Kanite New Testament (KMUWBT)

Overview

The Kanite New Testament, titled Anumayamo'a Haegafa Alino Hagelafilatenea Kea in the vernacular, was published in 2002 by Wycliffe Bible Translators as the first complete New Testament in the Kanite language [1][2]. The translation was the work of Gwen Gibson and Joy McCarthy, who served with Wycliffe and SIL in Papua New Guinea among the Kanite people of the Okapa district in Eastern Highlands Province [3][4]. Gibson and McCarthy devoted over 22 years to the Kanite translation project, during which they also produced a Kanite grammar sketch and co-authored the Pisini Kie Havio Kanite-Pidgin phrase book with Stephen Harris and Toni Tofunama [4][5]. Earlier Scripture portions in Kanite had been published as early as 1965, including an abridgement of Genesis in 1971 [2]. After completing the Kanite New Testament, Gibson continued to serve for approximately 12 more years translating for the Inoke people, whose dialect differed enough from Kanite that they wanted Scripture in their own tongue [3]. The Kanite people number approximately 11,000 and are located in the Okapa district of Eastern Highlands Province [2].

Language and People

Kanite (ISO 639-3: kmu) is spoken by approximately 9,300 people in Papua New Guinea, Map 10. [Glottolog: kani1286]

Publishing and Organizations

Created by Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. Published by Wycliffe Bible Translators USA. Translation type: First.

References