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Electronic finding aid encoded by Megan MacDonald

Project funding came in part from the Cooperative Africana Materials Project and Title VI National Resource Centers for Africa, administered by the Center for Research Libraries.

Summary Information

Repository
Liberian Collections
Indiana University
504 North Fess Avenue
Bloomington, IN 47408
Phone: (812) 856-0782
Email: liberia@indiana.edu
https://libraries.indiana.edu/african-studies

Creator
Christopher K. Kandakai

Title
The Fr. Christopher K. Kandakai Collection , 1928-2011

Collection No.
LCP2011/05

Extent
10 cubic feet; 10 records cartons

Language
Materials are primarily in English and Vai.

Abstract
A student of Cuttington College, Fr. Christopher K. Kandakai became an ordained Epsicopal priest in 1951. He was Liberia's longest serving Episocpal priest and served as rector and priest-in-charge of many Episcopal churches in Liberia and trained many Episcopal theologians. Additionally, Kandakai was an avid linguist who translated the New Testament into both Gola and Vai languages. This collections contains materials pertaining to the Episcopal Church as well as to adult education and linguistics. A large selection of his materials are written in Vai, only one of two African languages with an original script, unrelated to Latin or Arabic.

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research

Biographical Note

Pending

Arrangement

Scope and Content

The Fr. Christopher K. Kandakai Collection spans the period from 1928-2011 and is organized into six series: Education, Episcopal Church, Government and Politics, Language and Linguistics, Programs and Announcements , and Subject Files.

The Education series contains materials from various schools and missions thoughout Liberia, including the University of Liberia and Cuttington College. Also within this series is the Adult Education subseries which contains reports and correspondence from a number of Liberian adult education associations.

The Episcopal Church series has correspondence, financial information and reports pertaining to the Episcopal Church. Also included in this collection are many religious newsletters, magazines, and newspapers. A major subseries is the Diocesan Conventions which span the years from 1954-2003.

Government and Politics includes materials from the three branches of the Liberian government as well as materials on the Constitutional Advisory Assembly.

Language and Linguistics contains reports, correspondence and other materials from different language programs in Liberia. It is within this series that all of the Vai materials are housed; this includes teaching materials, booklets and extensive manuscripts from Kandakai's bible translations.

The Programs and Announcements series is a lengthly series that includes funeral and wedding programs, Liberia Official Gazette death announcements, life sketches and other religious and non-religious programs. A complete list of individuals who have a funeral program in this collection can be obtained by contacting the staff at the Liberian Collections at Indiana University.

The Subject Files series contains miscellaneous materials that couldn't easily be housed in other series. These include non-religious newsletters and magazines, invitations, personal materials, conference materials, reports and correspondence. Fr. Kandakai was an elaborate notetaker who documented his daily musings, sermon ideas, thoughts and feelings in notebooks, on scrap paper and on any other surface he could find. All of these notes have been kept together and put into a subseries within this series. They are arranged chronologically when possible but most of the notes are undated.

• Indexing Terms

• The following terms have been used to index this collection.

• • Names
  • Kandakai, Christopher
  • American Bible Society
  • Cuttington College and Divinity School
  • Episcopal Church
  • Institute for Liberian Languages
  • Liberia. Dept. of Education
  • University of Liberia
• • Places
  • Liberia
• • Topics
  • Adult education
  • Missions--Liberia
  • Vai

Administrative Information

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