Ola hanson
Encyclopedia
Ola Hanson was a Swedish-American missionary who worked for the Kachin people in Burma.
Hanson came to the United States in 1881, settling in Oakland, Nebraska
. He attended the Swedish Baptist (later Bethel) Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, graduated from Madison Theological Seminary in Hamilton, New York
, and was ordained in 1890.
Hanson was sent to Kachin State
in 1890 by the American Baptist Missionary Union
to help William Henry Roberts
, who was running a Kachin mission in Bhamo
city, and was followed in 1892 by George J. Geis
, who established a mission at Myitkyina
.
His team formulated an orthography for the Kachin language using the Latin alphabet, and created a grammar and Katchin-English dictionary. He then began to translate the bible into Kachin.
Hanson established a mission in Namkham in the Hsenwi District in 1910. He wrote The Kachins, Their Customs and Traditions (Rangoon, 1913) and Missionary Pioneers among the Kachins (New York, 1922).
After living with the Kachin people for 28 years, he returned to his native Nebraska, USA in 1928. He died in St. Paul, Minnesota on October 17, 1927.
Hanson came to the United States in 1881, settling in Oakland, Nebraska
Oakland, Nebraska
Oakland is a city in Burt County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,367 at the 2000 census. Oakland continues to build on its strong foundation with its bi-annual Swedish Festival and is known by its proclamation from the Swedish Consul-General and Nebraska Governor as the "Swedish...
. He attended the Swedish Baptist (later Bethel) Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, graduated from Madison Theological Seminary in Hamilton, New York
Hamilton, New York
Hamilton, New York may refer to either:*Hamilton , New York, in Madison County*Hamilton , New York, which lies within the town...
, and was ordained in 1890.
Hanson was sent to Kachin State
Kachin State
Kachin State , is the northernmost state of Burma. It is bordered by China to the north and east; Shan State to the south; and Sagaing Division and India to the west. It lies between north latitude 23° 27' and 28° 25' longitude 96° 0' and 98° 44'. The area of Kachin State is . The capital of the...
in 1890 by the American Baptist Missionary Union
American Baptist Missionary Union
American Baptist Missionary Union is an international Protestant Christian missionary society founded in 1814 in the United States...
to help William Henry Roberts
William Henry Roberts
William Henry Roberts was a Baptist minister from the United States who worked for many years as a missionary in Burma.Roberts was born on 25 October 1847, in Botetourt Springs, Virginia....
, who was running a Kachin mission in Bhamo
Bhamo
Bhamo is a city of Kachin State in northernmost part of Myanmar, located 186 km south from the capital city of Myitkyina. It is on the Ayeyarwady River. It lies within 65 km of the border with Yunnan Province, China. The population consists of Chinese and Shan, with Kachin peoples in...
city, and was followed in 1892 by George J. Geis
George J. Geis
The Reverend George J. Geis was an American Baptist minister and anthropologist of German descent, best known for his missionary work in northeastern Burma...
, who established a mission at Myitkyina
Myitkyina
Myitkyina is the capital city of Kachin State in Myanmar , located from Yangon, and from Mandalay. In Burmese it means "near the big river", and in fact "Myitkyina" lies on the west bank of the Ayeyarwady River, just below from Myit-son of its two headstreams...
.
His team formulated an orthography for the Kachin language using the Latin alphabet, and created a grammar and Katchin-English dictionary. He then began to translate the bible into Kachin.
Hanson established a mission in Namkham in the Hsenwi District in 1910. He wrote The Kachins, Their Customs and Traditions (Rangoon, 1913) and Missionary Pioneers among the Kachins (New York, 1922).
After living with the Kachin people for 28 years, he returned to his native Nebraska, USA in 1928. He died in St. Paul, Minnesota on October 17, 1927.