Döhne
Encyclopedia
Döhne is a South Africa
n agricultural research station 6 kilometers north of Stutterheim
in the Eastern Cape
. It is noted for having developed the Döhne Merino
from Peppin Merino
ewes and German mutton merino sires in 1939. The program bred for high fertility, rapid lamb growth and fine wool production under pastoral conditions. The breed was introduced to Australia in 1998.
Döhne started as a railway station in 1874, and was named after Jacob Ludwig Döhne
(1811–1879), the lexicographer and philologist from the Berlin Missionary Society
, who was responsible for compiling A Zulu-Kafir Dictionary (Cape Town, 1857) after spending twenty years documenting the language and dialects, also translating the New Testament
into Xhosa
and Zulu
.
On 24 September 1834, the Berlin Missionary Society's first South African mission station, Bethany, was founded on the Riet River between Edenburg and Trompsburg
in the Orange Free State
. With the arrival of more missionaries in 1837, the society expanded its work to the Eastern Cape
and the Xhosa. Here Döhne played an important role in the founding of the stations Bethel and Itemba. These stations were abandoned during the Frontier War of 1846-47, when the missionaries found refuge in the neighbouring colony of Natal
. With the closing of the Eastern Cape missions, the focus of the Berlin Missionary Society shifted to Natal and the Transvaal. Christianenberg, Emmaus and other mission stations were established there, and Döhne became a well-known figure among the Voortrekkers
. In 1857 some German veterans of the Crimean War
settled around Fort Döhne which had been built near the mission station.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n agricultural research station 6 kilometers north of Stutterheim
Stutterheim
Stutterheim is a town with a population of 46,730 in South Africa, situated in the Border region of the Eastern Cape province.Stutterheim has a rich history that makes for fascinating reading...
in the Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
. It is noted for having developed the Döhne Merino
Merino
The Merino is an economically influential breed of sheep prized for its wool. Merinos are regarded as having some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep...
from Peppin Merino
Peppin Merino
The Peppin Merino is a breed of Merino Sheep raised for its wool, mostly in Australia. So important is the Peppin Merino that sheep men throughout Australia often classify their sheep simply as being either Peppin, or non-Peppin.....
ewes and German mutton merino sires in 1939. The program bred for high fertility, rapid lamb growth and fine wool production under pastoral conditions. The breed was introduced to Australia in 1998.
Döhne started as a railway station in 1874, and was named after Jacob Ludwig Döhne
Jacob Ludwig Döhne
Jacob Ludwig Döhne , was a lexicographer and philologist from the Berlin Missionary Society, who was responsible for compiling A Zulu-Kafir Dictionary after spending twenty years documenting the language and dialects, also translating the New Testament into Xhosa and Zulu...
(1811–1879), the lexicographer and philologist from the Berlin Missionary Society
Berlin Missionary Society
The Berlin Missionary Society or Society for the Advancement of evangelistic Missions amongst the Heathen was a German Protestant Christian missionary society that was constituted on 29 February 1824 by a group of pious laymen from the...
, who was responsible for compiling A Zulu-Kafir Dictionary (Cape Town, 1857) after spending twenty years documenting the language and dialects, also translating the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
into Xhosa
Xhosa language
Xhosa is one of the official languages of South Africa. Xhosa is spoken by approximately 7.9 million people, or about 18% of the South African population. Like most Bantu languages, Xhosa is a tonal language, that is, the same sequence of consonants and vowels can have different meanings when said...
and Zulu
Zulu language
Zulu is the language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population...
.
On 24 September 1834, the Berlin Missionary Society's first South African mission station, Bethany, was founded on the Riet River between Edenburg and Trompsburg
Trompsburg
Trompsburg is a small agricultural town in the Free State province of South Africa off the N1 highway, the major road connection between Johannesburg and Cape Town....
in the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
. With the arrival of more missionaries in 1837, the society expanded its work to the Eastern Cape
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are Port Elizabeth and East London. It was formed in 1994 out of the "independent" Xhosa homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, together with the eastern portion of the Cape Province...
and the Xhosa. Here Döhne played an important role in the founding of the stations Bethel and Itemba. These stations were abandoned during the Frontier War of 1846-47, when the missionaries found refuge in the neighbouring colony of Natal
Natal Province
Natal, meaning "Christmas" in Portuguese, was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. The Natal Province included the bantustan of KwaZulu...
. With the closing of the Eastern Cape missions, the focus of the Berlin Missionary Society shifted to Natal and the Transvaal. Christianenberg, Emmaus and other mission stations were established there, and Döhne became a well-known figure among the Voortrekkers
Voortrekkers
The Voortrekkers were emigrants during the 1830s and 1840s who left the Cape Colony moving into the interior of what is now South Africa...
. In 1857 some German veterans of the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
settled around Fort Döhne which had been built near the mission station.