Latvian 1933 Scriptures (RMLJSL)

Overview

A 1933 translation of the Gospel of John and select prayers into Baltic Romani, specifically the Latvian Romani (Chukkhno) dialect. [1] Despite the title referencing "Latvian," this is a Romani-language publication, not a Latvian (Baltic) one. The translation was made by Janis Leimanis (1886-1950), a Latvian Roma activist and Christian missionary. [1] [2] In the 1920s, after returning from Russia, Leimanis spent five years translating the Gospel of John, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments into Latvian Romani. [2] The work was published in Riga in 1933 by the British and Foreign Bible Society under the Romani title Joannostir Svencono lacopheniben. [1] Leimanis was a prominent figure in Latvian Roma cultural life: he founded the first Latvian Roma society "Ciganu draugs" (A Friend of Roma), organized a Roma choir, collected Romani folklore for the Latvian Folklore Archive, and engaged in missionary work throughout the 1930s. [2]

Language and People

Baltic Romani (ISO 639-3: rml) is spoken by approximately 34,010 people. [Glottolog: balt1257]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by BFBS, Riga. Translation type: First.

References