The Pinuyumayan New Testament Bible and Today's Chinese Version (2019)
Overview
The Pinuyumayan New Testament Bible is the complete New Testament (27 books) in the Puyuma language, published by the Bible Society in Taiwan and available via YouVersion/Bible.com (ID 4226, digitized 2023). The title describes a bilingual diglot edition: the original print publication (Vangesar Valray Vati za Viruwa i Itras) paired the Pinuyumayan NT with the Chinese Today's Chinese Version (現代中文譯本, 2019 edition), reflecting the practical bilingualism of the Puyuma community. The team conducted careful review of the NT translation in 2020, submitted it for typesetting in 2021, and the YouVersion edition was published in 2023.
The title in the vernacular (Vangesar Valray Vati za Viruwa i Itras Pinuyumayan) is a phrase in Puyuma meaning approximately "The Good News of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Pinuyumayan."
Language and People
Puyuma (ISO 639-3: pyu; autonym: Pinuyumayan — "the Puyuma people/language") is a Formosan Austronesian language spoken in Taitung County, southeastern Taiwan. Linguist Robert Blust proposed Puyuma as a first-order branch of Proto-Austronesian — one of the primary divergences from the proto-language, rather than a member of the broader Formosan subgroup — based on shared innovations with Philippine languages and the absence of certain Formosan innovations. This classification remains debated in comparative Austronesian linguistics, but reflects Puyuma's highly distinctive position in the Austronesian family tree.
The Puyuma people (approximately 14,000 registered indigenous persons in 2021, with fewer active speakers) are divided into two main groups both resident in Taitung County: the Nanwang (northern group, centering on Nanwang village near Taitung City) and the Chihpen (southern group, centering on Chihpen/Beinan village). The two groups maintain distinct dialects and traditions. Beinan / Chihpen (the southern group's territory near Taitung City) is the site of one of Taiwan's most significant prehistoric sites: the Beinan archaeological site (Peinan Culture, c. 1500–700 BCE), which produced Taiwan's largest excavation of slate coffins and is now a UNESCO-relevant World Heritage candidate site.
A major reference grammar exists: Sung Li-May Teng, A Reference Grammar of Puyuma, an Austronesian Language of Taiwan (Language and Linguistics Monograph Series, Academia Sinica, 2008).
Traditional Puyuma society is matrilineal and organized into age-grade associations (miyabetan); the annual Monkey Ritual (Mangayaw) — a youth initiation ceremony — is one of Taiwan's most famous indigenous ceremonies. The Puyuma are predominantly Christian (Presbyterian and Catholic), with traditional ceremonial practices maintained alongside Christianity.
Publishing and Organizations
Published by Bible Society in Taiwan (台灣聖經公會), the United Bible Societies member organization for Taiwan. The Bible Society in Taiwan has published New Testaments and full Bibles in multiple Taiwan indigenous languages (including Amis, Atayal, Bunun, Rukai, Tsou, Paiwan, and others) as part of a decades-long programme of aboriginal-language Scripture.