San Martín Quechua New Testament (QVSTBL)

Overview

The San Martín Quechua New Testament (Tata Diospa Mushuk Rimanan) is a translation of the New Testament into San Martín Quechua, also known as Lamas Quechua (Llakwash Runashimi), the only Quechua variety spoken in the jungle lowlands of Peru. [1] The New Testament was completed and presented in a special ceremony in 1993. [1] ILV/SIL linguists analyzed the language, published grammar materials, collected folklore, and created educational texts as part of the translation effort. [1] The text was subsequently published in 2008 by Bible League International.

Language and People

San Martín Quechua (ISO 639-3: qvs) is spoken by approximately 44,000 people across three Peruvian departments: San Martín (provinces of Lamas, Huallaga, and El Dorado, along the Huallaga, Mayo, and Sisa rivers), Loreto (Marañón River region and lower Huallaga communities), and Ucayali (sections of the Ucayali River). [1] It belongs to the Quechua II-B branch. The origins of the San Martín Quechua people are uncertain; they are believed to be groups of families that centuries ago lost their original ethnic identity and adopted Quechua as their language. [1] Their lifestyle blends Andean customs with highland Spanish influences, visible in music, dance, architecture, and traditional clothing. [1] Younger generations predominantly have passive knowledge of Quechua, understanding it but not speaking it actively, as Spanish dominates education. [1] The community has established annual music festivals (since 1983) featuring newly composed hymns and traditional dress, demonstrating growing interest in language preservation. [1] [Glottolog: sanm1289]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by Bible League International.

References