Nyangumarta Bible (NNAWBT)

Overview

The NNAWBT contains partial Bible translations in Nyangumarta, an Aboriginal Australian language of the Pilbara and Great Sandy Desert regions of Western Australia. The translation work was carried out by AuSIL (the Australian Society for Indigenous Languages, formerly SIL Australia) in collaboration with the Bible Society of Australia [1][2]. Nyangumarta is spoken by the Nyangumarta people, whose traditional Country stretches across parts of the Pilbara region to the south and east of Lake Waukarlykarly, including Eighty Mile Beach and extending inland through the Great Sandy Desert to near Telfer [3][4]. Much of the previously published material was issued in diglot form, with Nyangumarta text presented side by side with English [1]. The collection includes New Testament books along with supplementary materials such as Bible Readers and a Bible Overview. It should be noted that a fair amount of the material remains in draft status and is presented as a working document for future translators to build upon [1]. The copyright dates to 1980 with a 2010 update by Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc.

Language and People

Nyangumarta (ISO 639-3: nna) is spoken by approximately 210-520 people in the Pilbara and Great Sandy Desert regions of Western Australia [3][4]. It is classified as a Pama-Nyungan language of the Marrngu subgroup. Nyangumarta Country includes areas around Eighty Mile Beach, and the language has been the subject of significant linguistic documentation, including a comprehensive grammar by Janet Sharp published through Pacific Linguistics [5]. [Glottolog: nyan1301]

References

[1] Aboriginal Bibles, "Nyangumarta," https://aboriginalbibles.org.au/nyangumarta/ [2] AIATSIS, "Bible Society in Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Translation Files," https://aiatsis.gov.au/sites/default/files/catalogue_resources/ms5027_bible_translation_files.pdf [3] Wikipedia, "Nyangumarta language," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyangumarta_language [4] Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre, "Nyangumarta," https://www.wangkamaya.org.au/pilbara-languages/nyangumarta [5] Amazon, "Nyangumarta: A Language of the Pilbara Region of Western Australia," https://www.amazon.com/Nyangumarta-Language-Pilbara-Australia-Linguistics/dp/0858835290