Riarua, Josaphat * ?, † 27.06.1884, in the battle at Okahandja. Had left his job as teacher in Otjisazu before joining the army of the Herero.1 Josaphat Riarua married Alwine (Ndjimui) Aponda on the 25.06.1878 in Otjisazu. Alwine (Ndjimui), daughter of Salomo Aponda of Otjikango was born ca. 1860, joined the Irle couple as a child in 1873 and was baptized in 1874.2 When Maharero called the Herero- and Mbanderuwarriors to a battle in Windhoek against the Nama in May 1883, Josaphat - together with his wife and children - also joined.3 Augustineum 1866: "Vier von diesen (von sechs) bei ihrer Aufnahme noch ungetauften Seminaristen, Wilhelm Maharero, Petrus Tjeetjo [sic], Josaphat Riarua, und Manasse Seraua, sind tüchtig, zum Teil hervorragende Mitarbeiter geworden."4 Augugstineum 1871 Beiderbecke arrived in Otjimbingwe in January 1872 and took over the teaching at the Augistuneum. (The pages 017-035 in Beiderbecke's file RMG 1.610 are the correspondence with Barmen, but they are very difficult to read and I have not tried to encyfer them.)5 "We do know that he received tuition at the Augustineum together with three other pupils ... during June 1871" Samuel Maharero Mattheus Gertse Cornelius Zeraua Josophat (sic) Riarua6 (Josafat Riarua was the son of the fieldmarshal of Samuel Maharero, Matthäus Gertze was the son of Samuel Gertze who came to Namibia with Hahn.7Gertze was send to Rehoboth and Riarua to Otjizeva as evangelists during the conference in Otjimbingwe in 1873.8 During the Herero war of 1880 against the Nama, a contingent of about 1000 Herero soldiers marched through Otjosazu on the 23.10.1880 on their way to the Nosob. They were led by the Evangelist Wilhelm Maharero together with captain Riarua [brother of Josaphat??]. A memorial service in the church was held for the many Christians amongst the warriors, after which the army - the local missionary described it as a "proud" fighting force - marched on, headed by a flag with the cross. Christians soldiers - amongst them Wilhelm Maharero - were decisive in more than one battle and paid dear for their courage.9 In August 1883 Irle (sen.) visited his congregation members in the field who had all left the mission station (Otjosazu) with the "heathens" to settle with their cattle at the border to areas occupied by Namas. The station itself was nearly without people. Both his Evangelists, Manasse and Gottlieb Irle finds both his Evangelists doing their normal work under extreme conditions in the bush. Irle is horror-stricken about the conditions under which his Evangelists work in the field. Both of them staying at a stone rock, the other side only scantily covered with boxes, shrubs and animal hides. Gottlieb was holding school amongst two rocks for seven pupils from Otjisazu and the "Salomoschen". Josaphat "[...] ein ächter [sic] Herero [...]" had moved with most of the Mbanderu right at the beginning [of the troubles].10 Married: Children: Education: Other family members connected to RMS: Julius Kauraisa schreibt in einem Brief an Hahn aus Okahandja am 29.10.90, dass Hahn in einem Brief an Sofia Rirarua nach ihm gefragt habe.11 Mission Stations: History with the RMS: 1 BRMG 1884:329. 2 Irle o. d.:37ff. 3 Irle o. d.:72. 4 Drießler 1932:180. 5 RMG 1.610:17-35. (not read) 6 Pool 1991:33 quoting Kirchenbücher Okahandja. 7 Menzel 1992:54. 8 Menzel 1992:58. 9 Irle o. d.:60. 10 BRMG 1884:140-141. 11 In einem E-Mail von Dag Henrichsen vom März 2018. --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------