Wapishana New Testament (WAPWBT)

Overview

The Kaimana'o Tominkaru Paradan is the New Testament in the Wapishana language, published in 2012 by Wycliffe Bible Translators with distribution through the Suriname Bible Society. [1] Wapishana is an Arawakan language spoken in the Rupununi savanna region of southern Guyana and the Roraima state of northern Brazil. [2] The translation effort was led by Wycliffe linguist-translator Richard Hicks and literacy specialist Charlene Hicks, who began working among the Wapishana people in 1994. [3] Both translators were tragically killed in March 2005 near Lethem, Guyana, but the Wapishana community and co-worker Bev Dawson continued the project to completion. [3] The translation represents a significant achievement for the Wapishana community, who noted that Scripture in their own language was more memorable and meaningful than English versions. [3]

Language and People

Wapishana (ISO 639-3: wap) is an Arawakan language spoken by approximately 13,000 people in the interfluvial region between the Branco and Rupununi rivers on the frontier between Brazil and Guyana. [2] It is the only remaining Arawakan language in the circum-Roraima area and the Wapishana comprise the largest population of Arawak speakers in northern Amazonia. [2] Their traditional territory encompasses the Upper Essequibo basin and the extensive Rupununi savannah, with diverse ecosystems including tropical rainforest, mountains, and seasonally-flooding wetlands. [4] Fewer than 5,000 people actively speak the language today, and cultural preservation organizations such as Wapichan Wadauniinao Ati'o work to sustain it. [5] [Glottolog: wapi1253]

Publishing and Organizations

Created by Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. Published by Suriname Bible Society. Translation type: New.

References