Bible translations into Cree facts for kids

The Bible is a very important book for many people around the world. It shares stories and teachings that are central to the Christian faith. For people to understand the Bible, it often needs to be translated into their own language. This article is about how the Bible has been translated into different forms of the Cree language.

Cree is a language spoken by many Indigenous people in Canada. It has several different ways of speaking, called dialects. Think of it like different accents or versions of English, but for a whole language! These Cree dialects include Plains Cree language, Woods Cree, Swampy Cree language, Moose Cree language, Northern East Cree, Southern East Cree, Kawawachikamach, Atikamekw language, and Montagnais. Translating the Bible into these different dialects helps more Cree speakers read and understand it in their own words.

Early Bible Translations into Cree

Many people worked hard to translate parts of the Bible into Cree a long time ago. These translations were very important for sharing the Bible's message with Cree communities.

Atikamekw Dialect Translations

The New Testament, which is a major part of the Bible, was translated into the Atikamekw dialect in 2014. This was a big step for speakers of this Cree dialect.

Eastern Cree Dialect Translations

The Eastern Cree language has two main dialects: Northern and Southern.

• For the Northern dialect, parts of the Bible were translated in 1921.
• For the Southern dialect, the complete New Testament was translated in 2001.

Plains Cree Dialect Translations

The Plains Cree dialect saw some of the earliest and most complete Bible translations.

• Between 1851 and 1857, William Mason and his wife Sophia Thomas Mason worked on several versions of the Gospel of St. John.
• They completed the entire New Testament in 1859.
• The full Bible was translated into Plains Cree by them in 1861-1862.
• Another important translation was done by Anglican Archdeacon James Hunter. His version of three Gospels (parts of the New Testament) in Plains Cree came out between 1853 and 1855. It was printed again later in 1876-1877.

Moose Cree Dialect Translations

For the Moose Cree dialect, Anglican Bishop John Horden played a key role.

• His translation of the Four Gospels was printed in 1859.
• He completed the entire New Testament in Moose Cree in 1876.

Western Cree Dialect Translations

The Western Cree dialect also has a rich history of Bible translations.

• Archdeacon MacKay revised a version into Western/Plains Cree in 1908.
• More recently, Stan Cuthand translated the New Testament and about half of the Old Testament into Western Cree.
• Other people like Margaret Ducharme, Hazel Wuttunee, and Ethel Ahenakew are also working on this project. Bob Bryce helped coordinate the team.

New Cree Bible Project

In the late 1900s, a big project started to create a new Cree Bible. The Canadian Bible Society led this effort. They worked with the Cree Nation, churches, and other groups like the Summer Institute of Linguistics.

Reverend Stan Cuthand, a respected Cree elder and Anglican priest, was the main translator for this new project. He worked closely with many Cree people and with support from Ruth Heeg, a consultant from the Canadian Bible Society. This new translation has been a long process.

Some parts of this new translation have already been published:

• The Easter story from the Gospel of Luke was published. It came with a Latin alphabet version and a CD.
• The Old Testament Book of Ruth was published in a special way. It showed the Cree syllabic script (a unique way of writing Cree) and the Latin alphabet on pages facing each other. This helps people learn both ways of reading Cree.
• The Gospel of Mark was also published in this special side-by-side format, also with a CD.

Images for kids

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  An example of Cree text from a 1908 translation.