls, but we are not afraid of anyone, for we have the protection of the creator, Yahowah.”
According to King Atehene, Great Britain says it is tolerant — but not toward his group, which has “suffered trials and tribulations at the hands of authorities, who do not understand or tolerate,” he told the outlet.
The Kingdom of Kubala claims they are a lost tribe of Hebrews, and that their King descended from David the Messiah, according to the outlet. They say their ancestors were ostracized when Queen Elizabeth I deported native black Jacobites.
The group now hopes to bring other “lost tribes” back after 400 years, according to the report.
“We follow the laws of the creator, everything belongs to the ones who made it,” King Atehene added. “We do not believe that any authority owns the land. The earth belongs to the father. We do not know about any eviction. All we know is that we are here to stay and establish our authority and power, just like our ancestors did.”
He continued: “The prophecy said, ‘after 400 years, when my ancestors are destroyed from the land of Scotland, from the land of Great Britain, they will go into captivity and lose their identity.’”
“But after 400 years, I will come and bring them back to the land of promise. I am following the ancestral call and the call of the gods. The calling from our creator to embark on this journey, is the most important thing in our life. It is a journey of hope — a pilgrimage.”
His wife, Queen Nandi, a 43-year-old born Jean Gasho, wrote on social media that the group had “returned to claim Scotland as our homeland, a land stolen by Elizabeth the first 400 years ago when she deported all black people from Scotland and England, who were not Africans but natives of the land.”
“Jacobites were black, from their ancestor Jacob, Yacobho, a black man. According to our Prophet Atehene, Jerusalem is in Scotland, and that he is the seed and offspring of David, the Messiah. The old world is going, the Second Exodus has begun, only those who live off grid, in Tabernacles will be saved, as we enter the Millennium Kingdom of Kubala, and the world is left behind,” she continued, according to the outlet.
It was not immediately clear how many people are part of the Kingdom of Kubala and how many are currently living in the forest in Jedburgh.
Meanwhile, Scottish Borders Council says it is “working with Police Scotland” to manage the situation.
“This has included the provision of advice and information about housing options and other support services,” a spokesperson told SWNS.
