John-Baptist Hoffmann
Encyclopedia
John-Baptist Hoffmann was a German Jesuit priest, Missionary
in India
(among the Mundas), and Social Worker.
, Hoffmann joined the Jesuit novitiate in Arlon (Belgium) in 1877. He was still a novice when he arrived in India at the end of the same year. Further training in Asansol
(Philosophy
and Theology
) completed his priestly formation. He was ordained priest in Calcutta on the 18 January 1891. Gifted in languages he had learned also French and English along with the Ancient Greek
and Latin
. He started studying the Mundari
language and acquired also a more than superficial knowledge of Indian culture during his theological studies in Asansol.
) were not successful. He was asked then to study British and agrarian law
in order to take Father Constant Lievens
's succession in the legal defence of the tribals. In 1892 he moved into the tribal area, first in Khunti, Bandgaon then in Sarwada, the heartland of the Mundas
(1895). There was much agitation at that time, against the landlords who, thanks to an inadequate British legal system were easily depriving the Mundas of their land.
) area. All this painstaking work went into the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act of 1908, a landmark in tribal protective legislation. The Act is still in force in India today. Many of its articles were written by Hoffmann himself. His memorandum was even added as an explicative appendix.
of Mohammed Yunus, the system was based on village solidarity: the members themselves during a monthly meeting were deciding to whom loans should be given; they were also making sure that reimbursements were made by all. A "Cooperative store" was also started in 1913, where farmers could get at a reasonable price what they needed. Both initiatives were great success.
.
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
(among the Mundas), and Social Worker.
Early Life and Training
After completing his early schooling in Echternach and LuxembourgLuxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, Hoffmann joined the Jesuit novitiate in Arlon (Belgium) in 1877. He was still a novice when he arrived in India at the end of the same year. Further training in Asansol
Asansol
Asansol is a coal mining and industrial metropolis and one of the busiest commercial centres in India. It is the second largest city and urban agglomeration in West Bengal after Kolkata and the 19th largest urban agglomeration in India. Asansol is located in the western part of the Burdwan...
(Philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
) completed his priestly formation. He was ordained priest in Calcutta on the 18 January 1891. Gifted in languages he had learned also French and English along with the Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
. He started studying the Mundari
Mundari language
The Mundari are a small ethnic group of South Sudan and one of the Nilotic peoples.The group is composed of cattle-herders and agriculturalists and are part of Karo people which also includes Bari, Pojulu, Kakwa, Kuku and Nyangwara...
language and acquired also a more than superficial knowledge of Indian culture during his theological studies in Asansol.
Among the tribals of Chotanagpur
Gifted as he was Hoffmann was not a good professor. Attempts in Calcutta and Ranchi (St. John's High School, RanchiSt. John's High School, Ranchi
St. John's High School is a school in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India.The school was founded in 1887 and named the following year after Saint John Berchmans, a young Belgian Jesuit who had been canonised in Rome that year. The school is situated at Purulia Road, and educates pupils from class 7 to class...
) were not successful. He was asked then to study British and agrarian law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
in order to take Father Constant Lievens
Constant Lievens
Constant Lievens was a Flemish Jesuit priest, missionary among the tribal peoples of India. He is regarded as the apostle of the Chotanagpur .-Early years and formation:...
's succession in the legal defence of the tribals. In 1892 he moved into the tribal area, first in Khunti, Bandgaon then in Sarwada, the heartland of the Mundas
Munda people
The Munda are tribal people of the Chota Nagpur Plateau region.They are found across Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Assam states of India, and into parts of Bangladesh...
(1895). There was much agitation at that time, against the landlords who, thanks to an inadequate British legal system were easily depriving the Mundas of their land.
Reforming the law
Hoffmann, with his knowledge of the language and customs of the Mundas (in particular their ancestral land rights) proposed to the authorities a scheme for a change of the law, that would respect and give legal weight to traditional (non-written) tribal law. It was clear to his eyes that most of the complaints made by the rebellion were legitimate. He was ultimately listened to and the Government of India initiate a survey of tribal land in 1902. Hoffman was closely associated with the work done in the Khunti-Sarwada (MundaMunda people
The Munda are tribal people of the Chota Nagpur Plateau region.They are found across Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Assam states of India, and into parts of Bangladesh...
) area. All this painstaking work went into the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act of 1908, a landmark in tribal protective legislation. The Act is still in force in India today. Many of its articles were written by Hoffmann himself. His memorandum was even added as an explicative appendix.
The Cooperative Bank
After a stay in Germany (1907-1908) to recover a failing health, Hoffmann was back among the tribals. While in Germany he had studied the "Raffeisen Bank system", which he introduced in Chotanagpur in order to save the tribals from the clutches of the moneylenders. The exorbitant interest exacted from them was driving many to total ruin and destitution. For them Hoffmann started the Chotanagpur Catholic Cooperative Credit Society (1909), which grew out of the small monthly savings gathered in the "village circles" of the area. Much like the modern Grameen BankGrameen Bank
The Grameen Bank is a microfinance organization and community development bank started in Bangladesh that makes small loans to the impoverished without requiring collateral...
of Mohammed Yunus, the system was based on village solidarity: the members themselves during a monthly meeting were deciding to whom loans should be given; they were also making sure that reimbursements were made by all. A "Cooperative store" was also started in 1913, where farmers could get at a reasonable price what they needed. Both initiatives were great success.
The Encyclopaedia Mundarica
Hoffmann had already published a Mundari grammar (1903). A forced semi-retirement in Calcutta, because of poor health, gave him time to carry on collecting information, making studies on the Munda language, religion, culture, as well as its traditional social and political organization. When the First World War broke out, German citizens were expelled from British dominion areas. In 1915 Hoffmann was expelled and repatriated to Germany: a very sad experience for the sick missionary who however kept in touch with his Chotanagpur colleagues. Till the end of his life he went on working on his mundari dictionary, wrote and organized his notes (with the help of Father van Emmelen). His Encyclopaedia Mundarica whose publication started soon after his death (18 November 1928), is a monumental work of love: 15 volumes encompassing in its pages the whole culture and civilization of the Munda peopleMunda people
The Munda are tribal people of the Chota Nagpur Plateau region.They are found across Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Assam states of India, and into parts of Bangladesh...
.
Main works
- Mundari Grammar, Calcutta, 1903.
- Social Work in Chotanagpur, Calcutta, 1909.
- 37 Jahre in Indien, trosliche Erfahrungen beim Naturvolk der Mundas, Innsbruck, 1923.
- Encyclopaedia Mundarica, 15 vol., Patna, 1930-37.