The New Testament in Dibabawon Manobo (MBDWBT)

Overview

The Dibabawon Manobo New Testament, titled "Kasulatan to Diyus," was first published in 1978 and copyrighted in 1988 by Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. [1][2]. The translation was carried out by SIL missionaries Jannette Forster and Myra Lou Barnard, who also produced extensive linguistic documentation of the language including phonological studies, text collections, and a Dibabawon-English dictionary [3][4]. The Dibabawon Manobo people reside in northern Davao Province on the island of Mindanao; their name derives from "dibabaw," meaning upriver, reflecting their traditional settlement patterns along the rivers of the region [5]. Bible portions in Dibabawon Manobo were first produced as early as 1967, with the complete New Testament following approximately a decade later [6]. The language belongs to the Central Manobo branch of the Austronesian language family and is also known by the alternate names Debabaon, Dibabaon, and Dibabauon [6].

Language and People

Dibabawon Manobo (ISO 639-3: mbd) is spoken by approximately 9,060 people in Southern Philippines. [Glottolog: diba1242]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by Wycliffe Bible Translators USA.

References