Lhowa New Testament — གློ་བ། (Loke)

Overview

The Lhowa (Lo-ke) New Testament is the first complete Scripture in the Lhowa language, published by Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. and the Nepal Bible Society in 2022–2023. The translation is available via YouVersion/Bible.com (ID 3782) and via the dedicated Lowa Bible Android app, which presents the text in both Tibetan script and Devanagari — a dual-script approach that reflects ongoing community discussion about which writing system best serves both cultural identity and practical literacy. The Nepal MatriBhasha platform (nepalmatribhasha.org) distributes the Lowa Bible alongside translations in approximately 45 other Nepali minority languages as part of Wycliffe's broader Vision 2025 program.

Prior to this NT, Global Recordings Network had produced audio evangelism programs in Lhowa ("Words of Life"), and individual gospel books were distributed via lowafellowship.com — but no complete written NT existed. The total Lowa Christian community globally was estimated at approximately 45–50 individuals as of 2019, with the Lowa Christian Fellowship established in Kathmandu in 2013 (15–20 founding members) and a Pokhara fellowship in 2014.

Language and People

Lhowa (ISO 639-3: loy; autonym: Lo-ke, ལོ་སྐད, also Glo-skad; also called Loba, Lopa, Mustangi) is a Sino-Tibetan language in the South-western Tibetic group, closely related to the Dolpo, Humla, and Sherpa languages. The 2011 Nepal census recorded 3,029 mother-tongue speakers, nearly all in Mustang District; Ethnologue estimates 7,500–7,800 speakers, and the figure reaches approximately 9,000 when including the diaspora in India and the United States. A significant Lowa community lives in Woodside, Queens, New York City, served by the Lo Nyamship Association USA (membership over 1,000; the association purchased a community building in Woodside in 2020). UNESCO classifies Lhowa as definitely endangered, noting it is no longer consistently acquired as a first language in the home, particularly among school-age children educated in Nepali and English.

The Lhowa people (Lopa) are the people of the Kingdom of Lo (Upper Mustang), an ancient walled city-state in the high Himalayas of Mustang District, northwestern Nepal. The kingdom was founded in 1380 by the warrior Ame Pal and prospered for centuries by controlling the Kali Gandaki salt trade — the main route by which Tibetan plateau salt moved south to the lowlands in exchange for grain, textiles, and other goods. The 15th and 17th centuries saw substantial investment of this trade wealth into the three great monasteries of Lo Manthang: Jampa Lhakhang (early 14th century), Thubchen (late 15th century), and Chode (late 13th century), all Sakya-sect institutions. The kingdom also contains approximately 10,000 man-made sky caves carved into valley walls, some dating 2,000–3,000 years; UNESCO has included the site on its tentative list since 1996.

The trade economy collapsed after 1950 when China's annexation of Tibet severed the trans-Himalayan routes. In the 1960s–70s the kingdom became a covert base for approximately 6,000 CIA-funded Khampa guerrillas (Operation ST Circus) fighting Chinese forces in Tibet; CIA funding ended in 1972 following Nixon's China normalization, and Nepal disarmed the remaining fighters in 1974. Upper Mustang remained closed to foreigners until 1992 and continues to require a Restricted Area Permit (USD 500 per person per 10 days, with a minimum group of two and a registered guide).

The last king, Jigme Dorje Palbar Bista (c. 1930 – 16 December 2016), reigned from 1964 until the Nepalese government abolished all titular royal titles on 28 May 2008. He died in Kathmandu at age 86, having warned for years that Upper Mustang could lose 80% of its population within two decades through out-migration. The Lhowa people are predominantly Tibetan Buddhist, with the three Lo Manthang monasteries remaining active centres of Sakya-tradition practice.

Publishing and Organizations

Published by Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. and the Nepal Bible Society, distributed via YouVersion/Bible.com (ID 3782), the Lowa Bible Android app (both Tibetan and Devanagari scripts), and the Nepal MatriBhasha platform. SIL Nepal supported the parallel development of orthography materials (dictionary app, literacy primers) in collaboration with Tribhuwan University's Linguistics Department and Nepal's NFDIN (National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities). The Lhowa NT is part of a cluster of South-western Tibetic New Testaments completed by WBT in the early 2020s, including the Dolpo NT (2023).

References