Kubokota New Testament — Ganongga (Ghanongga) New Testament (Solomon Islands)
Overview
The Kubokota Adapt New Testament is the complete New Testament in the Ghanongga language of the New Georgia Islands, Solomon Islands, published in 2016 by The Seed Company and available via YouVersion/Bible.com (ID 4052; abbreviation: GHN), eBible.org, and solomons.bible. The title designation Kubokota Adapt indicates this is an adaptation or closely related translation for the Kubokota-speaking community of the New Georgia area — Kubokota (ISO 639-3: kud) is a closely related Oceanic language, and the translation serves the broader Ghanongga–Kubokota dialect continuum. The community autonym Ganongga (or Ghanongga in scholarly sources) reflects local phonological conventions.
Language and People
Ghanongga (ISO 639-3: ghn; autonym: Ganongga) is an Austronesian language: Austronesian → Malayo-Polynesian → Oceanic → Western Oceanic → Meso-Melanesian → New Georgia–Ysabel branch. The New Georgia language group includes Roviana (the traditional lingua franca of the western Solomons), Marovo, Nduke, and several other closely related Oceanic languages clustered around the New Georgia Sound.
The Ghanongga community inhabits:
- Ghanongga-Lungga area, New Georgia Islands, Western Province, Solomon Islands
Estimated speakers: a few thousand; small community within the larger New Georgia language cluster.
Cultural Context
The New Georgia Islands were historically significant for the inter-island slave trade of the 19th century, which the Methodist Mission (later United Church) worked to end from the 1870s onward. The United Church has a strong presence in the New Georgia Islands, and The Seed Company's NT is part of the broader effort to provide mother-tongue scriptures for each of the area's distinct Oceanic languages alongside the existing Roviana-language Bible (the traditional regional prestige language).
Publishing and Organizations
Published by The Seed Company (seedcompany.com, Fort Worth, Texas), a Wycliffe Global Alliance member organization. Also available on solomons.bible (the regional bible catalog for Solomon Islands languages) and eBible.org.