Report from Dilger for the First Quarter 1881
subject: [Archives catalogue]: Guides / Finding aids: Archives: D - Ghana: D-01 - Incoming correspondence from Ghana up to the outbreak of the First World War: D-01.33 - Ghana 1881: D-01.33.XV. - Abetifi
description: Report of a preaching tour. In Obo on one visit the king embraced both him and the catechist. They have taken to preaching in several different quarters in Obo so as to come into contact with more people. People are not so keen on house to house visits, and face to face conversations. In Mpraeso one of the 2 lapsed catechumens visited him in his lodging and proceeded to beat wildly on a drum which he held under his arm. The chief in Mpraeso he judges to be somewhat unfriendly judging by his relations to their attempt to purchase land in Mpreaso. In Nkwatia (which he reckons is a bigger town than either Abetifi or Mpreaso) he has had some conversation with the chief fetish priest. Dilger tried to persuade him that although his long-standing religion could not be thrown away simply, he ought to find out what Dilger’s religious teachings were. As they left the house a drum began to beat, and Catechist Kwabi interpreting said that it was saying 'The Allmighty God came to do business with the earth, but be earth slew him'. Dilger also reports a street conversation with a young man who said he wasn't giving up his fetish. The king in Nkwatia seems to be somewhat ambivalent in his attitudes, friendly, but he has never responded to Dilger’s invitation to hear the preaching. Sakaraka he reckons is a town of 2000 inhabitants. When staying overnight there they are usually put up by a smith who is very friendly and hospitable, and has said he wants his family to become Christians. Tafo is a village, but they usually have a good number of hearers there. Burakuwa, a little village, but one where the people are usually glad to hear the preaching. On one occasion he preached there about the occasion when Paul preached to several woman in a town and afterwards one stayed with him and became a Christian. Pepeaso is near to Abetifi, and a big town. There has been a case there of a Christian publicly and privately breaking the King’s oath.
date: Date early: 21.03.1881
date: Proper date: 21.03.1881

Draft Proposal by Ramseyer to the Africa General Conference (i.e. Conference of Gold Coast Missionaries) with Commentary
subject: [Archives catalogue]: Guides / Finding aids: Archives: D - Ghana: D-01 - Incoming correspondence from Ghana up to the outbreak of the First World War: D-01.33 - Ghana 1881: D-01.33.XV. - Abetifi
description: The proposal is that they should suggest to the Basel Committee an immediate attempt at a mission settlement in Kumasi. In his commentary he recites grounds for attempting this, adding that the Buck/Huppenbauer expedition indicates that the Asantes would probably agree to a request to let the Basel Mission take up work in the town. True no decided answer was given to Buck and Huppenbauer when they asked this question, but this is in itself a hopeful sign especially when seen in conjunction with the fact that they were themselves allowed to preach as and where they wanted. That Picot's request for permission was refused is not surprising - it was not intelligent of him to ask for permission to come and baptise people. To the Asantes, who do not understand what missionary work is about, to ask as he did for permission to baptise is to ask to come and make English eubjecte of young Asantes. Certainly the Kumasi people have not asked for a missionary station - but that is after all not to be expected, and the Asante-Akin people who have asked for one are motivated by political considerations. One argument which he advances in a little more detail than before concerns the importance of a presence in Kumasi for the protection of the Abetifi station. The Kwahus he says have asked recently for British protection, and they are under no illusions as to what an Asante attack would mean for them if they were beaten and without British protection. They cannot wait long before coming to a decision and some will go to join the Asantes, and some south into the Protectorate. If Abetifi comes under Asante control again it will make a lot of difference to its fate if the mission already has friendly relations with the Asantehene through the establishment of a mission in Kumasi.
date: Date early: 22.03.1881
date: Proper date: 22.03.1881

Ramseyer to Basel
subject: [Archives catalogue]: Guides / Finding aids: Archives: D - Ghana: D-01 - Incoming correspondence from Ghana up to the outbreak of the First World War: D-01.33 - Ghana 1881: D-01.33.XV. - Abetifi
description: Concerning the proposed settlement at Kumasi. Recites the reasons for this step which he set out in the commentary to his proposal (No 243 above). His forecasts concerning the future trend of Kwahu politics is still written in a positive way – ‘it is always possible that’ - adding that the repeated refusals by the British government to do anything about the Kwahu application to be included in the Protectorate is causing restiveness. The latest case of this was in February, when an embassy sent to Accra came back with nothing but the proclamation of Rowe's being appointed Governor. He now has further grounds for thinking that this is the time to go forward in this direction. David Asante has heard from a minor Asante chief who stayed with him, and who in his turn heard it from the Asante ambassador recently in Cape Coast (Boakye Tenten, the step-father of the king) that the Asantehene has asked the Governor for a mission or missionaries. This Ramseyer thinks the final evidence that the time is ripe. Much of the letter further discussion of the financing of a Kumasi mission - Ramseyer proposing a cheap mission house, and pointing out how questionable a decision it was to build the Begoro stations out of Asante Mission funds. He is alarmed about reports that the Kibi station is thinking of staring a new full-scale station in Anum - surely another Asante station should come before another Akim station. A postscript (after tough bargaining with the Mpraeso chief that lasted for several weeks – see No 258 above), the Mpraeso land has been bought and the Abetifi people are sawing timber for it, and making shingles
date: Date early: 10.06.1881
date: Proper date: 10.06.1881

Ramseyer to Basel
subject: [Archives catalogue]: Guides / Finding aids: Archives: D - Ghana: D-01 - Incoming correspondence from Ghana up to the outbreak of the First World War: D-01.33 - Ghana 1881: D-01.33.XV. - Abetifi
description: Repeating the arguments for proceeding from Abetifi to Kumasi vis-à-vis Anum. Abetifi is nearer, and in 6-8 hours you find yourself in the thickly populated area Asante Akim from where it is a short journey to Juaben There is also some discussion of financial details, in which it emerges that they are importing for health reasons Kissinger water - and the portage from the coast costs 6d a bottle.
date: Date early: 11.08.1881
date: Proper date: 11.08.1881

Ramseyer to Basel
subject: [Archives catalogue]: Guides / Finding aids: Archives: D - Ghana: D-01 - Incoming correspondence from Ghana up to the outbreak of the First World War: D-01.33 - Ghana 1881: D-01.33.XV. - Abetifi
description: They are apparently able to sit under the shadow of their vine.
date: Date early: 19.08.1881
date: Proper date: 19.08.1881

Dilger to Basel
subject: [Archives catalogue]: Guides / Finding aids: Archives: D - Ghana: D-01 - Incoming correspondence from Ghana up to the outbreak of the First World War: D-01.33 - Ghana 1881: D-01.33.XV. - Abetifi
description: The bulk of the letter is about his learning of the twi language, which he has tiled to do mainly by talking about secular topics. He does not think the Bible Translation is understood by many poople. He offers some proverbs which he has learnt. Dilger comments finally that it would be good to offer a proper description of African religion, but he is not yet in a position of understanding the language, customs, and needs of the people enough to do this.
date: Date early: 05.09.1881
date: Proper date: 05.09.1881

Ramseyer to Basel
subject: [Archives catalogue]: Guides / Finding aids: Archives: D - Ghana: D-01 - Incoming correspondence from Ghana up to the outbreak of the First World War: D-01.33 - Ghana 1881: D-01.33.XV. - Abetifi
description: A short letter reporting their arrival in Kumasi, and a friendly and magnificent reception. Explains tout court their decision to make the journey in view of the Asantehene’s wish to have missionaries in his capital, They hope to see the Asantehene tomorrow, and return shortly.
date: Date early: 07.09.1881
date: Proper date: 07.09.1881

Dilger to Basel - Report of a Journey to Asante-Akim
subject: [Archives catalogue]: Guides / Finding aids: Archives: D - Ghana: D-01 - Incoming correspondence from Ghana up to the outbreak of the First World War: D-01.33 - Ghana 1881: D-01.33.XV. - Abetifi
description: The journey took place about 10 days after his return from Begoro in the new year. He reports that part of his visit which concerned the independent province (of Asante-Akim), not under Asante. An embassy had come to them asking them for a teacher, and saying that 6 children had already been gathered for a school, and a place set aside for a teacher's house. One of the members of this embassy returned in the Company of Dilger, in order to show him the way. They passed through the Kwahu towns of Obo, Akwasino, and Akwaboa, spending the night in the latter. His people were concerned because Dilger had fever, but he took a dose of quinine and sweated out during the night. After two hours the next day, they crossed the Pra. 4 huts stand on its left bank judging by the ruins not long ago there must have been a few more. At 5 p.m. they reached Asuboa after a slow trek. Asuboa is not the capital town, but next to it. He remarks that the people of Asante-Akim are one the average-poor, and some of them are very poor. Asuboa is an example of this – they have poor huts which only offer scanty shelter, there is no source of livelihood, other than growing their own foods; indeed he saw no meat being eaten and sometimes the people have no salt. He spent two nights in Asuboa, and this gave opportunity to talk to the people (converse) till late in the nights. They were impressed with the biblical history which was related to them, and Dilger had the impression that it was a ‘real balsam’ to them. They also visited Dampong, one hour away, where they were received with friendliness. The women were very interested to see a real white men, the chief dashed them a hen and some eggs, and when the gift of 1 shilling from the fetish priest (a young man) was refused on the ground that they needed no token of his real friendship there, was considerable commotion to find a hen instead. En route from Asuboa to Bombata they passed the tiny village of Asankare, where Dilger felt he had never rea…
date: Date early: 22.09.1881
date: Proper date: 22.09.1881

Ramseyer to Basel - Summary Report in the Visit to Kumasi
subject: [Archives catalogue]: Guides / Finding aids: Archives: D - Ghana: D-01 - Incoming correspondence from Ghana up to the outbreak of the First World War: D-01.33 - Ghana 1881: D-01.33.XV. - Abetifi
description: They arrived in Kumasi on September 5th, and were able to meet the Asantehene on the 9th (the delay caused by obsequy customs). Before the Asantehene 'and his chiefs' they tried to make it quite clear what their objective was. They said they had absolutely nothing to do with politics - their purpose was simply to preach the Word of God - they dwelt a lot on John 3.16. They explained that they had heard that the Asantehene had asked for missionaries to be sent, and so came to see if he would accept the Basel Mission, offering a very positive forecast of the reactions of the B.M. to an invitation to set up a mission settlement in Kumasi. The reply they received was that the Asantehene was overjoyed to see Ramseyer in Kumasi again, moreover their Word was a good word; but they could give no certain answer until the return of the Boakye Tengteng Mission to the Governor (Ramseyer obviously understood this to meet that the Asantehene could not run the risk of misunderstanding if he made arrangements about the reception of a mission on his own without having received the advice from the Governor for which he had asked). On their return they were able to explore the whole of Asante-Akim, from which now two deputations have come asking for a teacher. The previous population of Amantra have settled themselves in about a dozen places around Bompata. They plan to visit the area frequently in future
date: Date early: 05.10.1881
date: Proper date: 05.10.1881

Ramseyer to Basel
subject: [Archives catalogue]: Guides / Finding aids: Archives: D - Ghana: D-01 - Incoming correspondence from Ghana up to the outbreak of the First World War: D-01.33 - Ghana 1881: D-01.33.XV. - Abetifi
description: The letter is a footnote to Mohr's report on the visit, No 237 below). The under-chief who had visited David Asante with news of the Asantehene’s requests for a missionary was a Kumasi sub-chief, end he had attended services regularly while staying in Nsakye. Much of the letter is couched in terms of Ramseyer’s own satisfaction at being back in Kumasi (indeed Ramseyer’s own feelings, and the interpretation he of course gives them as an indication of God's Will to play a major part in this series of letters about the possibility of an Asante mission). 'It was a tremendous satisfaction for me that they heard from my own mouth how much I love Asante and its people’. His reception seems to have been in the highest degree friendly. 'With a friendly smile on his lips the king said "Yes, it is true that you love the Kumasi people”.’ He did hear one young man say on the market that it was on account of that man that their town was destroyed, but on the whole from high and low he was greeted with great friendship. He explains the refusal to accept the gift of a twi bible as no serious hint of unwelcome. If the bible had been presented with the first customary gifts, it would have been accepted - indeed the Asantehene accepted a twi New Testament from them during their captivity. Instead it was offered at the end of their speech about the preparedness of the Basel Mission to Work in Kumasi, and the Kumasi people (one of the chiefs spoke against receiving it) probably thought that accepting it would indicate that they had accepted the Basel Mission offer. On Asante-Akim - it belongs unmistakably to Kwahu (in mission-organisation terms), Bompata is the central point, around which are about a dozen large and small communities. He said to the Bompata people that if they wanted a teacher they must prove it by building him a house, and this is now his message to any town in Asante-Akim or Kwahu who wants a teacher. The early Bompata mission to the coast in search of a teacher went …
date: Date early: 25.10.1881
date: Proper date: 25.10.1881

Ramseyer to Basel
subject: [Archives catalogue]: Guides / Finding aids: Archives: D - Ghana: D-01 - Incoming correspondence from Ghana up to the outbreak of the First World War: D-01.33 - Ghana 1881: D-01.33.XV. - Abetifi
description: Further comments on the question of a Kumasi mission – mainly based on a letter he has received from Prince Ansah, informing him that several approaches have been made recently from Kumasi to the Wesleyans to settle in Kumasi once more. He does not see any need for the Basel Mission to abstain from trying- to have a station in Kumasi too. Asante is a place large enough for both missions to work in separate spheres, but although Asante is weaker than before each village is still under the control of a representative of the Asantehene, and it is unthinkable that they could carry on mission work in Asante without first establishing themselves in the capital.
date: Date early: 06.12.1881
date: Proper date: 06.12.1881

Comments on the Kumasi proposal
subject: [Archives catalogue]: Guides / Finding aids: Archives: D - Ghana: D-01 - Incoming correspondence from Ghana up to the outbreak of the First World War: D-01.33 - Ghana 1881: D-01.33.XV. - Abetifi
description: The comments are all more or less against the Kumasi proposal. Eisenschmid e.g. because he reads the events of the 2 visits in 1881 differently and less optimistically than Ramseyer, and Steiner because he thinks that Wesleyan and Basel mission methods are so diametrically opposed that they cannot possibly coexist in the same town.
date: Date early: 21.12.1881
date: Date late: 28.12.1881
date: Proper date: 21.12.1881-28.12.1881

Year's Report of the Station for 1881
subject: [Archives catalogue]: Guides / Finding aids: Archives: D - Ghana: D-01 - Incoming correspondence from Ghana up to the outbreak of the First World War: D-01.33 - Ghana 1881: D-01.33.XIV. - Begoro
description: Concerning the personnel of the station, at the time of writing, the station staff included Chr. Burckhardt. Sakyi is still listed as a catechist. There is in this report a list of the 77 places in Akim Abuakwa which lie in the Kibi mission area. Only three places are listed as Juaben villages - Koforidua, Asokore, and Owoko. The map is part of his argument that the area of the Begoro station ought to be extended to take over some of the responsibilities of the Kibi station. In the bulk of the report he says firstly that positive belief in the fetishes is declining - two fetishes were actually brought to him during the course of the year by their owners who had no further use for them. But Christianity demands too much for many of them: For example, the Begoro people have a number of public festivals in which dancing plays an important part, which are led by 'clubs', and it is very difficult for people to break away from them. Another problem is the older people, who do not want to be left with no-one to make custom for them after their deaths (He mentions in this conection specifically many young men). The fetish priests have also been damaged in their authority by a series of deaths occurring in Begoro town which were not matched on the mission station. Many people are now living god-less as a result. Several old people, and several women, are among the roll of the newly baptised, and there are now 6 blessed marriages and the first new Christian marriage is shortly to be .celebrated. There is still difficulty about getting unmarried Christian men wives, however, The Begoro girls want to be wooed in the traditional way, and a search for wives among the Christian communities of Akwapim and Kukurantumi has born no results. Sunday services are very satisfactorily attended, and so are street preachings by the heathen. They have been less successful getting adult Christians to go to a weekly evening school – they are finding it difficult to get any results teaching adul…
date: Date early: 02.01.1882
date: Proper date: 02.01.1882

Report by Mohr after an Investigation of the Facts in Discussion with Sakyi, 21-22 March 1881
subject: [Archives catalogue]: Guides / Finding aids: Archives: D - Ghana: D-01 - Incoming correspondence from Ghana up to the outbreak of the First World War: D-01.33 - Ghana 1881: D-01.33.XIV. - Begoro
description: Disciplinary Proceedings over the months April-Juli 1881 over Catechist Sakyi It is not clear from where the investigation started, except that it cannot have been from Begoro, since Mohr writes strongly in defence of Sakyi. Comparatively little is added to the earlier report from Mohr about Sakyi (No 1880/156 above) except that there had apparently been some occasions of 'irregular' behaviour between him and his wife before they were married. His first major success in trading was in ivory, and this followed in train on his being refused permission to go to Salaga with Buss after he had got together resources for the journey. He was charged too with receiving money to write letters or speak for people, but as far as Mohr could see they boiled down to very few occasions. One was his speaking for the refuges from Obo before the court of the Abetifi chief when Missionary Werner knew about the payment. He refused to take £1 from another old man who was in difficulties establishing his right to some ivory, although he later found that the man had paid 1 dollar to the Christians. He had received money on several occasions, especially in Kibi writing letters to the government. Mohr reports that he plead very vehemently against being dismissed as he recognised he deserved, since he had determined to serve the mission for the rest of his life. And Mohr himself reports that he was an exemplary catechist. To this is added (b) opinions from the senior figures in the mission on the Coast - Müller who seems to have taken an active part in the investigations. He reports that he can find nothing out about the report that Sakyi was an agent for a merchant in Accra. Also he has found in an old letter of Ramseyers the report that Sakyi had dealt in traditional medicine, and indeed "Old Anokwa” who had once been with Buss and deals in traditional medicine was recently in Begoro, but Müller could not find out what his business was. The balance of opinions it in favour of keeping Sakyi …
date: Date early: 01.04.1881
date: Proper date: 01.04.1881

Munz' Report for the First Quarter of 1881
subject: [Archives catalogue]: Guides / Finding aids: Archives: D - Ghana: D-01 - Incoming correspondence from Ghana up to the outbreak of the First World War: D-01.33 - Ghana 1881: D-01.33.XIV. - Begoro
description: His work at the Begoro station involves mostly language study, but he also helps Mohr sometimes in his farming. One problem for every missionary; is to find a balance between the natural withdrawal from the importunateness of Africans, and the need for an outward-going love of them. He offers a brief account of a journey from Begoro to Abetifi and back with a party of part Christian and part heathen carriers. The foreman seems to have been one Joshua of Fankyeneko. While there does not seem to have been anything of the rebelliousness characterising the relations between missionaries and carriers in Akim in the 1860s, the Christian carriers were not completely meek and submissive - lobbying for extra pay during the stay in Abetifi etc, although in the end accepting a much lower gift from Munz than they had tried to get him to pay them as wages.
date: Date early: 17.03.1881
date: Proper date: 17.03.1881

Mohr's Report for the First Quarter 1881
subject: [Archives catalogue]: Guides / Finding aids: Archives: D - Ghana: D-01 - Incoming correspondence from Ghana up to the outbreak of the First World War: D-01.33 - Ghana 1881: D-01.33.XIV. - Begoro
description: Concerned exclusively with Fankyeneko and Anyinam, raising yet again the question of the style appropriate for catechist’s houses, and the problem of payment for them. He feels that after their schooling when they were housed in airy rooms, care should be taken over the kind of houses in which catechists are asked to live. Also it is of use to the missionaries to have a house where they can rest, and where they can talk privately to the catechist or to individual Christians. He describes the decline of the Fankyeneko community in some detail. One of the problems was that the house collapsed during a rain storm when partly built, which made the building so much more onerous. Then two of the adult men left on a trading expedition, one to Akwapim, the other to Fante. This left only 4 men capable of working on the house. The man who went to Akwapim came back (it seems within six months) but had to be excluded for having lived as a heathen while in Akwapim, and marrying a prostitute on his return. The man who went to Fante - Emil, the strongest and most intelligent of the Christians, whom Mohr had looked forward to having as an elder - had lapsed into dancing and playing during his journey, and although had has a wife with whom he seems happy in Fankyeneko, he lived with a heathen girl while he was away. He himself offered this information in the idea of escaping public exclusion from the community. Over Anyinam he is almost enthusiastic. The Christians have by themselves built a catechists house with a room for passing missionaries, and have moved themselves onto the mission land. There are 7 husband-wife units living, there – and although in only two cases are both husband and wife Christians, the other wives are showing signs of wanting to follow their husbands into baptism. Among the newly baptised are several slaves from the interior. Until now they had been afraid to break free of their master, an old blind prince. But last year one of them was ill-treated, and fle…
date: Date early: 28.05.1881
date: Proper date: 28.05.1881

Mohr to Basel - Report of a Journey from Begoro to the Hinterland of the Anum Station
subject: [Archives catalogue]: Guides / Finding aids: Archives: D - Ghana: D-01 - Incoming correspondence from Ghana up to the outbreak of the First World War: D-01.33 - Ghana 1881: D-01.33.XIV. - Begoro
description: The report begins with a five page introduction about preparations and travelling techniques. Leaving Begoro he remarks that there is a pond in the course of the river Osubeng near the town, which is accounted a fetish - women pray to it for children, and it is also the water in which the stools and fetishes are washed, and where the bereaved have to purify themselves. He comments on the Akura that they found by the way that they are light houses built of materials easy to find in the woods, and lived in by farmers or hunters or snail gathered for part of the year. The ‘traditional hospital' is often a grouping of such houses - people often live through long illnesses in the forest. This is partly because of the fear that in the town ill-wishing neighbours would be able to interrupt one's recovery, or inflict a further illness. They passed on the first day an Akura called Oboro-Ahohoo (he cudgeled the strangers), where they met 4 men from Gyakiti. These people knew that there was a white man in Anum who planned to travel through Gyakiti to Begoro, and that there was a white man from Akropong with him. (These were the missionaries Munz and Eisenschmid). Aboroahohoo was 5 hours from Begoro: as in all such places they were able to find an old pot for cooking, and a mortar for making fufu. Next day after two or three hours they came to Kokone Mountain, which Mohr says was once inhabited by the Krobos, until troubles with the Akems persuaded them to move to Krobo Mountain. Two hours later they passed the groups of huts oalled Bogyabeyedom and Mua-wo-ano and came to the Akura Fefeso, which consists of three large huts. The day before the Begoro women had left this place after 10 days’ collecting snails. The men had had to stay in Begoro on account of an investigation into a murder. Prom there after 1 ¾ hours they came to the lake Nanteta, which he describes as famous in Begoro as source of stories about gigantic snakes etc., and a great haunt of game and hunters. Unfortun…
date: Date early: July 1881
date: Proper date: July 1881

Mohr to Basel - The Main Report of the Ramseyer/Mohr Expedition to Kumasi
subject: [Archives catalogue]: Guides / Finding aids: Archives: D - Ghana: D-01 - Incoming correspondence from Ghana up to the outbreak of the First World War: D-01.33 - Ghana 1881: D-01.33.XIV. - Begoro
description: There is a printed version of this report in Heidenbote 1882 pp 26ff, which covers the actual visit to Kumasi. Additional material: In talking about the preparations for the journey, Mohr says that Ramseyer had received reports from various people about the route, which had in fact been closed to salt and munition by the English government for some time. In fact just before they were due to set out the news arrived of an agreement between the colonial government and Asante, and it was said that salt was again moving north into Kumasi and could be bought there in the market. They were delayed in setting out because the Abetifihene Kofi Denkyi feared that their visit would be taken as a political gesture of his - the missionaries made it clear that they were going on their own initiative and responsibility, but had recruit carriers from Mpraeso, since Abetifi people were forbidden from going with them. (Mohr explains in outline political situation. in Kwahu, and says that Obo had maintained a secret link with Agogo ‘the most notable town in Eastern Asante). 3 of Mohr’s Begoro carriers also refused to go further out of fright, and he had to recruit new ones. August 23rd from Obo Twenedurase through Zwasihu (where Mohr preached on John 6.37) and stayed the night at Akwaboa. August 24th a hard day’s journey to the first Asante Akim village, Sankore. They failed to get as far as Bompata, their actual objective for the day. A load of foodstuffs was sent from Sankore direct to Obogu for use on the return journey. Bompata they reached after 20 minutes the next .morning. August 25th – passing through Bompata where their preaching was attended by a large crowd, they visited Adomfe, and stayed the night in Kurofa. In the former they found a Fante rascal, one of the ‘bush magistrates’ who function on the order of the Protectorate, settling disputes and being paid for same. Of course he was very pious and warned the people to take the preaching to heart. But the missionaries warn…
date: Date early: 28.09.1881
date: Proper date: 28.09.1881

D. Huppenbauer's Report for the Year 1881
subject: [Archives catalogue]: Guides / Finding aids: Archives: D - Ghana: D-01 - Incoming correspondence from Ghana up to the outbreak of the First World War: D-01.33 - Ghana 1881: D-01.33.XIII. - Kjebi
description: He reports a 22-house Christian village in Kibi and 14 house-village in Kukurantumi. Of the other Christian centres he reports changes in Tumfa where a catechist's house has been built, Asiamang and Apedwa where a house was in the process of being built. Buck spent most of the year on furlough for his health, Missionary Burckhardt spent some months in Kibi, but was then switched with Munz from Begoro. Huppenbauer married at the end of the year. Date was posted from Abomosu to Kibi as Buck left, and during the year Anoba was ordained deacon and transferred from Kibi to Abomosu. At the time of Buss' death he was working on the 2-storey Kibi mission house. During the year the 2-storey house was completed its latter stages by Huppenbauer and Munz. It was a bad year for sickness among both local people and missionaries. At one time 7 people died in 6 days in Apedwa and at the same time 6 died in Apapam, while Date was finding 1 or 2 deaths in each of a string of little villages which he passed through. The missionaries suffered from many fevers, and were without Kissinger Water the whole year, Census - an increase in the total community of the district to 703, after 52 baptisms, 44 of them adults. Huppenbauer discusses in generalities the point that this is a much smaller rate of increase than in the preceding year, but argues for himself that he knows that this is not just a matter of sowing and letting the seed grow of itself, also cites a son of Ata saying that every time they preach a corn falls onto the gold-scales and sooner or later they must register this. Discussing geographical tactics Huppenbauer writes as if torn between the problem of devoting adequate time to the existing community, and responding to the promising developments characteristic of West Akim. In Osanase an ex-pupil of the school has built a temporary chapel and a house for a catechist. Two paragraphs appear to complain about new financial regulations. The school has suffered a palpable blow thr…
date: Date early: 10.01.1882
date: Date late: 14.01.1882
date: Proper date: 10.01.1882-14.01.1882

D. Huppenbauer's Annual Report on Schools in the Kibi District
subject: [Archives catalogue]: Guides / Finding aids: Archives: D - Ghana: D-01 - Incoming correspondence from Ghana up to the outbreak of the First World War: D-01.33 - Ghana 1881: D-01.33.XIII. - Kjebi
description: 5 ex-pupils of the school entered the Middle School at the beginning of the school year, while 5 more entered the teacher's seminary. Three of the latter have already come away - they say on account of the many blows they had received. Huppenbauer appears not to discount this altogether. In the first half of the year there were 35 pupils in the school, and in the second half 43. New pupils were only taken into class I if they came from West Akim and Obomosu. From other outstations they came with enough grounding to enter a higher class. They are economising by reducing the amounts paid out to provide food for each boy each month - the sum has already been reduced by 3d, if it were reduced by 5d they would save £10 p.a. The problem is that it is so difficult to get money out of parents or relatives for schooling. The situation is going to make for problems especially when the boys arrive in the Middle School. Most of the relatives are heathen, so where will they get money for payment? Two of the new pupils in the Middle School have had £1 of support from a Christian uncle, but then only after in one case Huppenbauer himself had contributed 15/-. In the other case the uncle asked that if he was going to pay for his nephew's schooling the mission should recognise nephew inheritance in this case. The outcome looks as if it will be matter of Akim schoolboys, attending the Teacher's Seminary, where no payment is required, but this is a serious matter as it would mean that no native Akim's became catechists. He regrets Anoba's leaving the school, and describes him in glowing terms as having loved the boys and gained their trust 'as no European could have done'. There is a subscript from J. Müller as District Inspector of schools in which he defends what had happened to the three Akims in the Teacher Seminar. They had written two letters between them. One from one Thomas Agyei, explained that he wanted to become a carpenter. The other jointly from John Wusu and Robert Nkoro…
date: Date early: 27.12.1881
date: Proper date: 27.12.1881