Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Papers of Harold W. Fehderau
- Dates:
- 1932-1997 (bulk: 1958-1997)
- Creators:
- Fehderau, Harold Werner, 1932-1997
- Abstract:
- Extent:
- 18.8 linear ft.
- Language:
- Preferred citation:
-
Papers of Harold W. Fehderau. Fresno Pacific University Mennonite Library and Archives
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This record group includes mostly materials relating to Harold W. Fehderau’s work as a linguist and translator during the years 1958-1997. It contains extensive documentation of his involvement with both Mennonite Brethren Missions & Services and the United Bible Societies in both Africa and Canada. Files pertaining to his work on the Kituba New Testament, Kituba Grammar and Kituba-French-English dictionary are also found here, as well as more general research files on Kituba and several dozen other African languages. In addition to documenting Fehderau’s translation work, the record group also includes files relating to his student years and some files of personal interest.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Harold W. Fehderau, a linguist and translator, was born 6 February 1932 in Kitchener, Ontario, and attended the Kitchener Mennonite Brethren Church. After completing high school, Fehderau enrolled at Waterloo College (a part of the University of Western Ontario), from which he graduated in 1954. He went on to complete an M.A. in German Language and Literature from the University of Colorado in 1956. During this time Fehderau also taught Modern Languages at Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas. In 1957 Fehderau married Nancy Riediger, and soon thereafter they were accepted as missionaries to Belgian Congo under the Mennonite Brethren Board of Foreign Missions. Fehderau’s assignment was as a translator, working in cooperation with the American Bible Society on Kituba dialect research and a New Testament translation project. They served in Belgian Congo from 1959 to 1963, and again from 1965 to 1968. During 1964-1965, Fehderau did course work toward his Ph.D. degree at Cornell University. He completed his dissertation, “The Origin and Development of Kituba (Lingua Franca Kikongo),” in 1966. In 1968 Fehderau became a translations consultant in Zaire with the United Bible Societies, and in 1976 was appointed Africa Translations Coordinator for UBS in Nairobi, Kenya. He returned to Canada in 1980, where he became Americas Translations Coordinator with the Canadian Bible Society in Waterloo, Ontario. From 1989 until his retirement in 1997, Fehderau was the Canadian Bible Society Scripture Translation Manager. In addition to his dissertation, Fehderau also wrote Descriptive Grammar of the Kituba Language: A Dialectical Survey (1962) and Kikongs (ya Leta) - English - French Dictionary (1969). Fehderau died on 8 April 1997, only a few months after his retirement, at the age of sixty-five.
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
- 1932-1997 (bulk: 1958-1997)
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using Record Express for OAC5 on July 14, 2025, 2:55 p.m.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Records are stored off-site. Please allow 48 hours for retrieval.
- Preferred citation:
-
Papers of Harold W. Fehderau. Fresno Pacific University Mennonite Library and Archives
- Location of this collection:
-
1717 S. Chestnut AvenueFresno, CA 93702, US
- Contact:
- (559) 453-3437