Roviana Bible (RUGWBT)

Overview

The complete Roviana Bible, titled "Buka Hope," was dedicated in 2017 at a celebration attended by more than 1,000 people, marking the 115th anniversary of the gospel's arrival among the Roviana people. [1] Roviana has a long history as the lingua franca of the Methodist mission and much of the Western Solomon Islands. [2] The Methodist Church of Australasia sent its first missionaries to the Roviana Lagoon of New Georgia in May 1902, led by Rev. John Francis Goldie. [2] Helena Goldie translated hymns and Scripture stories early on, and the Gospel of Mark was the first Scripture portion produced in Roviana, in 1916. [3] The Roviana New Testament was completed in 1953, more than fifty years after the mission's establishment. [3] The full Bible translation was completed decades later with the involvement of Wycliffe Bible Translators and the Bible Society in the South Pacific, and also serves as a resource for six linguistically related languages in the region: Duke, Huava, Kusaghe, Marovo, Ughele, and Vangunu. [1]

Language and People

Roviana (ISO 639-3: rug) is spoken by approximately 25,870 people in Solomon Islands. [Glottolog: rovi1238]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by Bible Society in the South Pacific.

References