Jacob Ludwig Döhne (9 November 1811
Zierenberg – 2 June 1879 Fort Pine near
Dundee, KwaZulu-Natal
The coal mining town of Dundee is situated in a valley of the Biggarsberg mountains in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (). It is part of the Endumeni Municipality, Umzinyathi District. It is very rich in coal deposits. More populous than the town ...
), from the
Berlin Missionary Society The Berlin Missionary Society (BMS) or ''Society for the Advancement of evangelistic Missions amongst the Heathen'' (German: '' Berliner Missionsgesellschaft'' or ''Gesellschaft zur Beförderung der evangelischen Missionen unter den Heiden'') was a ...
, who was responsible for compiling ''A Zulu-Kafir Dictionary'' (Cape Town, 1857) after spending twenty years documenting the language and dialects. He also translated the
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...
into
Xhosa
Xhosa may refer to:
* Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa
* Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people
See als ...
and
Zulu.
Döhne joined a mission seminary in 1832 and landed in Cape Town in 1836 with the second mission of the Berlin Missionary Society to South Africa. After first visiting
Franschhoek
Franschhoek (; Afrikaans for "French Corner", Dutch spelling before 1947 ''Fransche Hoek'') is a small town in the Western Cape Province and one of the oldest towns in South Africa. Formerly known as Oliphants hoek (as there were vast groups of ...
, Döhne left for
Kaffraria
Kaffraria was the descriptive name given to the southeast part of what is today the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Kaffraria, i.e. the land of the Kaffirs, is no longer an official designation (with the term ''kaffir'' now an offensive racial sl ...
in response to a request from fellow missionary Kayser. He arrived by boat in Port Elizabeth after a three-week voyage and made his way to Knappeshope to meet up with Kayser. Here he set about mastering Xhosa, showing a quick grasp of the language. He started meticulously compiling lists of words and their meanings, laying the groundwork of a comprehensive dictionary.
Döhne started his missionary work under a local chief, Gasela. The missionary's poor eating habits soon led to malnutrition, aggravated by the tribe's decision to move. Arriving at the site of the new
kraal, Döhne found the piece of ground granted him by the Chief, already occupied. A new site was found and the mission station Bethel near
Stutterheim
Stutterheim is a town with a population of 46,730 in South Africa, situated in the Border region of the Eastern Cape province. It is named after Richard Von Stutterheim.
History
The area's earliest human population were Bushmen. Khoikhoi groups ...
, was started on 15 February 1837.
Döhne's prospective wife, Bertha Göhler, arrived from Germany and they were married on 6 February 1838. The missionaries Posselt, Lisreidt and Schmidt arrived to aid him in his work, while the wives started a school to train the young Xhosa women in home industry. A short while later Döhne’s wife died in childbirth, the baby son surviving only four months.
Chief Gasela felt he was losing control of his tribe and blamed Döhne's God. Problems flared up at the mission and the chief became openly hostile. The loss of respect for Döhne adversely affected his work.
The death of chief Gasela marked a turning point in the fortunes of Bethel. Many potential converts had been intimidated by the chief, and there was now a flood of people to be baptised. A new church was constructed and consecrated on 10 October 1841.
In 1843 Döhne published "''Das Kafferland Und seine Bewohner''" and then started on the translation of the Bible into Xhosa. The
British Bible Society contributed some paper and the translation of the
Psalms
The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...
soon appeared in print. Döhne collaborated with
Karl Wilhelm Posselt Karl/Carl Wilhelm Posselt (20 June 1815 Diekow, Berlinchen, Neumark, Prussia – 12 May 1885 Christianenburg, Natal,
South Africa), was a German missionary from the Berlin Missionary Society and was active in South Africa where he became known a ...
(1815-1885) and translated the books of
Moses.
Döhne’s second wife, Auguste Kembly, arrived from Berlin and eventually had two children.
Theophilus Shepstone
Theophilus Shepstone
Sir Theophilus Shepstone (8 January 181723 June 1893) was a British South African statesman who was responsible for the annexation of the Transvaal to Britain in 1877.
Early life
Theophilus Shepstone was born at Westbury ...
was posted in Natal as an agent for the Bantu tribes just before war broke out in 1846. He reported that he came across some 100 000 refugee Bantu fleeing the Zulu chiefs
Chaka,
Dingane
Dingane ka Senzangakhona Zulu (–29 January 1840), commonly referred to as Dingane or Dingaan, was a Zulu chief who became king of the Zulu Kingdom in 1828, after assassinating his brother Shaka. He set up his royal capital, uMgungundlovu, ...
and
Mpanda
Mpanda is a city in Katavi Region of Tanzania, East Africa with a postcode number 50100. It is the administrative centre of Katavi Region, Mpanda District and is itself one of the four districts of the region.
Mpanda is a "frontier town" in ...
. He entreated the missions in
Kaffraria
Kaffraria was the descriptive name given to the southeast part of what is today the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Kaffraria, i.e. the land of the Kaffirs, is no longer an official designation (with the term ''kaffir'' now an offensive racial sl ...
to afford the refugees sanctuary.
The Frontier War of 1846-47 between the Xhosa and the Whites put an end to all plans and the missionaries joined the fleeing masses, with Döhne, Guldenpfennig and Posselt finding safety at Bethany in the
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State ( nl, Oranje Vrijstaat; af, Oranje-Vrystaat;) was an independent Boer sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeat ...
. Here Döhne lost his second wife on 23 September 1846. War and the unrest made it impossible for the missionaries to return to the Xhosa people, and instead set off for Natal. On their arrival in
Pietermaritzburg conditions were tense. Döhne responded to an appeal from the European community without permission from the Berlin Mission Society, leading to the suspension of his services. With the closing of the Eastern Cape missions, the focus of the Berlin Missionary Society shifted to Natal and the Transvaal. Christianenberg, Emmaus and other mission stations were established there, and Döhne became a well-known figure among the
Voortrekkers.
Döhne's third wife was Caroline Elizabeth Wilhelmine Watermeyer (2 November 1817 - 13 March 1888 Paddock, Natal) whom he married on 23 June 1847. The couple produced nine children. During this period he founded the Table Mountain Mission station near
Pietermaritzburg.
Döhne had his Zulu-English dictionary published in 1858 at the request of the Government. The Berlin Missionary Society, having a change of heart, persuaded Döhne to rejoin them, and he immediately set about translating the Bible into Zulu. He worked on this project for four years at his home, ''Wartburg'', finishing the first four books of the
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...
. Disputes with a committee appointed by the Society to supposedly assist him, finally led to his resignation.
Döhne was not yet ready for retirement and started an independent Mission at
Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...
and another at
Glencoe. He once again became a refugee, fleeing the
Anglo-Zulu War
The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, cou ...
of 1879.
The agricultural research station of
Döhne near
Stutterheim
Stutterheim is a town with a population of 46,730 in South Africa, situated in the Border region of the Eastern Cape province. It is named after Richard Von Stutterheim.
History
The area's earliest human population were Bushmen. Khoikhoi groups ...
was named in his honour.
Bibliography
*Döhne, ''A Zulu-Kafir Dictionary'', etymologically explained, with copious Illustrations and examples, preceded by an introduction on the Zulu-Kafir Language. By the Rev. J. L. Döhne. Royal 8vo. pp. xlii. and 418, sewed, Cape Town, G.J. Pike's Machine Printing Office, 1857.
A compendium of the comparative grammar of the Indo-European, Sanskrit, Greek, and Latin languages
/ref>
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dohne, Jacob Ludwig
1811 births
1879 deaths
German lexicographers
German Lutheran missionaries
German male non-fiction writers
Missionary linguists
Lutheran missionaries in South Africa
German expatriates in South Africa
South African refugees
19th-century Lutherans
19th-century lexicographers