First ever indigenous Bible dedicated in Australia by Michelle Farrall
Some one to two thousand Australian Christians – from the cities of Australia and remote indigenous communities – descended on the Northern Territory’s sleepy town of Katherine in May. It was a little taste of heaven with quite the party atmosphere; everyone was celebrating a huge milestone.
For the first time in Australia’s history, a complete Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, has been translated into an indigenous language. |
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‘It is an awesome thing for the Word of God to be in the heart language of the people because it is a liberating, transforming thing. It is like the Creator God coming to our people ... Jesus himself coming to be like an Aboriginal person; knowing the people, their hurts, their pain, their whole identity. It is like the Word of God coming and recognising people … even speaking their language; conversing, communicating with the people in the language that they can understand.’
Maratja Dhamarrandji, Djambarrpuyngu Translator |
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This is a big deal.
It means some 30,000 Kriol-speaking indigenous Australians (and countless generations to come) now have the ‘Holi Baibul’ in their own heart language.
But it hasn’t come easy.
‘We’ve been waiting for this for a long, long time,’ said William, one of the indigenous translators. In fact, it has taken 100 people and almost 30 years.
It took guts to even start the translation, given Kriol (a pidgin-type language based on English) was a despised language at that time. Some doubted it was even a language that could be used.
Simply by starting a Bible translation in Kriol, the language – and the people who spoke it – began the long journey towards greater esteem. So the translation project produced more than a Bible: it brought respect and love to the marginalised in Australia.
In the early 90s, when the project had stalled after the publication of the Kriol New Testament with 14 Old Testament books, the Reverend Canon Gumbuli Wurramara wasn’t satisfied and he called on indigenous people to finish the work.
He said, ‘Us black fellas can do the translation and you white fellas can do the checking and organizing which books cos we’re not good at that.’
And so, in a beautiful expression of unity and ownership, a committed team of indigenous Christians ‘led the charge’ with the translation.
Not surprisingly, the dedication itself was an emotional time, with many a teary eye as each team member was handed their own leather-bound, gold-edged ‘Holi Baibul’. Barry Borneman, Wycliffe Australia Executive Director, and Rodney Rivers, the first Kriol translator and a dynamo Aboriginal preacher, both shared insight into Scripture and the dedication closed with singing and dancing.
The celebrations continued over the rest of the weekend, as it was also the 40-year anniversary of the Katherine Christian Convention, where indigenous and white Australians gather annually to connect, celebrate and challenge one another in Christ. |
Barry Borneman, Wycliffe Australia Executive Director,
reflects on the Kriol Bible…
As the box of Kriol Bibles was opened, I caught my first glimpse of this wonderful publication as the sun reflected off the gold edged pages. Tears from deep within me welled up in my eyes and I found myself in a sacred moment. The tears were not for the book itself but for what it represented, and many memories sprang to mind.There were tears for each person who had given to this task. Tears for those who had died, longing for this day. Tears for the dedication and commitment it represented. Tears for the richness of life that comes from living across cultures. Most of all, there were tears for the privilege of simply being part of this time in history.
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‘When I saw the Kriol Bible finished I was very excited, and I am not one to get excited but I think what was going through my mind was boxes and boxes of manuscripts in our office ... reduced to this volume and that to me was quite amazing.’
Lance Tremlett, CMS Missionary - Kriol Translation Team |
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For those who have not been engaged in Bible translation or for those who have looked on from a distance, a Bible dedication could be seen as just the giving of a book. It is a very different picture, however, for those of us who have had the privilege of travelling down this road. We have learnt a new language, and shared our lives and families deeply with people who were once strangers. We have experienced love and acceptance from those who are marginalised – often the poorest of the poor. We came to serve, but as the years passed we find it is we who have been served. We have become the richest and most privileged people in the world because of the cross-cultural relationships that have developed, and because of faith shared with our new brothers and sisters. To be involved in Bible translation is indeed the highest (of life’s) callings and as I begin this new role, as Executive Director of Wycliffe Australia, my prayer is that a whole new generation of Aussie Christians will take the risk and find the joy that comes from working cross-culturally in Bible translation. As that happens, I know the tears will continue to flow to the ends of the earth. |
