A treasure hunt for the early proofs of Papiamento/Papiamentu - Part Three

Publications in Papiamento in the 19th century.

In the course of the 19th century not only did they wrote about Papiamento, but also a number of edidtions was published in Papiamento, especially religious publications by the mission in Curacao, but also by the Protestant Church in Aruba. Those who want to study Papiamento of the 19th century are in fact desginated for this religiou expenditure. The work was printed on the press of the Victariate in Barber by M.J. Niewindt  and on the press of J.J. Putman in Santa Rosa for the purposes of religious education, such as catechismuses and prayer books.

Statue of Bisshop Niewindt in Curacao, Otrabanda.

Putman also provided textbooks for teaching in his school. It is clear that the mission, both through preaching during the church services and by publications has meant a tremendous incentive for the status of Papiamento that in this way of vernacular, developed ino a cultural language. Today, these expenditures offer the possibility to follow the characteristics of Papiamento, as it has developed over the last two hundred years. They are therefore not only important for church history but also for the history of Papiamento as a langiage. They deserve a thorough study, in order to realize this also for Papiamento as every language side has historical linguistic studies.

Publications

In the 1960s, early 1970s Frank Martinus cataloged the then known expenditures in Papiamento Bibliografie van het Papiamentu, bevattende Titels en en beschrijvingen van de meeste werken die in het Papiamentu verschenen zijn vanaf het vroegste begin tot heden, religieus en profaan, alsmede een lijn van toneelstukken en toneelgroepen, met voorts een geselecteerde bibliografie van studies en artikelen over het Papiamentu. Curacao/ Amsterdam 1966 - 1967; 1969; 1971 - 1972. This long title is also a short table of contens.

De Fundashon pa Planifikashon di Idioma (FPI) on Curacao has, in cooperation, with the Stichting Libri Antilliani (SLA) in the Dutch Bloemendaal reissued a number of these 19th century religious texts (Which was in Papiamento) in facismille to preserve this historical cultural heritage and make it available to a wide audience even though due to the low price demanded for this expenditure.

In Maritza Coomans-Eustatia: Bibliography of the Papiamento Language, published by the Stichting Libri Antilliani (SLA) & De Fundashon pa Planifikashon di Idioma (FPI) in Bloemendaal (2005: 305 - 310) at the end, we find an indication of the facsmille expenditure realised by the two foundations.

The oldest dictionary in Papiamento.

But the story begins with a double loss, as many important documents have been lost over the years. On of the oldest editions in Papiamento was mentioned by historian Jan Hartog, he reports in his history of Curacao an interesting and unfortunately untraceable dictionary by Charlos A. baron De Larry (Dillenburg 1770 - Curacao 1832). At the end of the 18th century he went as a navel officer to Curacao, where he married the Curacaon woman Pieternella Elisabeth Coerman, daughter of fiscally Mr. H. Coerman, in 1795. After his naval time he fulfilled a number of important positions such as a member of the Council of Justice, memmber of the Council of Policy and Auctioneer.

Hartog derives the data from the dictionary to Reverend G.B Bosch who rote in 1829 in his Reizen in a footnote: "In advance there was the dignified count De Larrey, who can be a professor in this language, written a dictionary for the service of  foreigners, but this could cause little or no disadvantage to our language for thst reason".

A few notable things can be borrowed from this quotation: the 'in advance' implies that this dicationary already dated from earlier than 1829, the term 'Count' makes the date more precise, however, because the family de Larrey recieved the title 'Count' in 1823. It says 'written' and not 'published' while publications in those days were already locally available, it might explain the lost of the booklet; The diminutive booklet also assumes a little bulky work; The Reverend sees thr attention of Papiamento as a potential threat to the Dutch; The phrase 'at the service of foreigners' assumes that it was important for newcomers in those days to learn the master the language as quickly and as well as possible.

But the most striking thing is that Bosch writes that the Count could be 'a professor in this language'. Should we see the first Papiamentist in him? It proves once again that Papiamento had fixed foot on the islands.

The oldest Catechism which disappeared.

The second 'loss' concerns the oldest catechism. Soon after Martinus Niewindt arrived in 1824 on the island, a Papiamento version of Catecismo would appear in 1825, biut it has not been found anywhere in years. Probably is now the Catechism of 1837 of M.J. Niewindt, the oldest which is preserved. The full title ushered Declaricion corticu di catecismo pa uso di catolica di Curacao pa M.J. Niewindt, prefecto apostolico di Mision Curacao. However, historian Johan Hartog gave in 1992 some details of the first catechism, so he must have known the booklet. He calls it 'a primitive printed booklet' - A c-cedille one did not even have a hand! - Of 16 pages, of which the only known specimen at the Episcopal archive at Brionplein was lost at the 1969 fire. Where it was printed, did not appear and it was also untraceable.

In 1939, the club 'De Gezelligheid' held an 'exhibition of around 80 books, printed on Curcacao or in the related to Curacao' was presented in the club. There were manuscripts of Curacaon and other authors to be seen, numbered and signed copies, old booklets as Niewindts Catechism from the early 19th century, the first issue of the De Curacaosche Courant, Putmans reading booklet, Fiesta Willem III from 1888 and other. But of course this is the phrase 'Niewindts Catechmism from the beginning of the 19th century'. The Amigoe wrote that the Catechism of Niedinwdt was actually the most interesting of the enite book exhibition. Thus, the Catechism must have existed, on Hartogs testimony and this mention, for sure.

In the correspondence between the physician Chris Engels and Johan van de Walle, the first one writes the entire file cabinet of the exhibition in this posssesion. But a file cabinet is of course not a copy. The edition itself is no longer to be determined, with which again a historical piece of heritage seems finally lost.

What was preserved.

Fortunately, there is other material that has been kept, soms of which are reprinted. You may wonder what the value of the republications of such old early texts from the 19th century. FBI Director and professor at the UoC, Ronald Severing, gave three arguments for the preservation and the protection of this. These oldest publications belong to the national cultural heritage, in this also religious heritage, it can be used for study purposes of this language in earlier stages, the origins and history of Papiamento/Papiamentu, an finall thus a basic form for language policy.

The oldest still preserved in the Papiamento printed mission document is from 1833. In it, Martinus J. Niewindt who is not yet a bishop but prefect, in a hernious writing to the Catholics on the island: Prefecto Apostolico di Curacao na Cristian di su mission. In the reissue of 2002, the Papiamento orginal version in facsmille form was also translated into Dutch, accompanied by a postcriptum by Roland Severing on the importance of 'language preservation and Papiamentu' and a contribution by Henny E. Coomans and Martiza Coomans-Eustatia on 'Mgr. Niewindt and the printing press on Curacao'.

In his letter, Niewindt announces a Jubilee, announced by Pope Gregorius VI, which is an excite of forgiveness for all sins, to those who pray, fasting, give an alnoss, confess and go to communion. In the words of the letter, in Papiamento of those days: "Jubileo lo comenza promer domingo di October y cu l'e dura hasta el segundo domingo di novembre, es ta pa nifica cu den es tempu tur hende por ricibi un henter pordon di tur castigo y en pena cu nan a merece pa nan picar" following the aforementioned conditions.

The oldest surviving catechism that was written in Papiamento, dates from 1837, M.J. Niewindt: Catecismo Corticu pa uso di catholicanan di Curacao. She was republished in 2001 as a Facsmille edition, without further commentary from the publisher, with only a short accompanying text on the inside of the cover. In the same way also Kamiena di kroes from J.J. Putman (1850) and the Katekismoe from the Aruban preacher N. Kuiperi (1862) republished. In concerns the very small and bulky booklets, simple paperback and kidney larger than about fifteen by ten centimeters. They offer us all three possibillities to see and read the texts in exactly in the ninteenth century must have done.

A Facsmille-edition is a reproduction of, for example, a historical work, as it were a photocopy of the originial, an edition that adequately reflects the original in its form, paper type, font, lay out and the like in need of Bibliophiles or researches wishing to study as faithfully as possible the original apperance. For instance, a Facsmille-edition not only offers the exact contents of the original, to the smallest detail because it concerns a photographic reprint, but also all the data on the form, the format in which the original has ever appeared. Facsmille expenditures usually take place to protect precious or rare texts because the originer have become too vulnerable to consult or - in this - to make unreachable texts available again for an interested public.

Protestant expenditures in Papiamento.

Not only the mission cared for religious expenditure in Papiamento, the Protestant church also felt the need to reach its believers, alberit more for pragmatic than ideological reasons, both in Curacao and Aruba. In 1844 appeared Ewanhelie di San Matheo, poeblicado abau di direksjon di Domini C. Conradi, Minister di St. Ewanhelie, republished in 2004. It concerns a Facsmille edition. It consists of 75 pages and contains the complete gospel text, followed by the Ten Commandments. The edition is dedicated to Maritza Coomans-Eustatia, one of the most important initiators of the series. "The Papiamento edition must have been a major event. For the language difference (Dutch versus Papiamenu) formed with the religion (Protestant versus Catholic) and the skin color (White versus Black) the barrier in the social relations on the island" wrote Henny E. Coomans in a twenty pages of 'Postscriptum' of the edition.

Aruba

Also in Aruba Papiamento was preached and this language was used for teaching and worship. In 1847, the religious teacher A. van Dragt G.O. provided a 'Predikaasie' in Papiamento which was preserved in manuscript and first printed in 2005 in the edition Aruba and Papiamento.

In an explantory statement to the Church Council of Curacao on this initiative to translate a teaching speech of V.D. Palm in Papiamento for his sermon, van Dragt, among other things, writes about his so unusual step for the Protestants, which, however, attracted a large audience in a crowded church. Incidentally, the old Protestant church from 1846 is not particulary spacious and will therefore have been filled quickly. Van Dragt assumes that the interest would have been 'perhaps more strange than the essense of the business'.

He mentions his preaching as a 'dagger sting in the heart of the R.C. Pastor Allhier'. Dutch sermons attracted few people, but by preaching in Papiamentu he would become a strong competitor of the mission. On the antagonism between Catholic and Protestant in those days Luc Alofs wrote. We also have discribed the history of the old Protestant Church and a contribution on the islandular language distribution in those days. The first full-fledged Aruban pastor, Reverend Nicolas A. Kuiperi, besides his Catechism of 1862, two years later - in 1864 - published a prayer booklet. Boekie di Pidiemeentoe nan published. Of which the reissue in Facsmille form dates from 2005 and was also published in Aruba and Papiamento.

This expenditure for the Protestants proves once again how deeply the Papiamento was rooted in society. These booklets were for the elitest white, because the Protestant population of the islands, who could not (anymore) speak Dutch or fluently Dutch, and therefore Papiamento was preferred.



A-tentative? - Last Facsmille edition, finally, concerns a non-religious publication, which id a further stage in the use and study of the 19th century Papiamento if the language no longer only serves as a means of missionary and education but one study language as such and produce expenditure in the form of dictionaries, converse to teach the idiom and then grammatica's. Of the two religious Bernardus Th.J. Frederiks & Jacobs J. Putman In 1859, a Woordenlijst der in de landstaal van Curacao meest gebruikelijke woorden met Zamenspraken, published, which was reprinted in 2004. The first pages are missing, but it is clear that the influence of the missionary ring is cleary noticeable, because general topics are only addressed after the introductory religious.

Apparently there was not much experience in making dictionaries. This is a thematically classified glossary, which sometimes goes from Papiamento to translation into Dutch, but also from Dutch to Papiamento as soon as grammatical subjects such as words are addressed. An extensive list of verbs is then ordered alphabetically. Also the idiomatic section 'colloquious consulation/ konbarscion familliar' goes from Dutch to Papiamento. She is 'virtually unchanged' from an edition by J.J. Putman from 1853. For example, this glossary seems to intended for Dutch speakers who learn Papiamento rather than vice versa.

This republication forms a wonderful source for studying the earliest phase of the written and printed Papiamento. Its publication in this way of Facsille form is an act of importance to safeguard the cultural and linguistic heritage of our islands and make it accessible to a wide public.