Item MNH-BTM-02-1.jpg - MNH BTM 02 1

Background of the Recorder

Brother Otto Maeder was born on the 11th of January 1863 at Breisach in Baden, Germany. Although very little is known of his early childhood, he was a painter and showed a strong interest in the history of indigenous people particularly the San, including their art and culture. He arrived at the Mariannhill Monastery at the age of 26 and was accepted at as a novice on the 6th of October 1889 and five years later took his final vows at the monastery. Brother Otto's strong interest in the San was stimulated by his experiences when he was based at Reichanau Mission near Underberg between 1893 and 1894. This interest is evident in his published articles on San paintings, cultures and stone tools excavated at Mariannhill during building operations. In 1913 and 1914, he was appointed to make copies of the rock art paintings at Keilands and his disciplined approach and eye for detail are evident in his drawings, paintings and maps of locations. It is unclear what he did after 1914 but in 1927 he returned to the drawing office in Mariannhill and in 1930 he was 'measuring' East Griqualand. Most of his Kei River paintings are dated 'Mariannhill 1932'. His first publication was a paper in Anthropos, an international review of ethnology and linguistics with contributions from Catholic missions worldwide who were encouraged to add to anthropological knowledge and understanding. The paper was titled 'Bushmen paintings in Natal' and highlighted his first published interest in the San society. In 1935, he published 'A contribution to the history of technical culture' where he compares the engravings of a European artefact to elements of hunting methods of the San in South Africa. Two years later, at the age of 74, he passed away and was buried at the Mariannhill Cemetery.