Bringing the Scriptures to
the Dogrib community

TORONTO, Canada — Members of the Dogrib community in northern Canada have reacted very positively to copies of the New Testament in their own language which are being made available ahead of the official launch at the Annual Dogrib Assembly. The publication of the New Testament in Dogrib, which is spoken by around 2,100 people out of a population group totalling 3,100, is the culmination of more than 15 years’ work by national and international organisations and local people.

The Canadian Bible Society and organisations including SIL and Wycliffe Bible Translators have been involved in the Dogrib project, but the key to producing a translation which will truly bring the Scriptures into Dogrib culture has been the involvement of local people.

Two local people who were particularly active in the translation project were Mary Siemens and Marie Louise Bouvier-White.

Ms Siemens, who has been a strong advocate of the Dogrib language for many years, was delighted to join the project and help free her people of the need to struggle to understand the Bible in English or Latin.

Abundant life

“I think this is so important because the good news of God’s salvation, the abundant life, forgiveness of sin, freedom from fear – all of that is finally coming to the Dogrib people,” she enthuses.

It is a “dream come true” for Dogrib speakers, around 70 per cent of whom are either monolingual or use Dogrib as their language of preference, to have the Scriptures in their own language, she continues. “To be able to express in your language God’s love really touches the heart, makes more sense and has a richer meaning.”

As the granddaughter of legendary Dogrib interpreter Michel Bouvier, who interpreted between government officials and Dogrib leaders when English was little known in the region, Ms Bouvier-White is also interested in promoting the use of Dogrib. She feels that the Dogrib New Testament will help her people realise that God’s Word is directly relevant to them.

“The people think it’s a white man’s religion,” she says, “but it is for everyone.”

Father Jean Pochat, a priest at the Roman Catholic church in Rae-Edzo, the main Dogrib community, has already begun to use the new Scriptures in church services. For many years, his efforts to make Christianity more indigenous to Dogrib culture had been hampered by the lack of Dogrib Scriptures, except for small, ad hoc translations on scraps of paper. He sees the ‘official’ New Testament as a great step forward.

Priceless

“Now it’s dead on,” he says. “Imagine for me the security that it’s well translated. Now that it’s done by Dogrib people, it’s okay. Every day, I praise God for the work they [the translation team] have done. This is priceless.”

Even before the New Testament was completed, it was starting to have an impact within the community. Recognising that only around 30 per cent of Dogrib speakers can read their own language, Jim Stauffer, a missionary with Northern Canada Evangelical Mission (NCEM), has been using preliminary translations to produce cassette tapes, CDs, videos and talking books of parts of the New Testament. These materials are already in use in homes, Bible Study groups and other settings. Mr Stauffer will use the final version of the Dogrib New Testament to revise them and record the rest of the Scriptures.

Honoured

Local politician Jane Groenewegen has honoured the people involved in the new publication. Speaking at the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, she said, “The publication of the Dogrib New Testament and the audio recordings currently being worked on are highly important, not just to make the Bible a more open book for the people, but also for the preservation and revitalisation of the Dogrib language.” (WR 379/8 - 9.03)