Chepang New Testament

Overview

The Chepang New Testament (1993) was published by Wycliffe Bible Translators following approximately sixteen years of translation and linguistic documentation work begun in the 1970s. The primary translator and linguist was Ross C. Caughley, a New Zealand missionary with SIL International sent under the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand (Knox Lower Hutt parish). Caughley's engagement with the language spanned 44 years in total and produced two major reference works foundational to all Chepang literacy: A Dictionary of Chepang (Pacific Linguistics, Australian National University, 2000, 540 pages) and a Chepang-Nepali-English Dictionary (SIL International, 2009, 341 pages, trilingual in Devanagari and Latin scripts). The first Scripture in Chepang — Bible Portions — had appeared in 1977, making the 1993 NT the culmination of nearly two decades of preparatory work. No complete Bible in Chepang has yet been published.

Language and People

The Chepang call themselves Chyo-bang — "people of the hilltops" (chyo: on top; bang: stone). They inhabit the rugged ridges of the Mahabharat Range in central Nepal, concentrated in the districts of Makwanpur and Chitwan (Bagmati Province), southern Dhading, and southern Gorkha. Their population stands at 84,364 (2021 Nepal census), up from 68,399 in 2011.

The Chepang are among the most economically marginalised peoples in Nepal. Over 90% live below the poverty line and approximately 90% do not own land. Subsistence has traditionally combined shifting slash-and-burn cultivation with foraging — wild yams and tubers (ban tarul), honey, wild fruits, bats, and game — with most households experiencing food shortages for three to nine months of the year. Expansion of Chitwan National Park has compounded this vulnerability through forced evictions: in July 2020 park authorities demolished Chepang homes in Kusumkhola, Chitwan, despite a Supreme Court order halting such actions, drawing condemnation from Amnesty International. As of 2025 evicted families lack secure housing, clean water, and reliable schooling.

Traditional Chepang religion is animistic, centred on nature worship, ancestor veneration, and the pande (shaman), who serves as healer, ritual leader, and sole religious specialist — typically called by hereditary succession and dreams. The 2011 census recorded a dramatic shift: 64.5% Hindu, 25.5% Christian, and 9.7% Prakriti/nature worship. Conversion has been rapid, driven partly by material assistance from Christian NGOs in the context of longstanding state neglect. Scholars note the resulting decline in shamanic practice as a threat to intangible cultural heritage.

Chepang (ISO 639-3: cdm) belongs to the Sino-Tibetan family through the Tibeto-Burman branch, in the Chepangic subgroup — a two-language branch consisting only of Chepang and Bhujel. The language is written in Devanagari script and has approximately 59,000 native speakers (2021). It is notable typologically for a duodecimal (base-12) counting system. UNESCO classifies Chepang as vulnerable.

Publishing and Organizations

Produced by SIL International / Wycliffe Bible Translators and distributed through Nepal Bible Society channels. The translation is available digitally through the Wycliffe Chepang Bible app (Google Play), YouVersion/Bible.com, and Nepal MatriBhasha (nepalmatribhasha.org). Audio recordings have been developed as a primary access format given the community's low literacy rate (below 20%). Digital content has continued to be updated after 1993, with additional books and audio added as recently as 2026.

References