Ethnography from the Mission Field

Annekie Joubert, DLitt et Phil (2002), University of South Africa, is Lecturer for African Languages at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (Germany) and Research Affiliate in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Pretoria (South Africa). She has published numerous scholarly articles on South Africa and is the author of The Power of Performance: Linking Past and Present in Hananwa and Lobedu Oral Literature (Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton, 2004).Gerrie Grobler, DLitt et Phil (1990) University of South Africa, is a retired professor of African Languages from the same university. He has published numerous scholarly articles on Northern Sotho literature and folklore, and contributed to various dictionaries of the language.Inge Kosch, DLitt et Phil (1991), University of South Africa, is Professor of African Languages at the same university. She published book chapters and articles on Northern Sotho linguistics and is the author of Topics in Morphology in the African Language Context (Pretoria: Unisa Press, 2006).Lize Kriel, D. Phil. (2002), University of Pretoria, is Associate Professor for Visual Culture Studies in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Pretoria. She studies written, print and reading cultures in the context of colonial southern Africa and transcontinental missionary networks. She is the author of The Malaboch Books. Kgalusi in the civilization of the written word (Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 2009).

• Contents Preface AcknowledgementsSummarised Preview IntroductionIn and from the Field: A Journey into the Life of a ‘Mission-Ethnographer’ and his Co-ProducersAnnekie Joubert1. Introduction2. Visual systems as an integral part of research and presentation 3. Biographical filmmaking 4. Databank Part 1Historic ContextualisationLize Kriel1. Introduction2. Knowledge production in a Christian missionary context3. Becoming a missionary: Hoffmann’s inspiration and motivation4. Missionising and Afrikanistik5. Hoffmann in the field: government agent, ethnographer, proselytiser, guest6. Hoffmann and anthropology: his position and his reception7. The particular case of the missionary anthropologist8. Hoffmann’s interlocutors9. Genealogy of the ethnological publications9.1. The folktales9.2. The Woodbush articles (Articles 1–2 and 7–18)9.3. The “Northen Transvaal” articles (Articles 19–24)10. ConclusionPart 2Corpus of Hoffmann’s Ethnographic ArticlesInge Kosch, Gerrie Grobler, Annekie Joubert1. Introduction2. The phenomenon of co-production in Hoffmann’s corpus of ethnographic writings3. Translating from German into English4. Annotating the ethnographic corpusRites of PassageArticle 1Engagement and Marriage among the Sotho People in the Woodbush Mountains of the Transvaal – Peeletšo le lenyalo Basothong ba Lebowa ba Dithabeng tša Woodbush go la Transfala (1913) Article 2The Initiation School of the Sotho People in the Woodbush Mountains of the Transvaal – Koma ya banna ya Basotho ba Lebowa ba Dithabeng tša Woodbush go la Transfala (1915)Folklore: Stories from the TransvaalArticle 3Folktales and Stories of the Natives in Northern Transvaal – Dinonwane le dikanegelo tša Basotho ba Lebowa (1915)Article 4Folktales and Stories of the Natives in Northern Transvaal – Dinonwane le dikanegelo tša Basotho ba Lebowa (1916)Article 5Folktales and Stories of the Natives in Northern Transvaal – Dinonwane le dikanegelo tša Basotho ba Lebowa (1916)Article 6 Folktales and Stories of the Natives in Northern Transvaal – Dinonwane le dikanegelo tša Basotho ba Lebowa (1916)Mother and ChildArticle 7Sotho Texts from the Woodbush Mountains in the Transvaal – Dingwalwa tša Sesotho tše di tšwago Dithabeng tša Woodbush go la Transfala (1928)Witchcraft, Gods, Prophets, Spirits and TotemsArticle 8Sotho Texts from the Woodbush Mountains in the Transvaal – Dingwalwa tša Sesotho tše di tšwago Dithabeng tša Woodbush go la Transfala (1928/29)Article 9Sotho Texts from the Woodbush Mountains in the Transvaal: Totems and Prohibitions – Dingwalwa tša Sesotho tše di tšwago Dithabeng tša Woodbush go la Transfala: Meano le Dikganetšo (1920/31)Article 10Sotho Texts from the Woodbush Mountains in the Transvaal: Spirits That Are with Some Stones and Other Things and Witchcraft – Dingwalwa tša Sesotho tše di tšwago Dithabeng tša Woodbush go la Transfala: Moya wo o nago le maswika a mangwe le ge e le dilo tše dingwe le boloi (1931/32)Article 11Sotho Texts from the Woodbush Mountains in the Transvaal: The Soul in Death and after Death – Dingwalwa tša Sesotho tše di tšwago Dithabeng tša Woodbush go la Transfala: Moya wa motho mohlang wa lehu le ka morago ga lehu (1932)Land, Laws and PunishmentArticle 12Sotho Texts from the Woodbush Mountains in the Transvaal: Legal Practices of the Northern Sotho People – Dingwalwa tša Sesotho tše di tšwago Dithabeng tša Woodbush go la Transfala: Tirišo ya melao ya Basotho ba Lebowa (1933/34)Article 13Sotho Texts from the Woodbush Mountains in the Transvaal: Legal Practices of the Northern Sotho People – Dingwalwa tša Sesotho tše di tšwago Dithabeng tša Woodbush go la Transfala: Tirišo ya melao ya Basotho ba Lebowa (1933/34)Article 14Sotho Texts from the Woodbush Mountains in the Transvaal: Legal Practices of the Northern Sotho People – Dingwalwa tša Sesotho tše di tšwago Dithabeng tša Woodbush go la Transfala: Tirišo ya melao ya Basotho ba Lebowa (1933/34)Article 15Sotho Texts from the Woodbush Mountains in the Transvaal: Legal Practices of the Northern Sotho People – Dingwalwa tša Sesotho tše di tšwago Dithabeng tša Woodbush go la Transfala: Tirišo ya melao ya Basotho ba Lebowa (1933/34)People, Politics and GovernmentArticle 16Sotho Texts from the Woodbush Mountains in the Transvaal: Political Organisation – Dingwalwa tša Sesotho tše di tšwago Dithabeng tša Woodbush go la Transfala: Peakanyo ya borerapušo (1937/38)Article 17Sotho Texts from the Woodbush Mountains in the Transvaal: Political Organisation – Dingwalwa tša Sesotho tše di tšwago Dithabeng tša Woodbush go la Transfala: Peakanyo ya borerapušo (1937/38)Article 18Sotho Texts from the Woodbush Mountains in the Transvaal: Political Organisation – Dingwalwa tša Sesotho tše di tšwago Dithabeng tša Woodbush go la Transfala: Peakanyo ya borerapušo (1937/38)Home, Habits and ConductArticle 19Customs and Traditions of the Sotho People in Northern Transvaal – Mekgwa le botlwaelo bja Basotho ba Transfala-Lebowa (1956)Article 20Customs and Traditions of the Sotho People in Northern Transvaal – Mekgwa le botlwaelo bja Basotho ba Transfala-Lebowa (1956)Article 21Customs and Traditions of the Sotho People in Northern Transvaal – Mekgwa le botlwaelo bja Basotho ba Transfala-Lebowa (1957)Article 22Customs and Traditions of the Sotho People in Northern Transvaal – Mekgwa le botlwaelo bja Basotho ba Transfala-Lebowa (1957)Article 23Customs and Traditions of the Sotho People in Northern Transvaal – Mekgwa le botlwaelo bja Basotho ba Transfala-Lebowa (1958)Article 24Customs and Traditions of the Sotho People in Northern Transvaal – Mekgwa le botlwaelo bja Basotho ba Transfala-Lebowa (1958)Obituary E. Kähler-Meyer, In Remembrance of Missionary C. Hoffmann (1963)Part 3Orthographic Developments and Grammatical ObservationsInge Kosch1. Notes on orthography and spelling conventions1.1. Background to the orthographical development of Northern Sotho1.2. Active participation at decision-making level 1.3. Phases in the development of the orthography1.3.1. Phase I (Articles 1–6): 1913–19161.3.2. Phase II (Articles 7–10): 1928–19321.3.3. Phase III (Articles 11–18): 1932–19381.3.4. Phase IV (Articles 19–24): 1956–19581.4. Observations regarding spelling conventions1.4.1. Spacing1.4.2. Capitalisation1.4.3. Vowels1.4.4. Hyphens1.4.5. Diacritics1.4.6. Rendering of Northern Sotho words for German readership1.5. Phonological processes2. Grammatical observations 2.1. Pronouns2.1.1. Absolute pronouns2.1.2. Demonstrative pronouns2.2. Adjectival and verbal relative constructions2.3. Verbal forms2.3.1. Participial form2.3.2. Consecutive form2.3.3. Indicative form2.4. Reflexive prefix2.5. Locative suffix3. Syntactic devices4. Notes on lexical peculiarities4.1. Non-standard spelling4.2. Dialectical forms4.3. Semantic bleachingList of ContributorsReferencesIndexAppendix(Maps, Drawings and Photos)

"The ambitious publication project under review here has the potential of creating a novel genre of presenting transcultural perspectives in mission studies, documenting fragmented archive resources and optimizing interdisciplinary research perspectives. (...) this project represent an exemplary elaboration of a multi-faceted concept to access, explore, and distribute archive sources. The project establishes links between oral and published history, and interests of present day users of the archive sources." - Andreas Heuser, in: Interkulturell Theologie 4/2016"Occasionally, missionary writers have transcended the limitations of their focused calling and written deeply sympathetic, evocative treatises that permit people to speak for themselves, thus valorizing perspectives that may differ from those of the expatriates, however well intentioned most missionaries were and are. As editor Joubert (Humboldt Univ. of Berlin) and her collaborators make clear, Carl Hoffmann (1868–1962) was one such missionary. In over 1,000 pages and an accompanying film, Sotho people of the Transvaal, South Africa, present nuances of their intellect and daily lives in great detail. This trove offers introductory essays and matches Sotho texts with English translations. It will attract a few scholars but, more important, it should serve Sotho interests as the wisdom of elders contributes to contemporary heritage politics.(...) Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students, faculty, specialists." - A. F. Roberts, University of California, Los Angeles, in: Choice 2016"Taken as a whole, the project is a remarkable effort to preserve and make accessible important archival materials from an understudied place and time. Thoughtfully contextualized and assembled, the book and database will no doubt serve as a valuable scholarly resource for years to come." - Oliver Charbonneau, Western University, in: Itinerario 39.3 (2015)"For its part, the Hoffman book does not just present a body of inert texts waiting to be plundered for “facts” by the researcher; it is a book which requires the researcher to work with it, to engage with it intellectually. It opens up numbers of different avenues for active scholarly discussion." - Professor John Wright, University of Cape Town, published on the web site of Archive & Public Culture Research Initiative 2015