Highlighting Papua New Guinea Bible Translation and Language Development Stories

2012

The PNG Experience

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compIle a narratIve of the thIngs that have been accomplIshed among us, just as those who from the begInnIng were eyewItnesses and mIn-Isters of the word have delIvered them to us, It seemed good to me also, havIng followed all thIngs closely for some tIme past, to wrIte an orderly account for you... luke 1:1-3a

Everyone has a story to tell AND . . .Everyone should have their story heard.

This book tells some of the great stories that happened in 2012 in Papua New Guinea, a country of beautiful land-scapes and remarkable people.

Their stories-- the amazing things that are happening in language development and Bible translation-- deserve to be heard far and wide.

This book is only a glimpse of the big picture. Papua New Guinea is home to over 800 languages and the highest concentration of linguistic and Bible translation activities in the world. New Testament translation is already com-plete in nearly 200 languages, and another 400 languages enjoy at least some portions of translated Scripture. But much remains to be done-- many stories yet to be told!

The PNG Experience - 2012Highlighting Papua New Guinea Bible Translation and Language Development Stories

After 36 years of work by multiple translation teams, the over 3000 speakers of the Marik language in Madang Province finally have the complete New Testament in their own language. They held a dedication celebration for the newly completed New Tes-tament at Gonoa village, featuring cultural dance groups and lo-cal choirs. A Scripture Application and Literacy Training (SALT) course followed the dedication, providing tools and understand-ing to enable church leaders to communicate the truths found in the Scriptures. The dedication and the training course were successful and well-received.

Saturday August 11 saw the official opening of a new women’s dormitory at the Ukarumpa Training Centre in the Eastern Highlands Province. The dormitory is currently capable of housing 20 women in twin accommodation rooms with another 20 beds available when the building is fully completed.

Funding for the dormitory was made possible by the Papua New Guinea Sus-tainable Development Program (PNGSDP) which contributed K250,000 to the project. Speaking at the opening dedication on behalf of PNGSDP was the proj-ect manager Mr. Lawerence Stephens, who explained how the corporation is funded and how it is making a difference through a wide range of development projects throughout Papua New Guinea.

One of the first guests at the new facility was Catherine Rua from World Vision who spoke at the opening about the important role that women have for posi-tive change in the country. Catherine is currently involved in the new Literacy, Leadership, Education and Development (LLEAD) course that equips participants to lead adult literacy and numeracy development in their local communities.

Also in attendance at the opening was the new member for Obura-Wonenara district, Mr. Mehrra Minne Kipeta, who expressed his support for training and was pleased with the new facilities.

The Ukarumpa Training Centre also has three large classrooms, a 72 bed men’s dormitory and a state-of-the-art kitchen capable of serving 200 meals at a time in a large dining room beautifully finished in natural PNG timbers. The design and construction of the training facility has been supported by Wycliffe Associ-ates. Education and training providers are welcome to contact Max Sahl at lr-actrain@sil.org.pg for further information on facility rates and availability.

Women now with improved access to training opportunities

“Inspiring”, “Motivational”, “Moving”: these were some of the words expressed after the “All the Nations” service on Sunday, August 19th in Ukarumpa, PNG. It was a celebration of Papua New Guin-ean Scripture translation projects pro-duced by SIL and BTA in the past year.

Forty-seven different efforts impacting more than forty language groups were recognised, including six completed New Testaments. Four of these New Tes-tament publications also included por-tions of the Old Testament. Also receiv-ing recognition were single New and Old Testament books, audio and video Scrip-ture recordings, Jesus films and online publications.

The celebration began with a proces-sional of Papua New Guineans, each holding a translated work that was com-pleted sometime between August 2011 and August 2012. The crowd responded with enthusiastic clapping and cheering, as each participant brought a new trans-lation to the front where they placed them on a display table. One colleague was so excited that he shouted out praise in his own language while walking down the aisle. The pro-cessional was followed by an international choir singing “All The Nations”, while a video highlighting the new translations was played in the background. Many attenders of the celebration are directly involved in the language development and translation work in Papua New Guinea or spend a majority of their time and effort supporting the process. It was a very rewarding time for them to see the results of their labour.

All-the-Nations Sunday

LLEAD - equipping men and women

to be effective community leaders

The LLEAD (Literacy, Leadership, Education and Development) course concludes on Wednesday, August 29th. Thirteen men and three women will return home to implement important skills and strategies for positive change in their communities. Dr. Neil R. Coulter, SIL-PNG’s Director for Language Services, explains:

“LLEAD is the first in a set of four modules that equips partici-pants to train others in literacy. But it goes even further than that, giving students practical methods for positive development within their communities. Our organization’s vision statement says: ‘We desire to see Papua New Guineans knowing and living God’s word, leading to changed lives and transformed communi-ties.’ The LLEAD course is a key part in realizing that vision.”

“All of the lessons were good but what really opened my eyes and helped me were the lessons on community development and leadership,” says Carson Evari, Aisi language, Oro Province.“Even though I went to high school, I have never used my fingers to work on the computer. . . . To work on the computer was one of my dreams. I was praying and God opened the doors for me to come. . . . I pray that God would also allow me to apply the skills and knowledge that I have learned here in the course so that I can use that knowledge to bring development and changes back to my people,” says Taylor Tioja, Ese Language, Oro Province.

The participants of the course created over fifty different books to take back to their language groups. The LLEAD course is help-ing men and women better serve their communities as leaders by providing them with tools that equip them to meet the lit-eracy needs of their community.

original language, and so deepen the capacity of the church to understand the Bible and apply it to today’s contexts.

The course has been taught five times over the past eight years, and a sustain-able staff team is beginning to emerge. By inviting gifted students back to the course as teaching assistants, Papua New Guineans are being trained to pass on what they have learned to others. Francis Kauma highlights the importance of this: “I’m learning to teach Hebrew because one day the expatriates are going to go home – and then what will happen to us?” The next Hebrew training course is scheduled for October 29th through November 23rd at the Ukarumpa Training Centre.

Hebrew in the Highlands

nesian language learning styles. As staff member Pastor Tande Tumbo explains, “In Melanesian culture, we learn from hearing, and seeing, and then we practice.” In the course, recordings, pic-tures, songs and dramas recreate the experience of a Biblical He-brew environment, so that participants learn by listening, watch-ing, and responding to Hebrew as a living language.

According to course leader Dr. Phil King, the aim is to build enough confidence in Papua New Guinean Bible translators and pastors

that they can begin to access the Christian Old Testament in its

“I said to myself, ‘can you really do it?’ But I was really amazed – I couldn’t believe what I had learned by the end of the first two weeks.” So said Tom Puaria, one of 13 participants in the Introduction to Biblical Hebrew course at Ukarumpa (Eastern Highlands Province), halfway through his six-week-long training.

Learning any new language can be daunting, with the mix of new sounds and different grammatical structures, but Biblical Hebrew is even more challenging for those used to an English writing system, since the Hebrew letters are completely dif-ferent and written from right to left. Further, since Biblical Hebrew has no native speakers, most teaching approaches rely heavily on grammatical textbooks. By contrast, the course at Ukarumpa uses an innovative teaching style, designed for Mela-

Multi-language translation program practitioners from four Pacific organisations met recently in Ukarumpa to share about their experiences of working with multiple language communities at the same time. The twenty-four Bible translation project managers and advisors represented the PNG Bible Translation Association, Solomon Islands Bible Translation and Literacy Partner-ship, Solomon Islands Translation Advisory Group and SIL-PNG.

Gary Simons, Chief Research Officer of SIL Interna-tional, presented his initial research into the cluster, or multi-language, approach. This important topic is cur-rently one of SIL’s top three corporate research priori-ties. Workshop participants pilot-tested the research questionnaire which Gary will soon be using with clus-ter projects worldwide. Nine of the multi-language programs presented case studies, and discussion topics included community involvement, linguistic documen-tation, translation checking and training.

One of the programs represented at the workshop, and a pioneer in many aspects of multi-language transla-tion, was the Aitape West Project. This eleven-language workshop cluster was formed after a tsunami devas-tated PNG’s north coast in the Sissano Lagoon area in 1998. Ben Pehrson, a representative of the project, states, “Our primary goal is to help equip Papua New Guinean translators to be involved in the Bible Transla-tion movement long after we are here.”

This is the first time that multi-language translation program practitioners in the Pacific have met to discuss their work. It is hoped that the information gathered can be used to help more language communities work together in similar groupings, and several new pro-grams are already being planned in Papua New Guinea.

Multi-language program workshop

generates new plans

An old man watches anxiously as the line forms. Today, many are receiving God’s Word in their heart language. The printed New Testaments had arrived and the day was filled with speeches, dancing and food. Everyone was happy. But still the man stood alone in the shade, watching the queue, wonder-ing, should he buy this book? The problem was not the money; the problem was that the old man had never gone to school. He had no formal training and had no idea how to read. Was it foolish for him to think that he should have God’s words in his house?

So he continued to watch and wait. It was like some unseen force was holding him there. Finally, when the line was short and most of the people had left, he quietly took his place in line behind a woman and her child. The child was excited to get the book, for she could read and she had no other books in the house. She looked up at the old man and smiled. “Do you want to read God’s Word too?” she asked. “Yes, Yes I do,” he replied, with a voice that only hinted at the depth of his desire.

Miracle ...

Finally, he bought the book and took it home. Embarrassed that someone might ask him to read it, he hid it in his bag. For the next several years, almost every day, he would go to the garden with his book in his bag. Always wishing he could read, he would open the book, look through it and try to make sense out of the letters on the pages.

But one day, a miracle happened in the garden. The old man could understand the letters on the page, and he began to read, without any formal training or instruction. He continued to read God’s Word, until he knew it so well that community members would come to him when they needed to find a par-ticular scripture reference, or a verse on a certain topic. In time he became a leader in the church, and God’s Word became powerful throughout the area.

... in the garden

Aviation planners meet

Aviation organisational partnerships are essential in order to ensure that mis-sion air travel can be done safely, effectively and efficiently in Papua New Guin-ea. Recently senior staff from Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF), New Tribes Mission Aviation (NTMA) and Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) Aviation con-verged on Ukarumpa, Eastern Highlands Province, and met for three days at the Ukarumpa Training Centre for the Mission Aviation Conference (MAC).

The conference is seen as a time to strengthen partnerships and to share avia-tion technology expertise. Some of the technical reports presented by members from each organisation included: Human Factors training, Incorporating Safety Management Systems, Aviation Culture in the mission context, Airstrip Mainte-nance, Aircraft Performance and many other related issues.

The conference is also a great time of unity building for the organisations. Time is spent worshipping and praying together over the many challenges that con-front them. One participant shared, “One of the benefits of the MAC is that it

allows mission aviators to fellowship together and get to know each other better.”In the past, aviation personnel at this conference have found ways for the organisations to work together for fuel storage caches around the country and for sharing maintenance, aircraft, pilots and engineers. As a result of the conference, attendees have a greater appreciation for each organisation’s roles and operations in the country and commit to work together for the common goal of growing Christians in the outlying and remote areas of PNG.

According to Lyle Wyse, Director of SIL Aviation, “We enjoy meeting together. When we meet we have a deep sense of unity in the Lord and share a deep desire to serve the people of PNG with safe travel that encourages individual and church growth in the Lord. It is encouraging to discuss our aviation challenges together and discover how we can work together to overcome them, many times reaching a solution together that we would not have come to on our own.”

“This has been an amazing experience to sit in the morning worship and see so many pastors from so many denominations who would never visit each others’ churches in the villages, now, here, will work together. The spirit of harmony and unity, you could just feel it.” said one confer-ence leader.

The eighty-one Eastern Highlands Province pastors and church leaders who attended the recent Tokples Baibel Konferens were encouraged to use their tokples Scriptures and to get involved in the translation process. These leaders represented eleven denominations and organizations that work among the ten language groups from Binumarian to Benabena. The conference was co-hosted at the Ukarumpa Training Centre by the PNG Bible Translation Association (BTA) and the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL).

Daily workshops revealed new ways to share tokples Scriptures including Audio Bible Recording, Ethnomusicology, Scripture Application and Leadership Training (SALT), Translation Principles and Key Biblical Terminology.

“It’s been an eye opener to us. All the workshops I have attended here have been very good. They help me because I have a duty to all my pas-tors to share what I learned here. I want to take this learning back and mentor and impart this to my pastors in the pastors’ training that I run.” exclaimed a Highlands pastor.

Completed New Testaments, individual books of the Bible, literacy books and helps, and Audibibles were displayed daily. Audibibles, a solar-powered, hand-held tokples Scripture player, drew a lot of interest from conference participants.

The Tokples Baibel Konferens was considered a success by many! Church leaders left encouraged, unified on the value of tokples Scripture for their church members. They agreed that their communities need to become more involved in the work of Bible translation and that they need to use tokples Scriptures more in their churches.

As one participant shared,

“I want more leaders from more churches to come and know what is going on in the work of Bible

translation.”

Eastern Highlands church leaders meet to discuss

tokples Bible use

Pondering popcorn creates “taste” for tokples usage

It was like nothing she had ever seen be-fore. Susan reached back into the brown paper bag and pulled out another piece. What was it? Her eyebrows pulled togeth-er in confusion as she searched for the right words. We were in the second week of the literacy course in Saidor, Madang, and Susan was sitting back-to-back with her fellow Ngaing speakers who were try-ing to guess what she was experiencing. “Keep describing,” they urged her. “What does it look like?”

“It’s small,” she continued in Ngaing, “and firm, but breakable, with lots of little holes all over it. It’s white, with little specks of brown... and bumpy.” She put a piece in her mouth, slowly chewing. “It kind of tastes like corn, but it’s not like corn at all. There is oil...and salt. It’s really delicious!”

“It’s popcorn!” her teammates exclaimed, turning around to confirm their guess of

the delicacy. This was a creative writing class like they had never experienced before!For the month of August, 20 national teachers from 8 different languages scattered around the Rai Coast, gathered together for an intense teacher training, led by nine expat and national staff. It launched a series of month-long modules to be held over the

next several years assisting rural teachers. They endeavoured to work alongside the PNG Education Department to help teach-ers understand the irreplaceable value of using the local language in education before introducing a foreign language like English or even Tok Pisin (trade language). Thus, classes included principles and practices of literacy, fluency, book production, curricu-lum creation, and materials development as well as leadership, finances, health, raising community awareness, and personal Bible study methods.

When the community cannot read or does not value the local language, Bible transla-tions sit unused on dusty shelves. Through-out this course, participants grinned their enthusiasm as they experienced firsthand the value and vividness of their own lan-guages—including when describing pop-corn!

Photo by Catherine Rivard Photo by Catherine Rivard

Story-telling plays a significant role in the way Papua New Guineans process informa-tion. Stories flow naturally when told in a person’s heart language, leading to greater understanding and impact. According to Duncan Kasokason of PNG Bible Translation Association (BTA), “In our life in the community, we get together, make the fire, sit around the fire, and tell stories.”

The PNG Bible Translation Association sees the impact that story-telling has on peo-ple throughout PNG and believes that story-telling is an important way to bring Biblical understanding to many language groups. Duncan says, “Story-telling is a very powerful tool … people go inside the story. It brings out the emotions. We cry, we laugh-- all be-cause of stories. When we listen to a story from the Bible, we know that God is alive and He is active.”

The PNG Bible Translation Association sponsored a story-telling workshop, funded by The Seed Com-pany and held at the SIL and BTA training facility in Alotau. More than 20 participants from seven dif-ferent language groups attended the workshop.

Participants in the workshop learned how to take stories from the Bible and communicate them ac-curately and effectively. They learned how to find and focus on the main point of a story. They also

learned the importance of a good opening and closing and how to fol-low up with questions, leading to continued discussions and greater understanding. Some of the stu-dents recorded their stories so that large groups can hear the spiritual truths that they communicate.

At the workshop graduation, par-ticipants received certificates, and one student shared how learning to tell Bible stories has im-pacted his life: “When I read the Bible and study the words and then put them into my language and tell it in my own language, it changes my life. That is one good thing about story-telling.”

A story to tell...

A taleof tragedy,transformationand Bible translationPeter looked up and saw the first of three consecutive waves, each over thirty feet high, throwing up a huge cloud of mist as it enveloped a friend’s house and threw it into the lagoon like a piece of driftwood. He then turned toward his own neighborhood in time to witness the mas-sive wave breaking, completely submerging houses, tall coconut trees, everything. As it rushed toward their defenseless canoe, he watched the wave pluck his own house from the ground like a blade of grass, and sweep it high, carrying it on its peak.

On the evening of July 17, 1998, a tsunami devastated the coastal communities west of Aitape, on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. Three successive tidal waves wiped away whole villages and killed thousands of people who for generations had lived peacefully by the ocean. The Arop people, living on a sand spit between the Pacific Ocean and the Sissano lagoon, lost a third of their community in one night.

Now Pastor Peter Marokiki and his Arop friends tell their story in Sleeping Coconuts, a book written by their American teammates, John and Bonnie Nystrom, who came alongside them in the late 1980s to translate the Bible into the Arop language.

With their coastal home decimated and so many of their community killed, what would happen to the Arop people after the tsunami? Where was God in this tragedy? And what would be the future of the Arop Bible translation? The years that followed were to show that God had a much bigger plan and would use this natural disaster to do more than anyone had ever imagined. The effects of that one terrible night would ripple out, changing the lives of many for good, and transforming the face of Bible translation in Papua New Guinea.

SLEEPINGCOCONUTS

There i

s a tim

e for ev

erythin

g,

and

a seas

on for

every a

ctivity

under t

he hea

vens:

a time to

be bo

rn and

a time to

die,

a ti

me to pla

nt and

a time to

uproo

t,

a time to

kill an

d a tim

e to he

al,

a ti

me to tea

r down a

nd a ti

me to bu

ild,

a time to

weep an

d a tim

e to lau

gh,

a ti

me to mour

n and

a time to

dance

,

a time to

scatter

stones

and a

time to

gathe

r them,

a ti

me to em

brace

and a t

ime to ref

rain fro

m embra

cing,

a time to

search

and a

time to

give u

p,

a ti

me to kee

p and

a time to

throw aw

ay,

a time to

tear an

d a tim

e to mend

,

a ti

me to be

silent a

nd a ti

me to sp

eak,

a time to

love a

nd a ti

me to ha

te,

a ti

me for w

ar and

a time fo

r peace

.

There i

s a tim

e for ev

erythin

g,

and

a seas

on for

every a

ctivity

under t

he hea

vens:

a time to

be bo

rn and

a time to

die,

a ti

me to pla

nt and

a time to

uproo

t,

a time to

kill an

d a tim

e to he

al,

a ti

me to tea

r down a

nd a ti

me to bu

ild,

a time to

weep an

d a tim

e to lau

gh,

a ti

me to mour

n and

a time to

dance

,

a time to

scatter

stones

and a

time to

gathe

r them,

a ti

me to em

brace

and a t

ime to ref

rain fro

m embra

cing,

a time to

search

and a

time to

give u

p,

a ti

me to kee

p and

a time to

throw aw

ay,

a time to

tear an

d a tim

e to mend

,

a ti

me to be

silent a

nd a ti

me to sp

eak,

a time to

love a

nd a ti

me to ha

te,

a ti

me for w

ar and

a time fo

r peace

.

Bible poetry comes alive in tokples“The translation team in the village is working on the Old Testament. They are struggling with the books that have poetry in them. This is one way BTA can help them, by bringing all the people together so that they can share ideas and see how poetry in their Tokples reflects the poetry in the Bible.” Steven Ttopoqogo – PNG Bible Translation Association (BTA)

The workshops were held in Morobe province in the village of Garasa and included the Guhu Samane language and the Amam language, lo-cated close to Kunimaipa. The leaders of the workshop invited forty people but were excited to see fifty-four people actually participate.One of the strategies that the participants developed was singing translated Biblical poetry using tokples* music. As others heard these songs, they wanted to hear them again and again so that they could learn them. “There was a real sense of ownership of the songs when they heard them in their heart language and in their familiar tunes.”

One of the impacts of the workshop was the renewing of relationships strained from fighting that occurred over twenty years ago. On the first day of the workshop, community, workshop and church leaders met and decided that the participants from both groups would live, eat and work together.

“These two language groups have never met together to work on anything because there was a fight many years ago. Bringing the two teams together was a scary thing for us to do. We prayed hard that God would reconnect the relationships between these two groups. This was the first time in over twenty years that the two groups have come together as one. Before this we didn’t share the same house or eat with each other. So this was something awesome. We felt the hand of God over us and we could come together and had fellow-ship and shared together.” Steven Ttopoqogo - BTA

Overall, the workshop was considered a great success and the work accom-plished there is expected to improve the translation work and community re-lationships.

* tokples means “vernaculer language”

There i

s a tim

e for ev

erythin

g,

and

a seas

on for

every a

ctivity

under t

he hea

vens:

a time to

be bo

rn and

a time to

die,

a ti

me to pla

nt and

a time to

uproo

t,

a time to

kill an

d a tim

e to he

al,

a ti

me to tea

r down a

nd a ti

me to bu

ild,

a time to

weep an

d a tim

e to lau

gh,

a ti

me to mour

n and

a time to

dance

,

a time to

scatter

stones

and a

time to

gathe

r them,

a ti

me to em

brace

and a t

ime to ref

rain fro

m embra

cing,

a time to

search

and a

time to

give u

p,

a ti

me to kee

p and

a time to

throw aw

ay,

a time to

tear an

d a tim

e to mend

,

a ti

me to be

silent a

nd a ti

me to sp

eak,

a time to

love a

nd a ti

me to ha

te,

a ti

me for w

ar and

a time fo

r peace

.

There i

s a tim

e for ev

erythin

g,

and

a seas

on for

every a

ctivity

under t

he hea

vens:

a time to

be bo

rn and

a time to

die,

a ti

me to pla

nt and

a time to

uproo

t,

a time to

kill an

d a tim

e to he

al,

a ti

me to tea

r down a

nd a ti

me to bu

ild,

a time to

weep an

d a tim

e to lau

gh,

a ti

me to mour

n and

a time to

dance

,

a time to

scatter

stones

and a

time to

gathe

r them,

a ti

me to em

brace

and a t

ime to ref

rain fro

m embra

cing,

a time to

search

and a

time to

give u

p,

a ti

me to kee

p and

a time to

throw aw

ay,

a time to

tear an

d a tim

e to mend

,

a ti

me to be

silent a

nd a ti

me to sp

eak,

a time to

love a

nd a ti

me to ha

te,

a ti

me for w

ar and

a time fo

r peace

.

There i

s a tim

e for ev

erythin

g,

and

a seas

on for

every a

ctivity

under t

he hea

vens:

a time to

be bo

rn and

a time to

die,

a ti

me to pla

nt and

a time to

uproo

t,

a time to

kill an

d a tim

e to he

al,

a ti

me to tea

r down a

nd a ti

me to bu

ild,

a time to

weep an

d a tim

e to lau

gh,

a ti

me to mour

n and

a time to

dance

,

a time to

scatter

stones

and a

time to

gathe

r them,

a ti

me to em

brace

and a t

ime to ref

rain fro

m embra

cing,

a time to

search

and a

time to

give u

p,

a ti

me to kee

p and

a time to

throw aw

ay,

a time to

tear an

d a tim

e to mend

,

a ti

me to be

silent a

nd a ti

me to sp

eak,

a time to

love a

nd a ti

me to ha

te,

a ti

me for w

ar and

a time fo

r peace

.

There i

s a tim

e for ev

erythin

g,

and

a seas

on for

every a

ctivity

under t

he hea

vens:

a time to

be bo

rn and

a time to

die,

a ti

me to pla

nt and

a time to

uproo

t,

a time to

kill an

d a tim

e to he

al,

a ti

me to tea

r down a

nd a ti

me to bu

ild,

a time to

weep an

d a tim

e to lau

gh,

a ti

me to mour

n and

a time to

dance

,

a time to

scatter

stones

and a

time to

gathe

r them,

a ti

me to em

brace

and a t

ime to ref

rain fro

m embra

cing,

a time to

search

and a

time to

give u

p,

a ti

me to kee

p and

a time to

throw aw

ay,

a time to

tear an

d a tim

e to mend

,

a ti

me to be

silent a

nd a ti

me to sp

eak,

a time to

love a

nd a ti

me to ha

te,

a ti

me for w

ar and

a time fo

r peace

.

No lost words! Dictionary development in the Aitape area

Most of us don’t get excited about dictionaries and gram-mar. But imagine that your language has never before been documented in a dictionary and you’re finding out how to change that. It’s definitely something to celebrate.

Recently, members of nine language communities in the Aitape area of Sandaun (West Sepik) Province did just that, at a two-week dictionary-making workshop. The workshop was taught by Papua New Guinean translators and litera-cy workers from the Aitape West translation project who had attended an SIL Lexicogra-phy workshop, bringing back new skills and information to share with their colleagues.

Preceding the workshop was a week of comput-er training for literacy workers from the different communities. For all of them this was the first time using computers, but by the end of the week they were proficient in operating netbooks and typing.

At the main workshop the participants learned how to write definitions and example sentences, what to do when a word has multiple meanings, and how to iden-tify parts of speech in their language. In the afternoons they combined this theory with their new computer skills to begin to build dictionaries using new software called WeSay, designed by SIL soft-ware developers. At the end of the two weeks, participants printed sample pages from their dictionaries, ready for community testing.

A highlight of the workshop for the organisers was the participants’ enthusiasm for learning about the grammar of their languages. One transla-tor from the Bauni-Pou language said, ‘Now I know what is a noun, what is a verb, what is an adjective, and this will help me in my translation work, because now I know parts of speech in my language!’

Studying Linguistics in a language-rich country of over 830 languages was an easy decision for Malin-da Ginmaule. Malinda began working in SIL-PNG’s Linguistics Office in April 2010, after completing a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics from the University of PNG in Port Moresby. While working as a linguistics of-ficer, Malinda has progressed in her own linguistic re-search, with plans to begin post-graduate studies soon.

Malinda’s roles include language documentation, as well as teaching of Papua New Guineans, especially in SIL-PNG’s Translator Training Courses. She has taught the Language Dis-covery section of this course four times, in Ukarumpa (East-ern Highlands Province) and Alotau. Malinda has also taught in other translation-related courses.

Malinda presented her own material about language bridging, phonology and orthographies in vernacular languages, to a Bible Society meeting in Port Moresby. She also helped organize two con-

ferences of the Linguistic Soci-ety of PNG held in Ukarumpa.

Malinda has not only been in-volved with training, but she has made valuable contributions to SIL-PNG’s translation projects as well. She has translated documents related to HIV/AIDS and community care. And she has been able to respond to the numerous requests from other organi-zations for translation from English to Tok Pisin. Working out of SIL’s Port Moresby office, Malinda has strength-ened relationships with other organizations like the Bible Society and UPNG, where she was part-time tutor.

As more Papua New Guineans become involved in language documentation, they help preserve and revital-ize languages that may be endangered. Using new computer software for documentation, language data are recorded, transcribed, and posted on the internet for the benefit of many people. Many Papua New Guinean students have the right background and interest in languages to be successful in the diverse language areas throughout the country. With some additional training, they are able to collect linguistic data that become a valuable resource to the international community.

SIL-PNG is grateful for the opportunity to invest in Malinda’s education and professional development and looks forward to a continued relationship with her as she pursues post-graduate studies.

Local linguistic officer plays a

key role

in the language development

effort

What does God want to do here? Is there more to life than just serving ourselves? How do we best serve God right now in Bougainville?

Eighteen participants from seven different language groups met together in Bougainville to take part in the “Kairos Course”. The week-long course helped the students discover what God is doing around the world in fulfilment of His global purpose. It examined these issues from a biblical, his-torical, strategic and cultural perspective and was hosted at the SIL Bible Translation centre in Hutjena.

The course was led by Orim and Tingkui Joel (Kairos interns from Lae), and Peter McDougall and Wayne Freeman from New Zealand. The four lead-ers came from Port Moresby where they had successfully conducted a Kairos Course and were anticipating a similar experience in Bougainville. They marvelled at the wonderful views and beautiful sights in and around Buka as they travelled to the training site.

The course sessions were constrained by the availability of Buka town power which had been intermittently functioning for the past two months. Power in Hutjena was typically off from 7am to 6pm. There was some concern that the course should be cancelled because of the power issues. However, the staff could see God’s hand was guiding in all of this as they came up with creative scheduling for the early morning and evening ses-sions and used a backup battery-operated projector. The course was able to move forward and complete all nine modules of the Kairos syllabus.

The participants included Bougainvillean church leaders from numerous denominations, a youth leader, and several members of the Bougainville Bible Translator Organization. They all engaged well with the Kairos materials that included reading and worksheet reflections which they often completed by torchlight.

There was a time of sharing on the evening of the last day of classes that finished with a time of united prayer. Certificates were awarded to all participants at the closing ceremonies held the next evening. One student stated, “Kairos was the best course I ever attended. It helped me to open my eyes and see that we all have part of Abraham’s covenant and that we are a part of the great commission to go into the world and preach the gospel.”

Bougainville course provides “power” for life

Suddenly she stood up. “You should hear those songs. On Sunday, we’ll go to my old church.” The next week, the three women trekked several hours to a church perched on top of the mountain. There, while worshipping in English, Tok Pisin, and the local language, a smile crept across Margaret’s face as she praised her Lord with her beloved hymns.

Several weeks later, the women thanked Margaret with a songbook. She reached for it gingerly, tracing the Tok Pisin words on the cover,

and then held it to her chest. Her voice was full and cracking. “I hadn’t been to church in years,” she said, “but then you sang those songs. So we went, and my heart was glad, but I didn’t have a songbook to help me remember. But now…” She gripped the book tightly, “Thank you. Now I see it is good for me to go back to church.

She opened the book and began to hum softly. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me...

Even with the kerosene lamp, it was getting too dark to see. Jessica and Catherine had spent the evening singing through their hymnbook, but now the words shifted and blurred in the shadows. As Jessica closed the book, she heard the final hesi-tant, halting notes of The Old Rugged Cross. Her wasmama (host mother) Margaret turned to her with a sigh, “I used to know the words to that song, but I haven’t been to church in so long that I’ve forgotten.”

Margaret, one of the few believers in the village, had a strong witness in the community despite persecution

and opposition. However, the sudden death of her preteen son two years ago was a wound

too fresh to let her go back to church and forgive her God.

Singing a ... “New Song”

Local language and culture highlighted

The Linguistic Society of Papua New Guinea (LSPNG) recently concluded its annual meeting, which was held at SIL’s Ukarumpa Training Centre, in the Eastern Highlands. The Society is an informal network of researchers, educators and others interested in the languages of PNG and language and culture issues such as literacy, education, ethnomusicology and oral literature.

LSPNG’s annual meeting promotes collaboration and research. The event provides a venue for scholarly presentations, as well as opportunities for interaction between participants. Twenty-four papers were presented during this year’s three days of presentations, a selection of which will be published in the Society’s online journal Language and Linguistics in Melanesia. Among those who presented research were ethnomusicolo-gist Dr. Don Niles (Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies), and linguists Professor Kenneth Sumbuk (UPNG) and Dr. René van den Berg (SIL).

Attendees included scholars from various institutions from across the country, including the Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies, the Univer-sity of PNG and the University of Goroka. Dr. Neil Coulter, SIL PNG Director for Language Services, commented: “A special highlight of the confer-ence was the large number of presentations given by undergraduate students from the University of Goroka. It was excellent to see students enjoying studying their own languages, and to hear their concern for the futures of those languages.”

Dr. Phil King, Academic Training Coordinator for SIL PNG, echoed this enthusiasm for the student presentations: “The thing that shone through was the students’ commitment to, and passion for, their own languages. Some shared about the linguistic systems of their languages, others shared about cultural forms (songs, poems, proverbs, or metaphors) that are dying out...Others spoke about their kinship system or how they are planning to strengthen the transmission of oral traditions in their community schools. In all of these presentations it was clear that the students valued their cultural heritage and were anxious to keep their language and identity from being overtaken by languages of wider communication.”

What should I say when I pray? Does God hear me?

Cross-legged on the veranda, Andrea leaned against the cinderblock as incense from the smouldering mosquito repellent coil drifted upward. Darkness draped over the other seated women and toddlers until all she could see were flashes of teeth and eyes. Please, they asked again, how do we pray?

It was the start of the last week of a month-long literacy course held in Saidor village, Papua New Guinea, where twenty-one participants from eight languages were learning skills including curriculum development, storytelling, leadership, health, and Bible study methods. And now, at the shy request of Betty, Andrea, one of the literacy course staff, joined the women participants outside their room. “She’s here to answer our questions!” Lillian announced, dropping next to her. Immediately, the five women eagerly unfolded scribbled lists and began firing questions.

How does the Holy Spirit enter my life? Explain baptism. What did Jesus mean by “it is finished”? Why do bad things happen? If I try to follow God and fail, will God still punish me? Did the Bible stories really happen? How do I share about God with others? Can I pray in my own language?

Every night that last week, Andrea opened her Bible and prayed fervently for words to respond to their hunger. Without God’s Word in their own languages, their questions had long remained unanswered.Later, Betty touched Andrea’s arm and asked, “I know that courses like this are really expensive, so how could I

come? Who paid my course fee?” As An-drea explained about the churches and individuals in other countries who finan-cially support Bible translation, Betty sud-denly bent forward, grasping Andrea’s hands. “Please, please thank them for me!” Laughter burst from her, and she couldn’t stop grinning. “This course has helped me so much!”

Questions…

“I have a new appreciation for pilots”, remarked one member of the survey team after returning from four airstrips that were being evaluated for safety. These airstrips are not for commercial airline jets or the casual flier. They have been carved into the sides of moun-tains, along flowing rivers and on top of ridges, in order to provide access to some of the more remote areas of Pap-ua New Guinea.

For many communities, it is the only way to get coffee and produce to market without carrying it on their backs for several days. Coffee and produce are often the main cargo but it is also the lifeline to hospitals and health care that is not immediately available in the local village. Government and education officials, church and missions groups, and international aid agencies need these strips in order to gain access to these remote areas.

The airstrips are grass or packed dirt and require ongoing maintenance by the villages that they service. If the runways are not properly maintained, they quickly become unsafe for the planes to land, and access is cut off. Many villages make it a high priority to keep the air-strips open. “Pilots have a great appreciation for the hard work that many communities do in order that we can better serve them. It’s not easy to cut the grass on these strips. Few strips have lawnmowers so it often requires many villagers using bush knives,” remarked one pilot.

Not all airstrips make the grade. Approximately ten to fifteen strips are closed each year due to unsafe conditions. Some are reopened when improved but the number of available strips is rapidly decreasing. Erosion, poor drainage and rough ground are some of the most fre-quent reasons for closing strips. Ants can destroy a landing zone by creating areas that soften the ground. Communities work together to

remove these areas by replacing them with packed dirt or gravel in order to maintain the hard surfaces needed for landing airplanes. Drains are cut into the runways and covered over so that water can move quickly off the airstrips.

One language development worker commented, “I am so grateful for these airstrips because access to the commu-nity I serve takes 25 minutes instead of a 2-day hike.”

Flying high in PNG

Recently, two members of SIL-PNG attended a Community-Based Inventorying Workshop in Goro-ka, the provincial capital of the Eastern Highlands Province. The workshop was sponsored by UNESCO and the National Cultural Commission (NCC) of Papua New Guinea. In 2003, UNESCO initiated the Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage, with the aim of registering and, where necessary, safeguarding the cultural traditions of the world.

The PNG office of UNESCO, in cooperation with the NCC, is now undertaking a cultural mapping project for the whole country of PNG. The first step is “community-based inventorying,” basic ethnographic fieldwork and documentation of PNG’s cultural traditions. This information will be collated into a “cultural map” of PNG. Provincial and other governmental representatives were invited to attend the Goroka workshop to learn the fieldwork and documentation methodology being developed and pilot-tested by PNG UNESCO and the NCC.

The methods taught include ethnographic interview, audio and video recording, photography, mapping, and participatory research activities. Those participants will then bring the training back to their home constituencies, in preparation for more inventorying projects in local communities. The collected data will be archived in a national database. Inventoried traditions will be eligible for registry on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

SIL-PNG was one of the only nongovernmen-tal organisations represented at the work-shop. Workshop facilitators asked the SIL-PNG members to translate some of the course materials into Tok Pisin. They also invited SIL-PNG to continue partnering with UNESCO in the translation of inventorying documents into Tok Pisin and local vernaculars.

‘I see the launching of the “Mitimobail” as a power-ful thing. It will bring the power of God to Dedua and result in changed lives,’ says Dedua speaker.

The “Mitimobail” or “Scripture Mobile” is the local name for the Audibible device that plays Dedua-language Scripture. The Dedua language is spoken by over 6000 people in a remote area of Morobe Province. They have had the written New Testament since 2006 but are excited to receive the audio ver-sion. One of the first Dedua ladies to see this device commented, ‘Listening to [the Audibible] allows Ded-ua to come right into our ears’.These solar-powered MP3 devices were preloaded with the Dedua Scriptures in Ukarumpa, Eastern Highlands Prov-ince, PNG and flown to the dedication. The sun charges the players during the day, enabling many hours of night-time lis-tening. The cost was covered by the Dedua people, Dedua and overseas churches, and grants from international organisations.

The organisers of the event carried the 1320 players to the village of Dzunzumau from the Masa airstrip, a four-hour walk. They were met by a large crowd celebrating the arrival of the players and the invited guests. The next day, over 1700 people attended the dedication that preceded the distri-bution of all the players to the 1300+ households in the local Dedua area. Having an Audibible available for each household is a great way to make the Scriptures available throughout the region.

A three-day Bible conference followed the dedication, with approximately 1200-1500 people attending each day. The conference emphasised the need for Bible training, en-couragement, repentance, confession and prayer. The sessions included a joint communion service led by the local pastors from several different churches. Communion was served to over 850 people.

The four-day event was a great success. Many people were encouraged by the training they received and by the distribution of all the Audi-bible players. The sale of additional Dedua New Testaments, the book of Genesis and Bible study guides was also an encouragement to the pastors, local translators and all who attended.

Audibible speaks to the Dedua ear

The tarp of the temporary meeting shelter snapped over their heads, casting a dusty blue haze over the two seated women. The shouts of the ball game grew quiet as dusk settled over the village. “Earlier, there were too many people, but now it’s just us.” Marito touched Naomi’s arm, asking “Would you pray with me?”

That morning, over 1700 Dedua speakers had gathered in the now-empty meeting shelter to celebrate the dedication of the Audibible—a handheld solar-powered au-dio player that contained the recorded Dedua New Testament and Genesis. Now, as the sun sank behind the Morobe mountains, Marito began to share her story.

When she was a little girl, her stepfather refused to allow her to attend school—and when she tried to sneak into the classroom, she was disciplined. But her desire to read and write still lived, and years later, when as a wife and mother she lived in the capital city of the province, she enrolled in an adult literacy course for both Tok Pisin (the trade language) and English.

“We moved back to the village before I learned much—not even to read Dedua—but I keep trying!” She twisted her bilum (string bag) fiercely, then looked up. “It is my deepest hunger to read God’s Word! I desperately want to share with my friends and teach Sunday School. Please, will you pray with me? I am so hungry!”After they had prayed, Naomi asked if she had purchased an Audibible. Re-sponding to her nod, Naomi said, “Now you can listen to the Bible, even if you can’t read it!”

Her eyes widened in realization. “My name is Marito,” she whispered. “It means ‘she has the Bible’.” Naomi’s breath caught in her throat as she squeezed Marito’s hand. “Then God has heard your prayers today, because now you indeed have the Bible.”

“It’s so reassuring knowing that there is someone local who we can call on that will be there for us,” remarked one translator.

SIL-PNG regional centres are providing vital services to language development and translation teams throughout PNG. There are eight regional centres located in Port Moresby, Alotau, Wewak, Madang, Lae, Kokopo, Buka, and Kavieng which serve over 150 language projects. Each centre has an experienced staff that provides valuable assistance to language workers, including ser-vices such as guesthouse accommodations, computer technology, financial services and vehicles.

Five of these centres have training facilities that are run in partnership with BTA (PNG Bible Translation As-sociation). Literacy and language and community development workshops provide training and inter-actions for citizens located within reasonable travelling distances. Office space is provided for projects when the teams are in town and need a place to work. Efforts that work on multiple languages use the centres as a central location for remote village language workers. Programs such as VITAL (Vernacular in Translation And Literacy) in Alotau and Bougainville Advance in Buka utilize these facilities in order to have regular training sessions and large workshops.

Technology enhancements have made the centres a hub of communications ac-tivity. Five of the centres have direct satellite connections that enable residents to have connectivity for email and research capabilities. This access allows citi-zen language workers to work with advisors and consultants overseas.

Access to the regional centres is accomplished in a variety of ways and the centres assist travellers on their journeys. Most are near airstrips, and centre staff pro-vides transportation to and from the airstrips, delivery and purchase of supplies, and help with refueling, loading and unloading of the aircraft. Travellers also ar-rive by PMVs, trucks and even by boat. The “Kwadima II”, based in Alotau, pro-vides water travel throughout the Alotau area and occasionally to other centres in PNG.

Growing Papua New Guinean participation in the language development and translation effort is making these centres a more integral part of the strategy to see work accomplished in new language groups. As one national translator commented, “It’s too hard to work in the village. There are too many distractions. Here at the Wewak Regional Centre, I can work all day or night because I have electricity. I’m not pressured to work elsewhere; I can focus on my work for weeks at a time.”

Regional centres focus on local language development tasks

“Any consideration to holistic planning must now include a technical training component. Technical training will con-tinue to be a major need.“ --Andy Minch, SIL Pacific Area Language Program Services Director

The INSPIRE project (Initiative for Netbooks on Solar Pow-er in Remote Environments) provides a complete hard-ware and software solution that allows language workers in remote environments to participate in the translation and language development effort. A key component of this process is a strong emphasis on training. This training was developed by finding easy-to-learn hardware and software technology and pairing it with translation and language development tasks. Trainers have had great success taking first-time computer users and quickly training them to use the INSPIRE systems.

Classes at the Ukarumpa Training Centre, using a fleet of 15 identical “INSPIRE netbook” systems, helped standardise the project. Instructors were pleased to have matching sys-tems with the exact same software environments. Severalcourses at the Ukarumpa Training Centre have already used the standardised INSPIRE solution as part of their training. The “Translators Translation Course” (TTC-1) and the “Literacy, Leadership, Education and Development” (LLEAD) workshop have both incorporated this training for basic computer use into their coursework.

Project coordinators believe that they are on the thresh-old of a new era where appropriate and robust technol-ogy may empower Papua New Guineans’ involvement in the work of vernacular language development and trans-lation. New innovations such as the INSPIRE project en-able and encourage greater participation in remote areas where involvement in the past has been limited. These systems have been designed to be affordable for local

communities to purchase, allowing them to work independently of outside fund-ing. By providing the necessary training required to utilize the tools, the project hopes to encourage local speakers of a given “Tokples” to work in their own lan-guage and in culturally acceptable ways. They hope to equip workers to document their mother tongue for themselves and consider being a part of the translation effort in their own home village context.

As one course participant said, “I had this dream in the village that someday I would be working on a computer, but I dismissed that idea as impossible . . . Then I came to this LLEAD course . . . At first I was totally terrified of the com-puter, and my hands were shaking; now, I know how to make a book. I think I am the first in my language area that actu-ally knows how to use a computer.”

Sign language and flowers speak to the heart

Imagine a life in which a child never hears a sound or . . . a word. Many deaf children in remote villages of PNG grow up without learn-ing any words, sometimes not even knowing their names. Children with hearing loss may be labelled as unteachable and are often not sent to school.

“This misunderstanding has caused deaf people to be marginalized or excluded from the society, which is absolutely unnecessary. Sign language users are not mentally disabled; the only difference is that they just use their hands and eyes to communicate instead of using their voices and ears,” says Nathalie S. Juhonewe. Nathalie, who is deaf herself, came from Sweden as a botanical researcher. She sur-veys the ancient forests of Papua New Guinea in order to collect and

conserve the country’s great diverse “hoyas,” or wax plants. These beautiful plants are found in remote areas of PNG and Nathalie believes there are still many species that have not been documented. Recently she found a new species in her husband’s village.

Nathalie’s research helps initiate relationships with deaf people in remote areas around PNG. Involving the Deaf in her research helps her to learn how they communicate within their local communities. This information is invalu-able to those who are trying to determine the best methods of helping people with hearing loss challenges in PNG. An estimated 3% of any rural community may be deaf. Thus, over 210,000 deaf individuals may be living in PNG.

Nathalie and her deaf Papua New Guinean husband, Foreting, also want to help meet the deaf community’s spiritual needs. People who are deaf often come to church with their families, but don’t understand what is being spoken. One of the most frequent questions asked of Nathalie is, “Please, ‘you who can sign our language’, can you tell us who is God and why are people going to His house every week?”

SIL Global Sign Languages Team (SIL GLST) was formed to support sign language translators as they work in lan-guage development and Bible translation for the Deaf communities all over the world. Translating signed languages does not mean typing words on a page, but instead creating videos or using SignWriting (a standardised way to write signs). Nathalie is a Sign Language Survey Specialist and is also a Consultant-in-Training for SIL GLST here in Papua New Guinea.

Nathalie and Foreting understand the difficulties that deaf people experience, having visited nearly all the deaf schools and urban communities in PNG. They have seen the need for a sign language book that would help parents and families to easily acquire basic skills in PNG sign language, and are working as consultants for Callan Services, which runs almost all of PNG’s deaf schools, assisting them in the creation of this sign language training book.

“Learning sign language at an early age leads to self-esteem and children fluent in their heart language.”

“We will talk with the other Kela villages and tell them what you have told us about a Kela translation,” exclaimed one Kela villager.

The people of Salamaua Village have no Scriptures in their heart language. They are part of the Kela language group located on the Huon Gulf coast in Morobe Province, about 50 km south of Lae. The 3,000 Kela speakers live in six villages.

The Kela people value their language, and Tok Pisin is rarely heard in the villages. Kela church services, how-ever, are largely conducted in Tok Pisin. Church leaders want the Scriptures in the Kela language so they can lead services in their tok ples. Elisa, a Bible translator in the nearby Malei language area, encouraged the leaders to pursue a translation effort.

Elisa helped the Kela community contact John Lindstrom of SIL-PNG and Steven Ttopoqogo of Papua New Guinea Bible Translation Association (BTA) to investigate the possibility of starting a Kela translation project. Steven and Elisa have taken leadership in their own language communities to translate God's Word into tok ples. John, a member of the Malei translation team, works as a translation consultant in Morobe Province. Mitchell and Janeen Michie, language development workers with SIL-PNG, rounded out the team.

When this group, led by Steven and Elisa, visited Salamaua Village, they listened to the community's ideas about a Bible translation project and then shared ways that BTA and SIL might partner with them. The Kela

speakers will need to take ownership of the project, with assistance from the two translation organisations.

It may be possible to use an 'adaptation' process to complete a Kela-language Bible. Adaptation uses a related language that has al-ready been translated as a starting point for a new translation project. The related language may share similar lexicon or grammatical structures with the target language. After comparative analysis, a rough draft of the translation can be created by using computer applications such as Paratext or AdaptIt. This process is not 'automatic translation,' but it can accelerate the trans-lation.

The Salamaua community was warm and responsive toward the visitors. Kela church leaders will contact other Kela villages to gauge their interest in participat-ing in a language project.

One Kela leader said: 'We definitely want a translation in Kela and we would be happy to choose Kela people to work on that translation.'

A passion to partner

“The most precious cargo you can have is people and the Kwadima II makes it possible for people to move safely throughout the Milne Bay Province by water,” remarked one course leader.

The MV Kwadima II is a 40 foot boat that will accommodate up to 35 passengers and room for up to 15 tons of cargo. It is managed out of Alotau by SIL-PNG. The primary function of the Kwadima II is to move language development and trans-lation teams to and from remote areas. Many of these areas do not have regular maritime travel and are not easily accessible by smaller boats. It is not unusual to have trips of up to 24 hours or more.

Courses such as VITAL (Vernacular In Translation and Literacy) and other work-shops held at the combined SIL-PNG & BTA Training Centre utilise the boat to bring in language workers from many different areas. Safety is a primary concern when selecting water transportation. Since most local travel occurs on smaller

boats which are often overloaded or depart without proper water safety equipment, many passengers prefer to use the Kwadima II. But safe travel is not the only advantage. Many of the workshop and course attenders arrive on time for the courses because the “normal” travel by boat is dependent on the inconsistent departure times and available boats.

Since boat maintenance and water travel is expensive, charter loads are scheduled to subsidise the cost for the non-profit workers who use the boat for affordable transportation. When the boat is not booked for passenger travel for language development and translation, it is kept busy providing safe and reliable delivery of goods and people to many areas around Milne Bay Province.

The Kwadima II is managed by Tim McIntosh who has 20 years of maritime experience. While Tim loves the sea, being a manager doesn’t mean that he gets to skipper the boat. In fact he only gets to go along infrequently. The waters in and around Milne Bay are treacherous with many

reefs and strong currents and requires navigation by those who have experience in these waters. The boat is skippered by a Papua New Guinean captain and first mates who have excellent safety records. Although the boat is primarily used in the Milne Bay area, it has travelled as far as Tufi, Buka, and Mortlock Atoll.

One language worker states, “Our primary means of getting in and out of the village has been by taking the Kwadima II. We are very thankful for the way the boat is well maintained, for the trustworthy and competent crew, for the hard work of the boat manager—and on those 14-hour boat rides, ex-tremely thankful for a boat with an operational toilet!”

Maritime Mission

Straddling the mountains southeast of Port Moresby lie about a dozen villages of the Doromu-Koki language. Until recently, almost nothing was known about this lan-guage. Now, thanks to the work of SIL linguist-translator Robert Bradshaw, the world can learn more about this intriguing tongue.

Like many Papua New Guinean language communities, the Doromu-Koki community is relatively small: approximately 1,500 speakers. But since half of these live in Port Moresby, the language must be considered vulnerable. Time will tell if it will follow the way of other, now-extinct, languages, but the people living in the home area cur-rently have great interest in maintaining, describing and developing the language.

Though the Doromu-Koki heartland is close to the nation’s capital, the area is isolat-ed. High mountains and deep river valleys prohibit road access. Instead, most travel is done on foot, with occasional river travel.

Bradshaw’s recently published grammar of Doromu-Koki (in SIL’s series Data Papers on Papua New Guinea Languages) comes out of several years with the Doromu-Koki people. It’s an important milestone in the language’s history: anyone in the world can now see how different Doromu-Koki is from English and Tok Pisin. For example, Doromu-Koki has 30 words for banana but only one 3rd person pronoun: ina. Ina can mean ‘he,’ ‘she,’ ‘it’, but also ‘they’, depending on the context. The language also uses many colourful idioms: ‘good sweet potato’ (a nice girl); ‘stomach pain thinking’ (heartache); ‘stomach child’ (beloved child).

A Doromu-Koki translation of the New Testament is in progress, and many new terms had to be invented: ‘good word’ (the gospel); ‘plant straight thinking’ (believe); ‘give stomach word’ (to promise); ‘say soft stomach’ (forgive).

Thus we all ‘say only one stomach’ (we can all agree) that the Doromu-Koki grammar is another celebration of the incredible linguistic and cultural diversity that PNG has to offer.

“Say only one stomach”

From the village to the city.

“Acts cries good!” exclaimed Joe, a Barupu language translator. “The final checking of Acts went really well. The local language experts said it ‘cries good’.”

After an initial translation is completed, it’s important to check the work with local speakers who are experts in their own languages. The Aitape West Project recently finished translating the New Testament book of Acts in five languages. The book of Acts details the activities of the Apostles and is one of the larger books of the NT. This milestone was greeted with enthusiasm by those who were able to read in their heart language. The vil-lage consultants expressed their amazement at hearing Acts in their own languages! Here is what they said:

“Through the Apostles of Christ, the Word of God came and reached us. We are the Gentiles, but God has a plan for everyone to know him. Jesus came and died on earth, meaning that he took us, the Gentiles, and put us together with the Jews as one family of God.”

“We feel the sweetness of our own language and are very happy and excited about the book of Acts. It runs very well and cries good to our ears. When we go back to the village we will tell the others of the good work that the translators are doing. THANK YOU!!!”

“Now I understand how God’s Word works, and when the checking is done and I go back to my village, I will go to bed and get up with God’s Word. Now my eyes are open, and I no longer want to practice anything that is wrong. I encourage our translators to do the same in their lives in order that we may show everyone else the power God’s Word has to change lives.”

“When we read through Acts chapters 20-28 it really challenged our lives, because of the work and life of Paul which he gave entirely to doing God’s work. This confronted us and made us realize that we needed to change our lives to do God’s work. Also the work that the translators are doing is very good and the translation is coming up clear in our own language and making it easy and quick to understand the meaning of God’s Word.”

Acts “cries good”

The Pacific Wa’a partnership recently launched into the waters of Papua New Guinea’s Gulf and Western provinces as four SIL members joined YWAM’s medical ship on its latest tour.

Wa’a, the Hawaiian word for canoe, was chosen to express the coming together of seven organisa-tions in the Pacific region. YWAM, The Seed Company, The Jesus Film, Wycliffe Global Alliance, PNG Bible Translation Association and SIL signed the Wa’a Covenant in Kona, Hawaii in September 2011, with the desire to see every Bible-less people group in the Pacific have the Word of God available in their heart language by 2020.

YWAM’s Pacific Link ship makes six trips a year in Gulf and Western, offering eye and dental treat-ment to remote communities which have limited access to health care. Working alongside the De-partment of Health, YWAM provides work experience for PNG graduates in dentistry and optom-etry, and training for medical staff at Daru hospital. In one recent two-week trip the ship’s team gave glasses to 1075 people, did 164 eye operations and treated 514 dental patients.

Three SIL translators and one media specialist worked on the ship, alongside YWAM volunteers from several countries. They used their knowledge of PNG’s languages and cultures to support the YWAM medical team, and also went ashore to do language assessment in Daru’s settlements. SIL currently works with 36 of the 90 language communities in Gulf and Western and is looking for staff to work with other communities who have expressed a desire for literacy and translation in their language.

Future partnership plans include producing health materials in local languages, conducting lan-guage surveys and distributing translated materials from the YWAM ship, as well as interpreting for the medical workers. The Wa’a partners continue to explore ways to work together in the Pacific, sharing staff, facilities and expertise in different areas—but this voyage together on PNG’s waters has been a very positive one.

A great big “Kaiwa bwaigina”

“Kaiwa bwaigina!” That’s the Koluwawa way to express “Thank you very much!”

Brad and Toni Guderian work with the Koluwa-wa people, on Fergusson Island in the Milne Bay Province, just off the coast of Papua New Guin-ea. Enjoy Brad and Toni give us a humorous, in-formal look into the world of linguistics as they breakdown the meaning of “Kaiwa bwaigina”.

“’Kaiwa is like ‘Thank you’– well, sort of. It’s also said back in response in the way we would say ‘You’re welcome.’ And it also has a ‘Greetings!/ Wel-come!/ It’s good to see you!/ It’s good to be here!’ -type of meaning when said back-and-forth between two people shaking hands in encounters such as at a church service or when meeting after a lengthy separation.

Bwaigina is the ‘very much’, part of the word. It actually means ‘big.’ But ‘big’ in Koluwawa is a noun and not an adjective! And it’s really just the bwaigi part that is the ‘big’ noun. The ‘-na’ attached to it is the third-per-son singular inalienable possessive suffix (following the basic linguistic principle of ‘The smaller the grammatical-thingy is, the longer a name we give it’). Or to put it more simply (in case there are one or two of you who read this who aren’t as up on linguistics as you should be), the basic meaning of bwaigina might be best expressed in English as ‘its bigness.’”

Brad and Toni Guderian have worked with the Koluwawa people for nearly 20 years. They speak for Bible translators, literacy and language workers, and support services people everywhere when they say Kaiwa bwaigina to the many people who faithful pray, support, and show in-terest in the various aspects of the work of Bible translators in Papua New Guinea and all over the world.

“Thank you very much for the encouragement you give all translators and language development workers by your willingness to be a part of getting God’s Word into every language. - Kaiwa bwaigina!”

The next Kodiak will be on its way to Papua New Guinea soon—with an amazing story to tell.

Aircraft are a vital part of the lan-guage development and transla-tion effort here in PNG. Without reliable and safe air travel, transla-tors could not come and go to the remote areas of PNG without sig-nificant challenges and delays. The Kodiak aeroplane was designed and built to fly to out-of-the-way airstrips under difficult conditions.

Currently three Kodiak aeroplanes fly in Papua New Guinea with SIL Aviation. A fourth Kodiak aeroplane was on or-der, anticipating delivery in late 2014. Earlier this month, Quest Aircraft Com-pany, the manufacturer of the aircraft, had a change of order and informed JAARS that a new Kodiak aeroplane was available immediately. Miraculously, through the generosity of God’s people, twelve days later the plane was purchased enabling PNG to receive this plane two years earlier than expected.

JAARS is an organisation that invests in practical ways through day-to-day support in order to make language development and translation possible throughout the world. JAARS administrated and procured the aircraft. JAARS worked with Quest Aircraft Company on the price and features, so that it will match the aviation needs of language workers in Papua New Guinea. Wycliffe Associates, a significant supporter of the language devel-opment and translation process here in PNG, was instrumental in the purchase.

Many people around the world were praying for this plane to come to Papua New Guinea, and now a Christmas miracle story can be told. This Kodiak “Christmas Gift” will be used to impact hundreds of communities in Papua New Guinea who still don’t have the written Word in their own language. Arrival of the new Kodiak aeroplane is scheduled for some time in mid-2013.

The Kodiak Christmas miracle

The following people were contributing writers for these stories (in alphabetical order) Al Boush, Brian Chapaitis, Neil Coulter, Brad Guderian, Nathalie S. Juhonewe, Kate King, Phil King, Catherine Rivard, Max Sahl, Tim Scott, Ray Stegeman, Rene van den Berg and Lyle Wyse. The work could not have been done without the editing of Joyce Coulter and Connie Lovell. Photographs by Tim Scott unless otherwise noted. Compilation and design completed by Tim Scott.

The PNG experience is a multi-organizational communications tool that is used to help promote Bible Translation and lan-guage development in Papua New Guinea. For more informa-tion on the work being done in Papua New Guinea, contact thepngexperience@gmail.com.