Martti Rautanen

Martti (Martin) Rautanen (10 November 1845 Tikopis (Russian: Тикопись), Ingria – 19 October 1926 Olukonda, Namibia) was the pioneer of the Finnish Mission in Ovamboland, Namibia.

Childhood and education

Rautanen was born in a poor Finnish family in Ingria near St. Peterburg, Russia. Rautanen's family lived in the village of Tikanpesä in the parish of Novasolkka (Russian: Новоселки, tr. Novoselki). The family originated from Joroinen in the province of Savo in Eastern Finland, but had moved to Ingria. Martti Rautanen considered himself a Russian as he was born and living in Russia. Encouraged by the pastor of his church and his mother, Martti Rautanen left Ingria in 1863 for Helsinki to study at the preparatory school for missionaries organized by the Finnish Missionary Society.

Missionary activities

Rautanen departed from Finland with four colleagues on 24 June 1868 towards Ovamboland in present-day Namibia. From Walvis Bay they travelled via Hereroland where they arrived in April 1869 and spent there over a year. Finally, they reached Ovamboland in July 1870. The Finnish missionaries managed to start work primarily in the southeastern territory of the Ondonga tribe.