The Samaritans are an ethnoreligious group originating from the Israelites (or Hebrews) of the Ancient Near East. Demographic investigations of the Samaritan community were carried out in the 1960s. Detailed pedigrees of the last 13 generations show that the Samaritans comprise four lineages: The priestly Cohen lineage from the tribe of Levi. The Tsedakah lineage, claiming descent from the tribe of Manasseh The Joshua-Marhiv lineage, claiming descent from the tribe of Ephraim The Danafi lineage, claiming descent from the tribe of Ephraim This makes the percentage of Rh negative individuals among Samaritans 18.4% See also: