Copies of the New Testament in Cherokee syllabary have been in
circulation since 1860. In any language, the New Testament is the most read and
sought after publication in the world. That’s why I am proud to announce the
Cherokee Nation has reviewed and corrected the text, and has printed new
editions of the Holy Bible in the Cherokee language.
The completed 1860 Cherokee New Testament was primarily the work
of Evan Jones, Samuel Worcester and Stephen Foreman, conducted over the course
of a couple of decades during the mid-19th century. It was first published
through the Park Hill Mission Press in 1860, and all subsequent reprints since
then have been by the American Bible Society. Thanks to hard work by the
tribe’s language and translation team, the Cherokee language in the New
Testament has now been improved dramatically.
Our translators clarified passages of the 1860 version and fixed
misspelled words, while our Language Program staff reformatted the new
text for large print using a newly designed Cherokee font for clear legibility.
Our team cleaned up language errors and made complicated passages more accurate
for Cherokee speakers and readers.
This marks the first time our Cherokee Nation translation
department has completed an official and proper translation of the Bible, a
project that took several years and countless staff-hours to complete. I want
to especially acknowledge program director Roy Boney Jr. and Cherokee National
Treasure and master translator Durbin Feeling for spearheading the new, edited
translation. So many of language teaching tools are workbooks and educational
publications, but the New Testament is something that is read, reread and
studied over and over.
This represents a big step forward in our constant efforts to
preserves Cherokee culture, and now more Cherokee Nation citizens can share the
Word of the Lord in our own tribal language. One of the things I am most
excited about is the new translation will potentially generate an interest in
younger people to pick up the Bible and read it. This is a book families
can share in together or readers can study individually.
The new Cherokee Nation-published Bible also marks the first time
a Cherokee syllabary Bible includes red lettering of the words spoken by Jesus
Christ. The original edition of the Cherokee New Testament did not have red
lettering.
I am so proud of what we are doing to perpetuate our Cherokee
language and its usage. Creating a publication like this will ensure Cherokee
families practice their faith together.
I proudly gifted this first run of new Bibles to the prayer
council I formed this past year. Made up of Cherokee Nation citizens who are
ministers across the 14 counties of our jurisdiction, these church leaders
gather quarterly to offer blessings for the tribe and share the issues and
concerns from their communities and congregations.
Within the next few weeks, copies of the official Cherokee Nation
New Testament red letter edition will be available for purchase in the tribe’s
gift shops. Get your copy at www.cherokeegiftshop.com.
We are pursuing even more opportunities for our people to engage
with the Bible in Cherokee. The Cherokee Nation Language Department is
currently working on a translation of the Old Testament. Another project coming
soon is an audio recording of the New Testament in Cherokee.
This is just one more blessing we can count as we move closer to
the Christmas holiday. God bless each and every one of you this Christmas
season, and God bless the Cherokee Nation.