Historical Manuscripts (Primary Sources)

Schurmann, Ted, and C. W Schürmann. I’d rather dig potatoes : Clamor Schurmann and the aborigines of South Australia 1838-1853. Adelaide: Lutheran Pub. House, 1987.

Schürmann began his diary at the day of embarkation for his voyage to South Australia, on 27 May 1838.  He ceased writing while in Port Lincoln on 2 January 1845 with the note that "The aborigines all left the town" and with a last page on "Practices in the initiation of a Warrara [warrior?]", written 13 October 1845.  Whether the rest of the diary has been lost or was never written, is not yet clear. It is neither yet clear why this diary had not been sent to the Dresden Missionary Society, as requested, and how it was obtained by the ALCA. A summary of the historoy of this document can be found in this website, here.

The seven-volume MS, held bei ALCA, was re-transcribed and re-translated by Geoff Noller, ca. 2008.  Transcripts and translations are held by ALCA, re-publication is being considered.  Together with Schürmann's letters and reports, it will be one of the backbones for a chronology in this website of the encounters between the  Aborigines in SA and the four young missionaries from Dresden .