December 2019: Christmas thoughts from Mary Girard
(also posted www.amongtheoriginaldwellers.com)
I was so blessed when Joy shared this picture on Facebook. Though I had studied art under the Christian Indian artist, Frank Wesley, and have a book of his work, I had never seen this one. It clearly is his work; incorporating the message of God among us (Emmanuel) in the classical Kangra Valley style with Indian symbolism. I just love the fact that there are hardly ever nativity scenes where baby Jesus is in the arms of Joseph. As I care for my aging father I am more and more aware of the important role of the active father in a child’s life (from infancy to the end). 

Enjoy meditating on this picture and reading the comparative birth stories in Matthew and Luke this Christmas season. May new insights of love, joy, peace and hope be birthed in you in the midst of a world; that is on one hand as beautiful as this, but on the other hand  is just as cruel and oppressive as it was in the time of Jesus.

This past year has been so rich. I published my first book (through Lulu.com) and have had a few opportunities to promote it in the US and India. As I await efforts to get the book published in India (after a careful edit) I will continue to promote the publication in the US and Europe this coming year (starting in Florida in January) For those of you who have had a chance to read it I would appreciate if you posted your candid reviews on Amazon, Lulu, GoodBooks, Barnes&Noble or where you might have purchased your copy. My goal is to increase sales of the book in the West by 3 fold.

And when I say “candid”, I mean that. This was a challenging book to write. There were so many varied readers who I wrote for: academics, Christians of various ilk, those concerned with social justice, history, psychology and culture, as well as the Adivasi themselves and the general Indian population that see afresh their own history. I’m bound to step on a few toes or to confound others. I already know that some readers have found the book has spoken to them on an emotional or mental level. My main hope is that it ignites thought and even conversation about our complex world and histories and that the cause of the Adivasi and Christian minorities in India will be known.

I was very happy to attend the Jubilee Centennial year of the Autonomy of the Gossner Church (Evangelical Lutheran and 90% Adivasi). It was wonderful to join the churches in celebrating their culture, community, history and their Lord.

Celebration of NWGEL in Malar July 2019

Celebration of GEL in Ranchi November 2019
Glad to have shared joy                                      Met my cousin, Klaus Roeber
and adventure with Delia                             whose ancestor was Alfred Nottrott

Arriving at the house that where our family lived from 1951-1964 in Tilda

Meeting Alfred (90 years old) our Kansama (cook)

Now I have returned home in Madison and have to concentrate on caring for my 95 year old father, who is finally feeling his age. He has been an indispensable research assistant and translator for me. His work is not yet done as I begin to research my next book, a novel about the relationship between a missionary wife and an adivasi woman. Two bible study groups have been so key to reviving my soul and imagination this past year. My heart is filled with blessings. 

My son Joel is still living in Chicago and so we try to meet up every month. Renee is farther away in Miami but always near my heart. They are both finding their way in this world and I couldn’t be prouder of them both.

Much love to all friends and family, and even those who I have not as yet met. 
Mary Girard (Madison, WI)

​

Though I am visiting India as a tourist, to see the place of my ancestors and to meet so many friends that I have made over the past few years, I am always asked to speak. This trip was no different, especially since people wanted to hear about the book, Among the Original Dwellers, that was as much about their history as it was about my ancestors. 

These ​were some of the opportunities:

• ​7 July Presenting Book to Gossner Theological Seminary @ the inauguration of the newly modeled Library
• 9 July Economic perspective of the missionary era @ Nirmal College
• 10 July Presenting Book to Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church (GELC) and the Nwgelc at the Jubilee Celebration of Autonomy
• 13 July Summary of Book and Themes @ Navin Doman Theological College (see recording below)
• 14 & 15 July writing workshop (see some examples of readings in Hindi as samples of heritage stories).
  

One hour presentation on Among the Original Dwellers, summary, achievements and themes. For B-Th seminary students of the NwGel and CNI. Listen to the presentation here:

Short samples of stories written in Hindi and English of common day things that are (or were) part of Adivasi culture: Patri Bhat (leaf plate), Karya (loin cloth), Mara Jhail (peacock feather) (sorry for poor sound). If this inspires others who wish to tell other Adivasi stories please contact me. Eventually we hope to publish a collection of stories about cultural heritage.

What do I know of Economics? Evenso I was invited to speak at the girls Nirmala College in Ranchi, a Catholic College.  Dr  Nirmala Daisy Nilu Ekka who I met in 2016 has become a great friend. She is the head of the economics department and asked to present my book to her class and speak about economic development.

Once again I had to speak spontaneously after figuring out what kind of audience i had and what the hopes of the economic teachers were. I had to speak quite simply in English, because though it is an English Medium school most of the students had a hard time following the English. The teachers also did some interpretations and explanations in Hindi. 

I have written my book through the lens of history and psychology, but I had not really viewed what the missionaries of the 19th century did was community develooment. The fact that some of the students were there from tribal families, who recently were merely farmers or laborers. It is develioment that their children or grand children, especially girls, could now be going to school. Both the principal and head of the department encouraged the girls to aim high and take this opportunity to learn from the past.

One thing I emphasised as I told of Ferdinand Hahn's life was that each one of them had something to offer from their experiences. Ferdinand Hahn did not have the chance to go to high school or college. He was completely self taught. As they soon found out, despite that, he was able to do many things that ended up positively impacting Jharkhand.

He came to Ranchi in 1868 and was married in the Gossner Church on the main Road here in Ranchi. He came believing that the message of Jesus Christ was a liberating one and hoped to liberate the Adivasi from poverty and oppression.

Education was the first important tool for development. His first job was to teach in the boys boarding school. Soon he was asked to help tutor the seminary students. Here was a man who had no seminary education who was able to teach others. Just as i was speaking to them about Economics, with very little training in Economics. So i can only speak from my experience and the experience of my great great grandfather.

Then i mentioned he went to Chaibassa for a year. This was because there was an epedemic and many missionaries and  their families died. It was discovered the well was contaminated so a new well was dug. I realised this to was part of economic develooment: clean water, food, housing, and education are key to any community's well being and development.

After this he went to Lohardaga and there he spent much time learning about the culture and language of the Oraon tribe. He wrote down many of their folk tales and wrote the Kurukh Grammar that is still used today in Ranchi University or Gossner College where Kurukh is taught.

In Lohardaga there were some members of the community who had contracted leprosy. Now in Oraon community they didnt outcast anyone who had leprosy, but the lepers themselves felt they were only a burden on the family. Now this was well before there was a cure   The only way they could contribute to the family was to beg and they didnt want to do that. So here again there is another economic develooment example. A small community was built for them with their own talab and mango grove was planted so that the lepers could receive care for their wounds and have fruit to sell to help sustain  Rather than criminalising or institutionalizing these poor sufferers he created a self supporting community. 

Because of his work with the lepers he was asked to go to Purulia to administer the lagest Asylum in all of Asia  It was also at this time that he was asked to write about what he had learned about the culture. He was also asked to join Father Hoffman (Jesuit)  to write the Chota Napur Tenancy Act. which recognized the traditional waysthe Adivasi identify their land. This important land reform was central to the survival and development of the Adivasi up to today.

That law was passed in 1908. The missionary noticed that the people began to really improve their farns immediately afterwards. He asked why they hadnt taken such good care of their fields before? They replied that if they had the land would only be taken from them . So this reform empowered them to return to their ancient agricultural wisdom.

I wanted to tell them of the role of Christianity in Economic Develooment  In 1845 the first Lutheran mission came to Chota Nagpur (Jharkhand) their emphasis was to establish quality education. Father Lievens a Jesuit started a catholic church. His emphasis was to advocate for social justice the rights of the people.  At the same time the Anglicans (now CNI) started a church. Now they of course were closely associated with the British, the ruling power at the time. So the Adivasi had this saying: if you want power, become an Anglican; if you want legal help become a Catholic; and if you want education go to the Gossner church. We know that times change and that now the Catholics are known for education, but that is how it was then. The point is the church played an important role in providing for the needs of the community. You may think only the government or business engage in economic development  but churches and other NGOs play a very key role.

Economic Develooment is important and vital for survival, but what was the problem with the British and still today , is that development often is done totally disregarding the people, their heritage and nature;  this is short sited. Nature is destroyed, community is destroyed and in the end we all suffer 

So it is key to conduct economic development that keeps in mind the old wisdom, that gives voice to all sectors of society. to empower and to consider self-sustainability. Other values that were part of tribal economy were cooperation, reciprocity, community based  equality, etc. These values must be re-ignited and incorporated in economic development.

An evening with Bishop Minz and Paracleta. These are one of the first people to welcome us in 2016. I had know idea who they were then, but they were eager to meet the descendents of Ferdinand Hahn who put the Kurukh language into writing. He is a greatly honored man in Jharkhand, not only for his leadership in the church and in education for Adivasi but also for being active in the Jharkhand movement. Now in his 90s and his wife suffering Parkinsons disease, they were so eager to see my book and also to experience the hundred year jubilee of autonomy of the Gossner church in a couple of days. He wrote a few songs in Kurukh for the occassion.

I had a very lovely passage to India, thanks to a 24 hour layover in Zurich, where I enkoyed the lake and city with a cousin.

Then i arrived in Delhi and rested for a full 24 hours.

On the 4th, I spent a long while at the airport enjoying watching all the different travelers.

I now am so happy to be back in Ranchi. I was honored to be greeted at the airport by Bishop Lakra and the General Secretary of the NWGELC. I have settled into my room at the guest house. I so enjoy the people here.

It was such an honor to have 25 friends and family join me to celebrate the launch of my new book: Among the Original Dwellers. My cousins from my mom's side (the Heins) joined my family from Woodstock and dear friends here in Madison. I apologize to those who may have tried to join us but were dissuaded by another event that was happening in the same building. (Here is the the "bare" minimum of what you missed. ;-) )

I had on display pictures and some of my resource materials. As I spoke and answered really great questions we snacked on Indian snacks and chai. After a good hour I then signed some books. I am interested in promoting my book in your city, so please contact me to explore how such an event as this could be done somewhere near you!

I began by speaking about one of the more interesting experiences I had during my visit in Jharkhand, where most of the book takes place. At the time the region was called Chota Nagpur.

In 2016 i celebrated Easter with the Adivasi Christians. Their celebration is the most unique it comes from a unique blend of Moravian and Adivasi traditions. The easter sunrise service takes place in the cemetery and the Resurrection is celebrated together with the ancestors. The graves, which generally are mounds of earth, are white washed and then decorated with flowers and candles before the sun arises. It is perhaps one of the most beautiful sights.

I explained the traditional Adivasi views of life after death. The various tribes (two dominant ones were the Oroan and Munda) believe in one Creator God. They feel detached from that God and most of their spiritual concerns are appeasing the spirit world. Spirits are primarily ancestors who were not properly taken care of after they died and so did not go to their final resting place, but wander around as hungry and vindictive spirits. This is one of the reasons many Adivasi were drawn to Christianity, because it offered an escape not only for themselves but also their ancestors to be able to share a hope of a Resurrected life in the here-after, and also an redeemed and abundant life here on earth.

This autobiography of one the the missionaries who helped establish Christianity here in Chota Nagpur, is about connecting with our ancestor's stories. The legacy of Ferdinand Hahn, my great great grandfather, is felt to this day by the descendents both biologically and spiritually.

I then spoke of how the diary of his wife, Doris, inspired this story and my journey to research my family. This led to a journey to understand how globalized the end of the 19th century was so that there was a connection between Germany, England America and this most remote forest plateau region that was home for centuries to the Adivasi (indigenous peoples/tribals) of this part of India.

I was also grateful that my 94.5 year old father, Ted Feierabend, was in attendance. He has been my greatest supporter, cheerleader, encouragers, sounding board, translator, research assistant and financier. He also shared some of his insights about this very important history.

You are cordially invited to the launch of my first published Book:
 AMONG THE ORIGINAL DWELLERS: REMEMBERING FERDINAND HAHN.

This is a biography of my great great grandfather who was an Anthropologist, Linguist, and Christian Missionary in India.
In researching my ancestor, I discovered the story of the original dwellers among whom he lived, known as the Adivasi.
This story speaks to globalization, heritage, culture, identity and community development in a cross cultural context.


SATURDAY. JUNE 15TH 10:30 - NOON
SOCIAL JUSTICE CENTER
1202 WILLIAMSON STREET, MADISON

Come when you can; leave when you must.

PURCHASE A BOOK ($15) AND GET IT SIGNED
SLIDE PRESENTATION
INDIAN SNACKS AND CHAI
BREADING & Q&A AT 10:30 AND 11:30

KEEP EYE OUT FOR FUTURE BOOK RELEASES IN DIFFERENT AREAS.
HTTPS://WWW.AMONGTHEORIGINALDWELLERS.COM/EVENTS.HTM

Books are available now for $21 @ 
http://www.lulu.com/shop/mary-girard/among-the-original-dwellers-remembering-ferdinand-hahn/paperback/product-24116379.html

Keep eye out for future book releases in different areas.
https://www.amongtheoriginaldwellers.com/events.htm

lf you would like to host a book signing in your town please contact me and we will see what we can arrange.

Among the Original Dwellers: 
Remembering Ferdinand Hahn



I began writing about my great gr0eat grandparents for two reasons. Like so many others, I wanted to connect with my ancestors story in search of my own identity and connectedness in the world. Having grown up in India, I wanted to have a clearer picture of the first generation who connected our German-American family to India. Their unique story in the nineteenth century of German missionaries working in British India among the marginalized Adivasi, however, gave me another reason to write.
Having spent most of my formative years in India, I have always wanted to show the “real India”, with its complex cultural diversity, to those who are fascinated with its exotic spirituality. Very few know the story of those who are not Hindu, Muslim or Bhuddist in a country where nearly every religion on earth is represented. In India a minority constitutes more people than in many parts of the world. 8% of the population of India are Adivasi, About half of them are Christian. Few people know their story. In fact they also are in search of  their own history.
I was surprised and honored to discover in my research for this book that my great great grandfather , FERDINAND HAHN, advocated for the rights of the Adivasi and helped preserve their culture. In fact, it was quite a relief for me to discover that during this colonial era how Christianity played, and continues to play, an unique and important role in the liberation of the oppressed Adivasi. Having this fresh understanding of the colonial era, during the European migration, before the World Wars, I was intrigued by the extent of globalisation and how it has shaped everyone, even in the most remotest parts of India.
The story covers the scope of Ferdinand’s life, from his desire to escape the confines of his parochial village in Germany, to his spiritual awakening, and adventure to  a region, known as Chotanagpur in eastern India. Here among the Adivasi, the original dwellers or indigenous people of India, who are oppressed by the Indian majority and British rulers, he comes to appreciate the diversity of culture and social conditions. Ferdinand seeks the liberation of the Adivasi, both spiritually and temporally, through education, social services and advocacy, as well as through establishing a culturally relevant Adivasi church. The narrative braids his personal family story in with the unique role of German missionaries in British India

I love stories. I listen for the details of the stories. I also listen for how the story is told. In truth, sometimes when someone tells me anything (for anything is a story) and it is told in my style, it can be harder to listen. I jump to thinking I know. I have to work at not only being willing to listen, but also willing to tell my story. Both can be intimidating. There are many examples not only of stories but how stories are told that come in to my life every day.

My life at late is all about storytelling, as I finish up one book and start on another. My father is busy translating into English "50 Bilder aus der Gossnerschen Kols-Mission (Fifty Pictures of the Gossner Kols-Mission) written in 1895 (Hahn and Kaush). There is also a Hindi translation that is in the works of being published in India. This book with its pictures provide us with such great examples of the early Gossner church in Chotanagpur, that now is celebrating its Jubilee Centennial of Autonomy.

He is always very anxious to share with me some of these great stories. Today I will share one of Missionary Eckert's observations about preaching in the market place. Take note the picture above shows the missionary preaching, but Christian Adivasi men and women would spend most of the time talking to the crowds during these Melas (market days). When we think of preaching we do not see it so much as simple story telling. But since storytelling was such a part of this tribal culture, the missionaries quickly picked up on the centrality of storytelling in all of life.

Eckert is quoted as saying, "it is very difficult to get into the thoughts of the non-believers. You   can not preach easy enough. While I was living in the provisional home of  Büchselpur Station, I had the opportunity to hear the conversations of the people. One tells, for example one thing. First, he tells it quickly, then he
repeats what he has said two or three times. Finally, his listeners are initiated into the story and its telling and are immensely happy when they understand what the speaker said. There is a big difference among the audience. People who have been at school can follow our train of thought, but others must be treated differently. Words and phrases such as penance, faith, love, Savior, heaven, love God above all, and so on, are completely incomprehensible to them. All that has to be learned first. (It is not necessary to mention that in older Mission communities the state of religious life is higher than in the case of these beginners in the faith.)"

Many preachers incorporated this storytelling and interactive style into their preaching. I am curious to find out from readers (anywhere) how much this style resonates with them. An example at my work with the Dane County TimeBank shows that we share some core values (see picture below) but I still think every single member of the Timebank would tell different stories about each of these values.

This is of course a religious example using unfamiliar words and phrases, but I noticed in many different meetings that I have at work and in the community, how we don't always share common vocabulary or common values. Even in identifying those values, we do not always view them exactly the same.

This is why I believe it is important to tell stories, and to read. We can only know each other, history, or work together if we are able to listen to the stories of others. Truly listen. But so much is in the style of telling. Sometimes it is hard to listen, because of the way it is being told, in addition to the perspective and the language used.

I listen to Japanese News (in English) and our Public Broadcasting news and am struck with how the Japanese news is very repetitive and gives details that you never hear in American news (now this partly could be due to one of the purposes of this news program is to teach Japanese English). The American news can also be repetitive, because the context always needs to be reiterated. A friend of mine told me she gets frustrated with Indian news articles because they never give the context. If you haven't been tracking the story from the start, you have to be told it by one who has (through their interpretation, of course). 

I really wish I could read literature in other languages. What's on my bucket list is to learn Hindi well enough so that I can read the newspaper (that uses a lot of big words) and books written in Hindi. My collection of Hindi books to read is growing fast! Unfortunately, I did not inherit the "easy-learning-language-gene" from my great great grandfather! I do however pick up the culture of language pretty easy: that is gestures, accents, styles. So many cross cultural environments I have been in, people actually think I know their language! 

For example, once I was traveling from India to England as a young woman and sat next to an old Punjabi woman who sat cross-legged under her seat belt. When I sat down I greeted her with "Sat-sri-akal" and the whole trip she told me her life story. I only know a few words in Punjabi, but I could tell what she was talking about in generalities, and gave appropriate gestures that made her keep on telling the story. It shortened my 10 hour flight!

Another example is one my dad likes to tell about my mother. They started working in a small rural hospital in India in 1951, soon after India's Independence and partition. There were Sindhi refugees that were relocated to a nearby abandoned military air-base. The hospital was having a very difficult time treating these people when they came in for treatment. Most of them were suffering PTSD (which was hardly understood at the time). My mother acted as the social worker and would go from bed to bed to visit the patients before the doctors and nurses came in. She was able to help them figure out what to tell the doctor about their concerns. Once she was at the bed of a Sindhi woman.

A nurse came by and said: "don't bother to talk to her, she speaks a different language."

My mother replied: "But I am speaking with her, I'm speaking the language of love and presence. We may not speak the same language, but I am learning all kinds of things about her."
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The Lutheran Adivasi Christians of Jharkhand and environs have recently begun to celbrate a very important event in their history. The event occurred in 1857 during the Great Rebellion (Mutiny). The first struggle for liberation, that most people know about in India, played out slightly different for the Adivasi Christians living in and around Ranchi. It was a time of feirce persecution that was endured at the hands of the powerful zamindars in the region (though the soldiers did seem to join in their rampage). 

For several hundred years outsiders had been coming into the jungle region of the Chota Nagpur plateau, taking over land that had once been only the dwelling place for various indigenous tribes: the Munda, Oraon, Ho, Kharia, Santal, etc. These orginial dwellers coexisted with each other and the land the water and the forest (Jamin, Jal, Jungle). Their existence was threatened by the growing influx of the outside world that took over their land, labor, and livelihood. The battle continues on today. But through it all their tribal identity has not been wiped out.

Between 1850-1857 some Adivasi were drawn to Christianity. The Christian message of liberation and belonging spoke to them deeply. The German missionaries provided them education and socio economic stability. Both the Indian and British rulers, however, were not well pleased with this and reinforced the landownership (zamindar) system that oppressed them and alientated from the livelihood that they were so connected to.

When the Indian soldiers revolted against the British East India company, that was ruling much of India in 1857, the local zamindars in Chota Nagpur took this as an opportunity to attack the Christian Adivasi. Their homes and villages, books, churches and schools were attacked. The missionaries fled. But the 700 Christian Adivasi had to fend for themselves, under the leadership of the first convert among them, Navin Doman.

100 of them, mostly children, were pursued into the jungle by armed men. The monsoon was in full force and the rivers were swollen. When they reached a river lightning miraculously hit a tree that created for them a bridge to an island. Than as equally miraculously, after all had crossed over the water washed the tree away before the armed men arrived.

The group stayed on the island for several months, living off the produce of the jungle, using their age-old indigenous wisdom. Even after the river had dwindled into a small trickle, they stayed hidden away, unsure what was happening outside. The coast would not be completely cleared of the rebel forces in the region until the beginning of 1858. In the meantime, as the persecuted Christians shared with other Adivasi of how God had been with them through their terrible ordeal, others also wanted to join the Christian faith. By the time the Christian Missionaries returned to Ranchi a year later, they found thousand more Adivasi who were anxious to be baptised and learn about the Christian faith.

Now, 169+ years later, Christianity has spread among the Adivasi of this region, so that about half of them are Christian (Lutheran, Catholic, Anglican or other).* The Christians celebrate this important event, Kristan Dari, on January 31st (when the river is almost completely dry) 10,000 come from all over for this pilgrimage and celebrate the Lord's communion together among the rocks and sand beds.

This year is also the jubilee year (100th anniversary) of the autonomy** of the Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church. The mother church and the offshoot, the NWGELC, will be having celebrations that I will attend in July and November. Other Christians will join in the celebrations, for indeed all Christians in the region share in this glorious legacy.

For the Adivasi, whether Christian or not, these are very difficult times in India. Minorities of all kinds are facing pressures from all sides. Indeed a few have benefitted from education and economic development, but even they have not lost completely their connection to the Jamin, Jal, Jungle. They remain essentially tribal: and must not lose sight of the environment (their houses, fields, work, animals, plants, trees, weather and sky)***, their ancestors, their children, their community, their culture. 

In the Bible the Jubilee year deals with land, property, and rights. Slaves and prisoners are to be freed, debts to be forgiven and the mercies of God would be manifest.  When Jesus began his ministry he heralded the year of Jubilee as a perpetual reality of the realm of God, which is not some distant reality, but a very present one, to be lived out. So my hope is that the Jubilee year of Autonomy will bring much needed justice, mercy, reconciliation, liberation, to all living in the land of the orginal dwellers (Adivasi).
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* I hope to have the biography of my great great grandfather published by this summer: Among the Original Dwellers: The life of Ferdinand Hahnd. I make a case that the spread of Christianity had as much to do with the Adivasi as it did with the German missionaries.
**Autonomy: 1919 the GELC (Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church of Chota Nagpur and Assam) was granted autonomy by the British government. This means they ran their own church and institutions with only some support and partnership from the outside (western missions). This was the first native church to receive autonomy well before India's independence.
*** Paul Wagner in Journal of the Asiatic society. collection of Mundari Riddles. 1908