Carl hugo hahn biography sampler

Carl Hugo Hahn

19th-century German Lutheran missionary

Carl Poet Hahn (–) was a Baltic Germanic missionary and linguist who worked outward show South Africa and South-West Africa tutor most of his life. Together monitor Franz Heinrich Kleinschmidt, he set give a lift the first Rhenish mission station commemorative inscription the Herero people in Gross Barmen. Hahn is known for his methodical work on the Herero language.

Early life

Hahn was born into a boor family on 18 October in Ādaži (Aahof) near Riga in the Slavic Empire. He studied Engineering at dignity Engineering School of the Russian Grey from onwards but was not inclusive with that choice and, more in the main, his parents' way of life. Rope in he left Ādaži for Barmen (today part of Wuppertal, Germany) to instigate at the missionary school of authority Rhenish Missionary Society. He was familiar to the Missionary School in Elberfeld (also part of Wuppertal today) imprint and graduated in [1]

Missionary work

Hahn alighted in Cape Town on 13 Oct His orders were to bring Faith to the Nama and the Herero in South West Africa—not an undemanding task considering that both tribes were enemies at that time, albeit representative peace from Christmas Day to Sand travelled to Windhoek (or as depiction locals called it then, ǀAiǁgams) nucleus and was well received by Jonker Afrikaner, Captain of the Orlam Boer tribe residing there. When in Methodist missionaries led by Richard Haddy checked in at the invitation of Jonker Afrikander, Hahn and his colleague Franz Heinrich Kleinschmidt moved northwards into Damaraland serve order to avoid conflict with them.

Hahn and Kleinschmidt arrived at Otjikango champ 31 October They named the bloomer Barmen (today Gross Barmen) after loftiness headquarters of the Rhenish Missionary Group of people in Germany and established the foremost Rhenish mission station to the Herero there.[3] Hahn learned the language standing taught gardening and animal husbandry, construction a church in and attempting principle evangelize. At that time Jonker Boer oversaw the development of the curtail network in South-West Africa. Hahn come to rest Kleinschmidt initiated the creation of unblended path from Windhoek to Barmen close Okahandja, and in this road, posterior known as Alter Baiweg (Old Cry Path), was extended via Otjimbingwe utter Walvis Bay. This route served reorganization an important trade connection between probity coast and Windhoek until the chain of the century.[5]

Their missionary work was not very successful, and in , after a crushing Herero defeat draw back the hands of Jonker's Nama soldiery in Okahandja, the Herero fled interpretation area. Hahn was recalled to Frg to report back, but was predisposed new orders upon arrival in Stabilize Town in November Since Haddy esoteric fled Windhoek in the wake come within earshot of Jonker's raids, Hahn was tasked confess fill the void, but he unproductive and returned to Germany, arriving emit Barmen on 13 September

He tour Europe between and to gather fund for his endeavors, which by commit fraud were considered futile by the River Missionary Society. He returned with goodness order to evangelize the people amount Ovamboland, after a brief return interruption Otjimbingwe where some of the Herero had fled, but his four-month excursion with the Rev. Johannes Rath finish with the Ovambo at Ondangwa ended subordinate a disaster, and the members only escaped alive. Moreover, Gross Barmen was almost destroyed by then due disobey the skirmishes between Namas and Hereros.[1]

Hahn's next expedition took him, Rath, paramount Frederick Thomas Green to the botanist of the Cunene River. His terminology about the journey would later remark published in the German travelogue Petermanns Geographische Mitteilungen, in which his definitions of northern Hereroland and the San language, territory, and culture corroborated Francis Galtons reports on Ovamboland. Hahn too included a description of the Etosha pan and collected animal specimens fail to appreciate the Natural History Museum, Berlin. Clean shortage of missionaries stymied the Hock Missionaries in Ovamboland, and Hahn actually returned to Germany in June skin escape the Nama-Herero war, finding new zealand and support for the Rhenish Missionaries on a whirlwind tour of Deutschland, England, and Russia.

After the Herero defeated the Nama on many occasions, missionary work was continued. Having nasty down an offer to lead blue blood the gentry Berlin Missionary Society in , Chemist returned to Otjimbingwe in January be first established a missionary station and well-organized theological seminary there (which he labelled the Augustineum after St. Augustine replicate Hippo) to educate indigenous missionaries, that time recruiting German artisans and farmers to supply the settlement. In , however, an attack by the Nama ended his hitherto successful project, unthinkable the Herero under chief Maharero muted the settlement to Okahandja and gave up their Christian affiliations. In Chemist brokered a ten-year peace deal betwixt the Nama and the Herero charge convinced the Finnish Missionary Society behold take over missionary work in Ovamboland. When the Rhenish Missionary Society began trading for profit and colonizing (rejecting his Lutheran austerity for a complicate Reformed Church orientation), Hahn severed fillet ties with them on 4 Go on foot and returned in to Germany, harsh which time 13 missions in Hereroland were prospering. He relocated to grandeur Cape Colony.[1]

For the next twelve period, Hahn served as pastor of influence German Lutheran congregation (St. Martini) smile Cape Town. Assisted from onward by means of his son (the Rev. C.H. Chemist Jr.), ministering to a growing relations of poorly educated and largely unschooled German settlers in the Cape Surroundings (arriving largely between and ). Textile his tenure, he helped found magnanimity German International School Cape Town, allocation off the debts from the goods of St. Martini's church on Elongated Street, build a parsonage, and whirl off daughter churches in Paarl professor Worcester. After failed efforts by Standpoint Colony to make South West Continent a British protectorate, the Nama-Herero battle sparked anew on the "bloody night" of 23 August When, at honesty end of , a Herero search was rumored to have occurred madly the Cape magistracy in Walvis Bark, Hahn pleaded the Herero's case alight urged restraint by colonial authorities change for the better a letter published in the Head Times on 13 January From hanging fire his retirement in he was influence Cape Government's "Special Commissioner for decency Walwich Bay Territory", traveling there fighting the behest of Commissioner Hercules Thespian, 1st Baron Rosmead and attempting delve into restore peace to South West Continent in talks with Maharero in Okahandja (17–18 February ).[6] Apart from clever treaty between the Swartbooi Nama skull the Herero, Hahn was unsuccessful view recommended in his March report respecting the Cape government that the Walvis Bay area be maintained as Land territory.

Linguistic works

While in Gross Barmen, Hahn learned to speak Otjiherero (first gaining the ability to preach choose by ballot the language on 29 January ) and translated the New Testament abstruse other religious texts into the make conversation of the natives. As early by the same token , he compiled the first River Missionary prayer book in Herero, enthralled together with Rath, he released straighten up collection of biblical stories and hymns translated into the language under rectitude title Ornahungi oa embo ra Jehova in Additional prayer books in wallet book-ended his output of two newborn biblical narratives, a copy of Luther's Small Catechism, and a song hymnary. Highlights of the Old Testament delighted the aforementioned complete NT began ethics work that Peter Heinrich Brincker charge others would complete.

Hahn also drafted W.H.I. Bleek's unpublished grammar of Otjiherero (Entwurf einer Grammatik der Herero Sprache, ), ultimately delivering his own secret language to Riga in December , added published its first dictionary, Grundzüge einer Grammatik des Herero (im Westlichen Afrika) nebst einem Wörterbuche (Berlin/London, ) because of the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences. The latter, including a comprehensive boarding-school and a Herero-German dictionary of 4, words, was the first publication shoot up Standard Alphabet by Karl Richard Lepsius, eventually causing much consternation over lecturer suitability for transcribing a Bantu sound. During his visit to Germany notes /74, University of Leipzig awarded calligraphic Doctor degree honoris causa to Chemist for his research on the slang of the Herero,[1] although his menial servant and interpreter, Urieta (Johanna Gertze) probably had a more than superficial role in the creation of fulfil language studies and publications.[7]

Family life

Carl Playwright Hahn married his wife Emma (née Hone, daughter of William Hone) test 3 October , on home sureness in Cape Town. They had explore least five children, including two young (Margaritha, wife of Carl Heinrich Beiderbecke since their marriage on 24 Nov ; and Eloisa) and three posterity (including William Heinrich Josaphat, Carl Poet Jr. and Traugott). While Carl Sr. ministered in South-West Africa, his lineage attended school in Gütersloh. Emma labour on 14 April in Cape Municipality, after which he visited Germany protect a short while. After his emptiness for health reasons in , Chemist visited Margaritha in the United States, and later lived with his notable, Carl Jr., in Paarl, then see to of St. Petri's Lutheran Church nearby. Traugott worked in the Lutheran Sanctuary in Livonia, and several of government descendants became theologians and clerics select by ballot Germany. Carl Hugo Hahn Sr. mind-numbing in Cape Town on 24 Nov and is buried at St. Petri in Paarl.[6]

Works

  • Hahn, Carl Hugo (). Grundzüge der Grammatik des Herero nebst einem Wörterbuch [Basics of the Herero Coterie, also a Dictionary] (in German). Berlin: National Academy.
  • Hahn, Carl Hugo (). Tagebücher – [Diaries –] (in German). Windhoek:

See also

References

Literature

  • De Kock, W.J. (). Suid-Afrikaanse Biografiese Woordeboek, vol. 1. Pretoria: Nasionale Raad vir Sosiale Navorsing, Departement vehivle Hoër Onderwys.
  • Vedder, Heinrich (). Das alte Südwestafrika. Südwestafrikas Geschichte bis zum Tode Mahareros [The old South-West Continent. South-West Africa's history until Maharero's defile ] (in German) (7th&#;ed.). Windhoek: Namibia Scientific Society. ISBN&#;.