Word of God in Native tongue

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Canadian Bible Society is Busy Again with Native Bible Translation.

After almost a century of relatively quite presses, the CBS is now working on New and Old Testament translation projects in 11 Native languages in Canada. Scripture selections are being produced in at least another five languages.

"This is the biggest effort at translation since the first contact was made by missionaries," said Bob Bryce, a Saskatoon- based translation consultant with the CBS.

The British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS), CBS's predecessor, published its last Native translation of the complete Bible in Eastern Kutchin in 1898. The first BFBS publication of the New Testament in Canada was into Labrador Eskimo in 1826.

In the 1800s, most Bible translation was motivated by white missionaries. But today, that motivation is coming from Native people themselves.

"There was renewal in the church in terms of wanting to have things in Native language," said Dr. Harold Fehderau, director of CBS's Scripture Translation Department in Kitchener, Ont. That was the major finding of a Yukon-to-Labrador language survey sponsored by CBS in 1980 and 1981.

Ben Arreat, an Inuit Anglican priest and translator who lives on Baffin Island confirmed that finding.

"When we finished the preliminary (New Testament) publishing, a lot of people bought these copies and they said it was the first time they understood the Bible.

"That's what started bringing life into the church when we started using more of the people's language," said Bryce, a former Anglican priest whose parish was mainly OjiCree people.

Church interest, however, was not the only factor CBS looked at in deciding what Bible translation projects to support. Language use and literacy promotion were important too. Was the language still being widely used by all generations? Did the community offer classes in learning to read and write their own language?

Today CBS supports Native people who work with the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), the Anglican Church of Canada, and various missions organizations, such as the Northern Light Gospel Mission.

"CBS felt there needed to be some way to draw people together, to encourage their work and provide some way for the publication of Scriptures," explained Bryce.

Of the more than 50 Native languages listed by the Assembly of First Nations, Dr. Fehderau said CBS decided on about 20 possible candidates for Bible translation.

Many Native hands, he added, will admit that English has made such inroads that there are very few who are using the language a lot.

"Out goal is to have by the year 2000 some Scripture in all viable Native languages," said Dr. Fehderau.

Translation this century is very different from the last century, he emphasized.

"The most important part is that no translation work is being done by any what we call expatriates or white people The only way it can really sound authentic is if a Native person is doing the translation."

Over the past five years, for instance, the Inuktitut (Eastern Arctic Eskimo) Old Testament translation project, has involved up to five Anglican Native pastors.

"Today we have enough Native people with very adequate education to be able to take an English or French translation, for example, and translate it into a Native language."

Non-Native linguists serve primarily as translation consultants, assisting Native translators in such areas as linguistic theory and Bible knowledge.

Most of CBS's partners are preparing new translations, even if previous translations exist, such as the Micmac New Testament, first published in 1874. The Western (Plains) Cree is one exception. The New Testament portion of the original Western Cree Bible, first published in 1861, is now being reprinted in a "discript" ? a Roman alphabet and the original syllabic alphabet.

A fresh translation of the Western Cree Bible, however, is planned for the future.

"It's time that Bible was updated,: explains Dr. Fehderau. "It's kid of like a King James Version Bible for many of the people who know Cree."

A set of basic readers on the Life of Christ rather than an entire New Native Testament is often the first materials produced for a Native community. Other times Scripture leaflets are produced instead. Such leaflets are now being produced in the Inuktitut (Nunavik dialect), Montagnais, Moose Cree, OjiCree and Swampy Cree languages.

"We are working together with the communities to find out what are the topics that are the most urgent for them," said Dr. Fehderau. Scripture leaflets on comforting people in hospital, suicide and depression, and families in crisis are now being produced.

Within the nest year, Dr. Fehderau expects the Algonquin and Micmac New Testaments will be ready for publishing. The revision of the Western (Plains) Cree New Testament also should be ready for printing.