Matthew sample (KKYEBL)

Overview

This is a sample of the Gospel of Matthew in the Guugu Yimidhirr language, spoken at Hopevale in Far North Queensland, Australia. Guugu Yimidhirr was the first Australian Aboriginal language to be written, documented by Lieutenant James Cook in 1770. [1] Missionaries at the Hope Vale mission used the coastal dialect (Thalunthirr) to translate hymns and Bible stories, and a Guugu Yimithirr Order of Service and Hymns was published in 1946 by Lutheran missionaries. [1] This public domain digitization likely preserves that historic missionary-era translation. As of 2020, only about half the Guugu Yimithirr nation still speaks the language. [1]

References