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Thomas Shadrach James (1 September 1859 – 9 January 1946) was a Methodist lay preacher, linguist and herbalist. However, it was as a teacher, first at Maloga Aboriginal Mission and later at Cummeragunja he is remembered in history. Through this role, he equipped and influenced generations of Aboriginal activists, including Margaret Tucker, Pastor Doug Nicholls, George Patten, Jack Patten, William Cooper and Bill Onus. ==Biography== On his birth certificate, Thomas James is recorded as being "Thomas Shadrach Peersahib". His father was denoted as James Peersahib (in other documents, this name is Peersaib). And his mother was Esther née Thomas. The a couple were both Tamil, of Indian descent living in Mauritius.〔George Edward Nelson, Dharmalan Dana: An Australian Aboriginal Man's Search for the Story of His Aboriginal and Indian Ancestors (ANU Press, Canberra, 2014) p257〕〔Bringing real learning: South Asian and Islamic Contributions to Australia by Professor Heather Goodall (delivered on Sir Syed Day in Sydney, October 2009 ), Souvenir Magazine, Aligarh Muslim University Alumni of Australia, 2009:18-21〕 His father James had been raised a Muslim in Madras and had moved to Mauritius to work as 〔 an interpreter to Magistrate Edward Henry Martindale at Wilhelms Plaines. However, following some years of hardship at Black River had asked a local missionary to become a Christian and later became a catechist in the Anglican church.〔Vincent W Ryan, Mauritius and Madagascar: Journals of An Eight Years' Residence in the Diocese of Mauritius, and of a Visit to Madagascar (London: Sheeley, Jackon, and Halliday, 1864) http://anglicanhistory.org/africa/mu/ryan18642.html〕 As a young man, Thomas lived in Port Louis and was educated at the local school. Even as a teenager, he achieved local stature as an educator of other boys. However, in his later teens he was traumatised, first by the death of his younger brother Samson (in 1875), then the death of his mother shortly after, and by the quick remarriage of his father to Luckheea, which he saw as insensitive. With these misgivings, he decided to make a journey to Australia and began using James as his surname, presumably to honour his father, though he would never see him again. James was fluent in Tamil, French, English and probably Yorta Yorta.〔Nancy Cato, Mister Maloga (University of Queensland Press, St Lucia, 1976) p97〕 His interest in medicine and preaching may have come from his mother's family back in Ceylon. His maternal uncle Manuel as well as his cousins Gamiel and William "Nesam" Paranesam were all deacons of the Anglican Church. So too was his cousin Abishegam Thomas, who was also a medial doctor. Abishegam's family remember that, even as a young teen, "Shadrach was a really brilliant student; he was not only brilliant, his English was perfect and he did very good work".〔George Nelson, Robynne Nelson ''Dharmalan Dana: An Australian Aboriginal Man's Search for the Story of His Aboriginal and Indian Ancestors'' (ANU Press, Canberra, 2014) p271〕 Thomas arrived in Tasmania in 1879, applying for a teaching job on 23 August, and may have taught there for sometime. It's believed by the family that he then moved to Melbourne to begin studying medicine, but he developed typhus - the subsequent shakes making a future in surgery impossible. With that setback, he found himself greatly attracted to the work of mission - after meeting a great number of Aboriginal evangelists and singers at Brighton in Melbourne on 3 January 1881. The group of 25 Indigenous men and women had travelled down from the Maloga Mission, and Thomas was introduced to the founder of the mission, Daniel Matthews, by a mutual friend, the shipping entrepreneur, Charles Crosby. It's not known whether it was from Thomas listening to the message of the missionary or the black evangelists, but it is recorded that Thomas James believed, “God spoke to me that day!”〔As recalled by his daughter, Priscilla, recorded in George Nelson, Robynne Nelson ''Dharmalan Dana: An Australian Aboriginal Man's Search for the Story of His Aboriginal and Indian Ancestors'' (ANU Press, Canberra, 2014) p271〕 In the memory of Daniel's son, J K Matthews, "the result was that Mr James offered to assist in the mission work without remuneration.".〔CUMEROOGUNGA MISSION: Story of Its Early Days ''Riverine Herald'' (Echuca, Vic. : Moama, NSW), Thursday 15 August 1946, page 3 National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article117122325〕 The missionary accepted his offer. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Thomas Shadrach James」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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