Gooti Toolluro Yogalokwono — Simbari (Chimbari) New Testament (Papua New Guinea)
Overview
Gooti Toolluro Yogalokwono is the New Testament (46 books) in the Simbari (Chimbari) language of Eastern Highlands or Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea, published by New Tribes Mission (now operating as Ethnos360) in 2023 and available via YouVersion/Bible.com (ID 3832). The community's autonym Chimbari differs from the scholarly designation Simbari; the vernacular title Gooti Toolluro Yogalokwono reflects Simbari language grammatical structure. The 46-book count exceeds the New Testament's 27 books, indicating the translation also includes Ruth and several other Old Testament books alongside the full NT. New Tribes Mission (NTM/Ethnos360) is known for undertaking long-term translation projects in remote Papua New Guinea communities — a process that typically spans decades of language learning, literacy development, and community-based translation before first publication.
Language and People
Simbari (ISO 639-3: smb; autonym: Chimbari) is a Papuan language classified within the Trans-New Guinea super-family: Trans-New Guinea → Kainantu-Goroka branch (or East New Guinea Highlands stock). The Kainantu-Goroka area of the Eastern Highlands is a zone of extraordinary language diversity where dozens of distinct Trans-New Guinea languages exist within a relatively compact geographic area. Simbari is spoken in the highland-fringe or lower-highlands zone characteristic of the Kainantu area's Papuan language cluster.
The Simbari/Chimbari community inhabits:
- The Kainantu area of Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea, in the mountain valleys and ridges of the central cordillera
- Possibly extending into adjacent Morobe Province in the lower-altitude transition zone
- Steep mountain valley terrain at approximately 1,000–2,000 m elevation
Estimated speakers: small community typical of PNG's many Highland fringe languages; specific population data is limited in widely available sources.
Cultural Context
New Tribes Mission (NTM), rebranded as Ethnos360 in 2017 (reflecting a desire to remove terminology with negative connotations in many cultures), has been active in Papua New Guinea since the 1950s–1960s, establishing long-term translation programs in remote highland communities. The typical NTM/Ethnos360 model involves missionaries living within a community for 10–20+ years: learning the language from scratch, developing a writing system, conducting literacy programs, and translating scripture in close collaboration with community members. The 2023 Simbari NT + OT portions represents the fruit of such a long-term commitment to the Chimbari community. PNG's political independence (1975) has brought new national church involvement in translation programs alongside international organizations.
Publishing and Organizations
Published by New Tribes Mission (now Ethnos360, ethnos360.org), a U.S.-based evangelical mission organization specializing in Bible translation and church planting among unreached tribal peoples. Founded 1942 (the same year as Wycliffe Bible Translators). Rebranded as Ethnos360 in 2017.