¹ Howell, John Bruce and Scheven, Yvette, Guides, Collections, and Ancillary Materials to African Archival Resources in the United States (Madison, 1996).Google Scholar Howell and Scheven gave at least 215 listings (455-669) for English-speaking South Africa compared to four listings on Madagascar: a guide for United States foreign office papers; one guide for Church Missionary Society archives; and two French language guides. Strangely, Grandidier's, Guillaume three-volume Bibliographie de Madagascar (Paris, 1905, 1935, 1957)Google Scholar, a starting-point for any scholar of Madagascar's recent past, is not listed, even though at least twenty libraries in the United States own the title. In contrast, tiny Reunion garnered twice as many listings as Madagascar, and Mauritius, which has had the longest relationship with English speakers, earned far more notice (see Brown, Mervyn, Madagascar Rediscovered: A History from Early Times to Independence [London, 1978], 131Google Scholar). Another source for Madagascar missions, Gosebrink, Jean E. Meeh, African Studies Information Resources Directory (Oxford, 1986)Google Scholar, suffers from being out-of-date—Luther materials have been reorganized and consolidated since this book's publication. For FJKM (Fiangonan'i Jesoa Kristy eto Madagasikara [Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar]) sources see also Ramambason, Laurent W., Missiology: Its Subject-Matter and Method (Frankfurt am Main, 1999).Google Scholar

² See, for example, Kaufmann, Jeffrey C., “Archival Research in Antananarivo, Madagascar: The National Archives” HA 24(1997), 413–29.Google Scholar

³ Church records and archives have long been of interest to researchers trying to piece together family genealogies and church histories (see, for example, http://www.elca.org/os/archives/regsyn.html). But church documents and other resources that flow through the organization's research conduit, such as former missionaries with many years' experience in other cultures, may also be of interest to anthropologists and historians.

⁴ In total, the archive holds 15,000 linear feet of records on the work of synods in the region (Minnesota, North and South Dakota). It also houses materials from the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America, later named the Evangelical Lutheran Church, which merged in 1960 into The American Lutheran Church, and records from the NLCA's predecessor bodies: The United Norwegian Lutheran Church, the Hauge Synod, and the Norwegian Synod, as well as the records of the Lutheran Free Church. In addition, it has district and congregational information and materials from Lutheran foreign missions, including personal papers and photographs of numerous prominent individuals. Many materials up to the 1920s are in the Norwegian language, but translations are available to the researcher free of cost, as time and resources permit. The area is also home to a number of former missionaries with many years of foreign service.

Records containing papers from foreign missions are as follows: Record Group 1, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Region 3, 1988-present, biographical files, 1840-present, 17.0 cu. ft., Global missions—Tanzania and Liberia, 1950-present, 15.0 cu. ft.; Record Group 2, Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1916-60; world missions, 1890-present, 86.0 cu. ft.; China, 1890-1948, 45.0 cu. ft.; Hong Kong, 1948-present; 7.0 cu ft., Taiwan, 1948-85, 8.0 cu. ft.; Japan, 1891-1990, 10.0 cu. ft.; Madagascar, 1890-1990, 16.0 cu ft.; South Africa, 1894-1998, 15.0 cu. ft.; Tanzania, 1935-75, 5.0 cu. ft.; Cameroon, 1917-87, 14.0 cu. ft.; Nigeria, 1950-62, 1.0 cu. ft.; South America, 1950-88, 3.0 cu. ft.; India, Santal Mission, 1890-1985, 4.0 cu. ft.; Liberia, 1950-62, 1.0 cu. ft.; Record Group 5, United Norwegian Lutheran Church, 1890-1917, Foreign Missions, 1894-1917, 4.0 cu. ft.; Record Group 9, Lutheran Free Church, 1897-1960, Lutheran Board of Foreign Missions, 1891-1963, 12.0 cu. ft.; Madagascar, 6.0 cu. ft.; Japan, 2.5 cu. ft.; China, 3.5 cu. ft.; Record Group 10, Lutheran Cooperation, 1871-1975, Lutheran Orient Missions, 1920-75, 13 cu. ft.; Zion Society for Israel, 1926-62, 16″; and Record Group 11, Personal Papers, 1865-present.

⁵ Some of those countries include China (with Hong Kong), Taiwan, Japan, India, South Africa, Namibia, Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, and the United States (Seward Peninsula, Alaska, among the Inuit). The main archival problems in Madagascar are gathering materials and storing them. Paper, in particular having the money to purchase it, is an additional factor inhibiting the growth of Malagasy archives.

⁶ China was next. Several secondary sources document the early Luther missions. See, for example, Bowers, Joyce M., ed., Raising Resilient Mks (Colorado Springs, 1998)Google Scholar (papers about missionary kids [mks], including historical perspective, resilient families, and education); Ditmanson, Frederick, In Foreign Fields (Minneapolis, 1927)Google Scholar (one-half of the book is about the mission history of the Lutheran Free Church in southwestern Madagascar; with a useful map of mission stations); Drach, George, ed., Our Church Abroad (Minneapolis, 1926)Google Scholar (includes some summary articles of Norwegian and the Free Church Mission in the southwest. J.J. Stolee contributed the description of Norwegian Lutheran Church activities in southeastern Madagascar. Andreas Helland contributed a piece on the Lutheran Free Church in Madagascar. Until 1913, when the Lutheran Free Church's China mission began, Madagascar was their sole overseas field; Fevold, Eugene L., The Lutheran Free Church (Minneapolis, 1969)Google Scholar; Halvorson, P.C. Antonette, Loharano (The Water Spring) (Minneapolis, 1948)Google Scholar (An autobiography of one of the first missionary kids in Madagascar, one who lived many years there. She includes precolonial and colonial period information about missionary life in the southeast. In chapter 3, in a section called “Revolution” [87-95], she covers the 1904 revolt or rebel attack on Fort Dauphin. She describes Senegalese troops arriving on shore from a ship sent from Tamatave, where it had been rumored that all white foreigners had been killed, in which they surprised the rebels.)

⁷ The oldest missionizing presence on Madagascar, the London Missionary Society, controlled Antananarivo and the majority of Imerina.

⁸ The archives would like to translate all Norwegian documents, giving precedence to researchers' requests.

⁹ I visited the archive 18-19 September and 13 November 1998.

¹⁰ http://www.luthersem.edu/archives/

¹¹ Contents by file name: Constitution/Agreement, FLM/ALC (Madagascar) (to 1980); President, FLM (1977-83); Secretary, FLM (1977-83); Treasurer, FLM (1980-83); Budget, FLM (1977-83); Financial Statements, FLM (1977-83); Minutes, General Synod, etc., FLM (1979); Minutes, General Church Council, FLM (to 1980); General, FLM (1976-83); Women of the Church, FLM (1981-83); Christian Council of Madagascar (1973, 1980); Northern Madagascar Outreach, UMA (1974-83); Evangelism Department, FLM (1979-83); Norwegian Missionary Society, NMS (1978-83); Consultations, Madagascar (1/15-19, 1973; 9/4-7, 1974; 9/24-25, 1979); President, Northern Regional Synod, FLM (1978-83); President, Tolagnaro Regional Synod, SE Synod, FLM (1976-83); President, Betioky-Atsimo Synod, SW Synod, FLM (1977-83); President, Fiherenana Regional Synod, Tulear Regional Synod, FLM (1981-83); Ambovombe Bible School (1976-77); Amboaloboka Girls Bible School (1981); Lutheran Theological Seminary, FLM (1976-83); Bezaha Regional Theological Seminary (1981-83); TEE, Betioky-Atsimo Regional Synod (1977-83); Scholarship Secretary, FLM (1976-83); Bezaha School, FLM (1976); Fandriana School, FLM (1976-77); Manantantely School, FLM (1973-83); SALFA, Malagasy National Lutheran Council on Health (1978-83); Manambaro Hospital (1975-83); SALFA Dental (1979-83); Ejeda Hospital (1976-79); FLM Community Health Program (1977-83); HELP, Health Education Layman's Project (1976-83); Manantantely Agricultural School (1978); Ejeda Agricultural Project (1978); FLM Development Office (1980-84); Rural Development Department, SA.FA.FI. (to 1983); Consultation (April 1983); Radio Studio, FLF (1976-83); Trano Printy Loterana, publishing house (1977-83); Film Projects, FLM (1977-83); Chairman, ALMFF (1976-83); Vice Chairman, ALMF (1975-83); Treasurer, ALMF (1976-83); Budget, ALMF (1976-83).

¹² Contents by file name: MADAGASCAR, Duane A. Olson (1979-81); MADAGASCAR, James L. Knutson (10/1-16 1977); MADAGASCAR, Knutson and Jacobson (9/22-10/16 1976); Missionary Children's School (1976-83); Missionary Children's Home (1976-83); Material Needs Committee, ALMF (1976-83); Medical Committee, ALMF (1983); Annual Reports, ALMF (1975-83); Newsletter, ALMF (1980-83); Car Policy, ALMF (1976-83); General, Madagascar (1978-83); Articles, Newspapers, Magazines on Madagascar; Long Range Objectives, Madagascar; Sketch, Madagascar (1976); American Embassy in Madagascar and Embassy of Madagascar (1971-84); Madagascar Property (1926-83); Malagasy Manuscript on Gospel of John by Dr.Johnson, C. Russell; “Construction d'une Centre de Formation CrÈtienne ‡ Antsirabe” (1975)Google Scholar; Building Projects, MSAADA correspondence (to 1983); WBE Volunteers (to 1983).

¹³ These are biased, due to my own research interests, toward the island's south-west peoples and cultures. But some extraordinary sources are not from Madagascar. For example, see the ten 8mm film reels of Inuit society around the 1890s, which have been transferred to VHS format.

¹⁴ Paul Daniels, personal communication 9/18/98.

¹⁵ He mounted many of his 3×5” photos on the scrapbook pages. He also cropped some.

Another, perhaps more significant, missionary presence was the father-son team of Caleb and Stan Quanbeck. Although the Quanbeck Papers have not been donated, a logical place for them would be the ELCA Region 3 archives. These papers will be an important holding for any archive, and American researchers would be fortunate to have them or at least copies within easy reach. The Quanbeck family has been involved with Madagascar for nearly a century, with Caleb Quanbeck an early pioneer in the southwest and his son Dr. Stan Quanbeck (b. 1937 in Madagascar, 1964 MD, University of Chicago) an important figure in advancing medical services throughout the island (under his supervision several well-equipped hospitals have been constructed and staffed with Malagasy doctors and nurses, such as the Ejeda hospital in the southwest). ELCA recently recognized the Quanbecks in their church history by producing a video on the family in Madagascar.

¹⁶ Argentina (1 interviewee); Brazil (2); Cameroon (7); Chile (1); China (3); Colombia (5); Ethiopia (1); Guyana (2); Hong Kong (1); India (8); Japan (14); Liberia (6); Madagascar (13); Nepal (2); Nigeria (2); Papua New Guinea (14); South Africa (6); Taiwan (3); Tanzania (6).

¹⁷ For example, here is an excerpt from Hanna Vaagenes' interview, in which she describes some of her experiences during the Malagasy 1947 revolt: “It was when we came back [in 1947], the natives were trying to get away from the French rule. They had tried at different times to be free from that. They had been a French colony from 1896. They tried and tried at times. When we came back in 1960 my husband was superintendent of the mission. We had to move to another place when he arrived. Because we came back after the war, some of the missionaries had to stay there longer than they should have, like [O.A.] Asheim. They couldn't go home, but had to try to get away, like Asheim from Ampanihy. They had to leave. So there was no missionary at that place. Also at Manasoa there was only Sister Milla. At Betroka they had Inga Helland. She, too, was due to go home, and so on. Then we came and we had a young missionary along, Paul Ronning, not married. He didn't know the language or anything, so he had to be learning the language. So, he was not much to count on. So my husband was the only one. Another thing, then there was a real uproar and there were those that were accused of wanting to really be free; they were caught and taken to prison. Some of those were the pastors. An old faithful pastor at Ampanihy and the workers were having a conference at our house in his office. Here came a fellow to the kitchen, asking me, ‘Where's your husband? Where are the men?’ I said ‘They're having a meeting in the office.’ In a hurry he went to the office and he began to call the name of this and name of that one and they had to go out. And they were taken to prison! They had a van there to take them to prison to the Tulear coast town” (Hanna Vaagenes, narrator, Fern L. Gudmestad, interviewer, [1987], 17).

¹⁸ http://www.luthersem.edu/archives/Information/informat.htm