Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf
Encyclopedia
Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf or Christopher von Fürer-Haimendorf (1909 Vienna
- 1995 London
) was an Austrian
ethnologist. He spent about forty years of his life doing fieldwork in Northeast India and in the central region of what is now the state of Andhra Pradesh
and in Nepal
.
family. Very early he developed an interest in Indian culture, having read Rabindranath Tagore
as a young man.
He studied anthropology
and archaeology
in Vienna and was most influenced by Robert von Heine-Geldern
. He made his thesis on the tribal social organization in the Naga Hills
.
After his thesis, von Fürer-Haimendorf moved to London in order to establish contact with the main athropologists of his time, like Bronislaw Malinowski
. By 1936 he travelled to India, where he worked among the Naga people
and established good friendships among the local administrators of the British Raj
. After five months and great effort, Christoph succeeded in learning the local language and was able to do without an interpreter. From then onwards von Fürer-Haimendorf would proclaim that it was of the utmost importance for an ethnologist or ethnographer to learn well the language of the people who were the subject of the fieldwork in order to be competent in his or her studies.
In 1938 von Fürer-Haimendorf married Betty Barnado, a companion worker. At the time he only made a brief visit to Europe and returned to India, so that at the outbreak of World War II
he found himself in British territory holding a Third Reich passport.
He was arrested by the colonial authorities, but with a great degree of politeness and sadness, for they were good friends of his. Thus he was confined to Hyderabad State
in South India
. As time went by von Fürer-Haimendorf earned the trust of the local authorities, who could see that he had no Nazi sympathies. He was then able to do some of his best fieldwork ever while living among the Chenchu
, Bhil
, Reddi and the Raj Gond Adivasi
of present-day interior Andhra Pradesh.
Thanks to friendly government officers, which included fellow ethnologist Verrier Elwin
, von Fürer-Haimendorf was able to obtain a post as Special Officer and Assistant Political Officer to the North East Frontier Agency, so he could move back to Northeast India. He studied the Apatanis in 1944-45, when there were tensions in the area owing to the Japanese conquest of Burma.
When the war was over von Fürer-Haimendorf was named Advisor for Tribes and Backward Classes to the Nizam's Government of Hyderabad and returned to the South where he continued to do ethnograhic fieldwork while he was engaged as government officer. In 1953, when the Kingdom of Nepal opened to the outside world, Cristoph didn't want to lose the opportunity to visit the then little-known country and became the first foreigner who was able to do research among the peoples of Nepal
.
Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf lived his old age in London, where he became professor of anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies
. In 1987, following the death of his wife Betty, his health suffered a decline from which he didn't recover. Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf was buried in London.
s, giving a glimpse on the way of life of certain little-known cultures that were poised to change irreversibly.
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
- 1995 London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) was an Austrian
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
ethnologist. He spent about forty years of his life doing fieldwork in Northeast India and in the central region of what is now the state of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
and in Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
.
Biography
Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf was born in an Austrian aristocraticAristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
family. Very early he developed an interest in Indian culture, having read Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
as a young man.
He studied anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
in Vienna and was most influenced by Robert von Heine-Geldern
Robert von Heine-Geldern
Robert Baron von Heine-Geldern , often known as Robert Heine-Geldern, was a noted Austrian ethnologist, ancient historian, and archaeologist, and a grandnephew of poet Heinrich Heine.- Biography :...
. He made his thesis on the tribal social organization in the Naga Hills
Naga hills
Naga hills, reaching a height of around 3825 metres, lie on the border of India and Burma . These hills are part of a complex mountain system, and the parts of the mountain ranges inside the Indian state of Nagaland and the Burmese region of Sagaing are called the Naga Hills.In British India, the...
.
After his thesis, von Fürer-Haimendorf moved to London in order to establish contact with the main athropologists of his time, like Bronislaw Malinowski
Bronislaw Malinowski
Bronisław Kasper Malinowski was a Polish-born- British-naturalized anthropologist, one of the most important 20th-century anthropologists.From 1910, Malinowski studied exchange and economics at the London School of Economics under Seligman and Westermarck, analysing patterns of exchange in...
. By 1936 he travelled to India, where he worked among the Naga people
Naga people
The term Naga people refers to a conglomeration of several tribes inhabiting the North Eastern part of India and north-western Burma. The tribes have similar cultures and traditions, and form the majority ethnic group in the Indian state of Nagaland...
and established good friendships among the local administrators of the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
. After five months and great effort, Christoph succeeded in learning the local language and was able to do without an interpreter. From then onwards von Fürer-Haimendorf would proclaim that it was of the utmost importance for an ethnologist or ethnographer to learn well the language of the people who were the subject of the fieldwork in order to be competent in his or her studies.
In 1938 von Fürer-Haimendorf married Betty Barnado, a companion worker. At the time he only made a brief visit to Europe and returned to India, so that at the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he found himself in British territory holding a Third Reich passport.
He was arrested by the colonial authorities, but with a great degree of politeness and sadness, for they were good friends of his. Thus he was confined to Hyderabad State
Hyderabad State
-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...
in South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
. As time went by von Fürer-Haimendorf earned the trust of the local authorities, who could see that he had no Nazi sympathies. He was then able to do some of his best fieldwork ever while living among the Chenchu
Chenchu
The Chenchus are an aboriginal tribe of the central hill regions of Andhra Pradesh, India. Their traditional way of life has been based on hunting and gathering. The Chenchus speak the Chenchu language, a member of the Telegu branch of the Dravidian language family. In general, the Chenchu...
, Bhil
Bhil
Bhils are primarily an Adivasi people of Central India. Bhils are also settled in the Tharparkar District of Sindh, Pakistan. They speak the Bhil languages, a subgroup of the Western Zone of the Indo-Aryan languages....
, Reddi and the Raj Gond Adivasi
Adivasi
Adivasi is an umbrella term for a heterogeneous set of ethnic and tribal groups claimed to be the aboriginal population of India. They comprise a substantial indigenous minority of the population of India...
of present-day interior Andhra Pradesh.
Thanks to friendly government officers, which included fellow ethnologist Verrier Elwin
Verrier Elwin
Verrier Elwin was a self-trained anthropologist, ethnologist and tribal activist, who began his career in India as a Christian missionary...
, von Fürer-Haimendorf was able to obtain a post as Special Officer and Assistant Political Officer to the North East Frontier Agency, so he could move back to Northeast India. He studied the Apatanis in 1944-45, when there were tensions in the area owing to the Japanese conquest of Burma.
When the war was over von Fürer-Haimendorf was named Advisor for Tribes and Backward Classes to the Nizam's Government of Hyderabad and returned to the South where he continued to do ethnograhic fieldwork while he was engaged as government officer. In 1953, when the Kingdom of Nepal opened to the outside world, Cristoph didn't want to lose the opportunity to visit the then little-known country and became the first foreigner who was able to do research among the peoples of Nepal
Demographics of Nepal
The population of Nepal is estimated at 29,391,883 people in July 2011, with a population growth rate of 1.596% and a median age of 21.6 years. Female median age is estimated at 22.5 years, and male median age at 20.7 years...
.
Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf lived his old age in London, where he became professor of anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
. In 1987, following the death of his wife Betty, his health suffered a decline from which he didn't recover. Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf was buried in London.
Works
Von Fürer-Haimendorf published 3,650 pages of ethnographic notes and took more than 10,000 photographs. He also shot a total of over 100 hours of 16 mm documentary filmDocumentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
s, giving a glimpse on the way of life of certain little-known cultures that were poised to change irreversibly.
- Published writings:
- The Chenchus (1943)
- The Reddis of the Bison Hills (1945)
- The Raj Gonds of Adilibad (1948)
- Morals and merit (1967)
- The Sherpas of Nepal (1964)
- The Bagoria Bhil (1964)
- The Konyak Nagas (1969)
- Return to the naked Nagas: an anthropologist's view of Nagaland 1936–1970 (1976)
- The tribes of India: struggle for survival (1982)
- Films:
- The Men Who Hunted Heads (1970)
- The land of the Gurkhas (1957)
- The land of Dolpo (1962)
External links
- Fürer-Haimendorf Collection
- The Fürer-Haimendorf Archive
- Furer-Haimendorf Digital Archive Cine film, photographs and written journals of tribal cultures in South Asia
- The Fieldwork of Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf