Nias Today's Nias Version, 2006 (NIAIBS)

Overview

The Nias Today's Nias Version is a New Testament translation in the Nias language published by the Indonesian Bible Society (Lembaga Alkitab Indonesia, LAI) in 2006. [1] It represents an updated modern-language edition for the Nias-speaking community, following in a long tradition of Scripture translation on Nias Island. The first Nias Bible translation, titled Soera Ni Amonio ("The Sacred Letter"), was completed in 1896 by Heinrich Sundermann, a German missionary of the Rheinische Missions-Gesellschaft (RMG), who had arrived on Nias as the second Western missionary and also founded a Bible school to train local teachers. [2] Sundermann's translation notably adapted pre-Christian Nias religious terminology, using the indigenous name Lowalangi as the translation for God. [2] The Laraga dialect of northern Nias was chosen as the basis for the Bible translation and subsequently became the standard written form for all publications in the language. [3]

Translation History

German RMG missionaries arrived on Nias Island beginning in 1865 and established sustained evangelistic work among the Nias people. [2] Sundermann's 1896 New Testament was the foundational Scripture text for the growing Nias Christian community, which eventually formed the Banua Niha Keriso Protestant (BNKP) church. [2] The 2006 LAI edition, titled Buku Ni'Amoni' O Turia Somuso Dodo Ba Ginoto Si Bohou ("Today's Nias Version"), represents a fresh translation into contemporary Nias language, making the text more accessible to modern readers. [1]

Language and People

Nias (ISO 639-3: nia) is spoken by approximately 1,042,000 people in Indonesia, Sumatra. [Glottolog: nias1242]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by Indonesian BS, Jakarta.

References