Leonhard Blumer (missionary)

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Leonhard Waldemar Otto Blumer (born May 22, 1878 in Kiiu, today Kuusalu rural community , Estonia ; † August 23, 1938 in Kuressaare , Saaremaa Island ) was an Estonian missionary and Africanist .

life and work

Leonhard Blumer was initially as a village teacher in Estonian Varudi (today rural community Sõmeru active). He studied from 1901 to 1907 at the seminary of the Leipzig Missionary Association . On May 17, 1907, he was ordained a pastor. Blumer lived from 1907 to 1930 in Tanganyika in German East Africa , especially in Arusha and the surrounding area, as a missionary among the Maasai . In 1912/13 and 1924–1926 he returned to Estonia on home leave . By 1927, Blumer founded thirteen schools with a total of 400 students and 16 teachers. He also converted more than 500 Maasai to Christianity.

Blumer is best known for his research on the culture and language of the Maasai. In the mid-1920s he published the first primer and the first catechism in Maa , the language of the Maasai. Both works appeared in print in Leipzig in 1925/26 . With this, Blumer laid the foundation for the written language of the Maasai. Blumer's son Wilhelm continued his father's work in Africa from 1936 .

Private life

In February 1910, Blumer married Bertha Hacker, who followed him to Africa that same year.

Leonhard Blumer is buried today in the Rahumäe cemetery in Tallinn .

literature

  • Toomas Pajula: Misjonär Leonhard Blumer Eesti ja Aafrika kultuuriloos. Tartu 1991 (diploma thesis at the University of Tartu )
  • Kim Groop: With the Gospel to Maasailand: Lutheran Mission Work among the Arusha and Maasai in Northern Tanzania 1904–1973. Åbo, 2006. ISBN 951-765-310-7 ( PDF , English, viewed January 22, 2009)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://digarc.usc.edu/impa/controller/view/impa-m1769.html
  2. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated June 2, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.muuseum.harju.ee
  3. ↑ Eesti elulood. Tallinn: Eesti Entsüklopeediakirjastus 2000 (= Eesti entsüklopeedia 14) ISBN 9985-70-064-3 , p. 38
personal data
SURNAME Blumer, Leonhard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Blumer, Leonhard Waldemar Otto (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Estonian missionary and linguist
DATE OF BIRTH May 22, 1878
PLACE OF BIRTH Kiiu, today the rural community of Kuusalu , Estonia
DATE OF DEATH August 23, 1938
Place of death Kuressaare , Saaremaa Island