Gao New Testament — Nggao (Gao) New Testament + Psalms (Solomon Islands)
Overview
The Gao New Testament (Grorogo te keli ni Sam Ka Gao — approximately "New Testament and Psalms in Gao") is the complete New Testament with Psalms in the Gao language of Santa Isabel Island, Solomon Islands, published in 2016 by SIL International in partnership with the Anglican Church of Melanesia and available via YouVersion/Bible.com (ID 4231; abbreviation: GGANTP). The community autonym Nggao reflects the initial velar nasal /ŋ/ common in many Oceanic languages of the western Solomons. The 2016 publication represents a significant scripture milestone for this Isabel language community.
Language and People
Gao (ISO 639-3: gga; autonym: Nggao) is an Austronesian language: Austronesian → Malayo-Polynesian → Oceanic → Remote Oceanic → Isabel languages (Santa Isabel Island group). The Isabel languages form a compact sub-group of Oceanic languages spoken on Santa Isabel — the long, narrow island running northeast–southwest in the central Solomons. Related Isabel languages include Zazao, Blablanga, and Cheke Holo.
The Gao-speaking community inhabits:
- Santa Isabel Island (also called Ysabel), Isabel Province, Solomon Islands — northeastern coastal areas
Estimated speakers: approximately 5,000–6,000 (Ethnologue 2015 estimate: ~4,800 L1 speakers).
Cultural Context
Santa Isabel Island has been a center of Anglican Christianity in Melanesia since the 19th-century missions of the Melanesian Mission (later Anglican Church of Melanesia), which explains the ACM's partnership with SIL on the Gao NT. The Solomon Islands' remarkable linguistic diversity — over 70 distinct indigenous languages — makes vernacular scripture projects essential for smaller communities not fully served by Pijin (the national creole) or English.
Publishing and Organizations
Published by SIL International in partnership with the Anglican Church of Melanesia (Honiara, Solomon Islands), the regional Anglican body for the Solomons, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. SIL Pacific has worked with Solomon Islands language communities since the 1970s.