Biblia Nauete — Nauete (Naóti) Scripture Portions (Timor-Leste)
Overview
Biblia Nauete ("The Bible in Nauete") is a scripture portion in the Nauete language of Timor-Leste, published by Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. and available via YouVersion/Bible.com (ID 4252). The community's autonym Naóti differs from the Portuguese-derived scholarly designation Nauete. Nauete is a Papuan (non-Austronesian) language of Timor-Leste — one of the country's several indigenous Papuan languages that predate the Austronesian settlement of Timor. Timor-Leste has extraordinary linguistic complexity for its small size: its ~1.3 million people speak approximately 20+ distinct languages, of which roughly a third are Papuan and two-thirds are Austronesian. Wycliffe's scripture portion represents early biblical engagement with the Nauete community.
Language and People
Nauete (ISO 639-3: nxa; autonym: Naóti) is a Papuan language of Timor-Leste: non-Austronesian → Trans-New Guinea or an independent Papuan family of the Timor region. The Papuan languages of Timor include multiple distinct families: the Bunak language (unclassified or Timor-Alor-Pantar family), Makasae-Fataluku (East Timor Papuan cluster), and related varieties. Nauete belongs within this Papuan layer of Timorese languages. The precise genealogical relationship among the Papuan languages of Timor is still under active linguistic investigation.
The Nauete/Naóti community inhabits:
- Timor-Leste — the specific district is not well-documented in widely available sources; Papuan languages of Timor are concentrated in the central and eastern inland areas and in coastal pockets
- Likely in interior districts of the island's Papuan-language zones
Estimated speakers: small to medium community within Timor-Leste's Papuan language population.
Cultural Context
Timor-Leste gained independence in 2002 after the Indonesian occupation (1975–1999) and the earlier Portuguese colonial era. The country's linguistic policy designates Tetum (Austronesian) and Portuguese as official languages, with 17 national languages (including several Papuan varieties) recognized. Catholic Christianity is nearly universal (~97% of the population). Wycliffe has been active in Timor-Leste alongside the Bible Society of Timor-Leste (SBTL), with multiple translation projects for the country's 20+ language communities.
Publishing and Organizations
Published by Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. (wycliffe.org), founded 1942.