Bible translations into Inupiat facts for kids

The Bible has been translated into different ways of speaking the Inupiat language. This language is spoken by Inuit people across a huge area, from Greenland to Canada and Alaska. Even though it's one language, there are many dialects, which are like different versions of the same language.

The complete Bible has been translated into three main Inuit dialects: Greenlandic, Labrador, and East Arctic Inuktitut. The New Testament has been translated into two more, and parts of the Bible into another. This shows how much effort has been made to bring the Bible to Inuit communities in their own languages.

Greenlandic Dialect

The very first parts of the Bible translated into an Inuit language were for the Greenlandic dialect. This happened thanks to Norwegian missionaries named Hans Egede and his son, Paul Egede. They started this important work a long time ago.

Their translation of the New Testament was partly printed in 1744. The whole New Testament was finished and printed in 1766. Later, other people like Otto Fabricius and Johan Kleinschmidt made new translations and revisions. These updated versions helped more people read the Bible.

It took a very long time to translate the entire Old Testament into Greenlandic. About three-quarters of it were printed starting in 1822. Finally, after 150 years, the whole Bible was completed before 1902. More recently, the Danish Bible Society finished a modern translation of the whole Bible in 1999.

Labrador and Eastern Canadian Dialect

In the Labrador region, early translations of parts of the Bible also began a long time ago. Benjamin Kohlmeister helped translate the gospels (stories about Jesus) in 1810. These were printed in London. His work was very popular, and he translated more gospels soon after.

Other parts of the New Testament, like the Acts and Epistles (letters), were translated by Moravian missionaries. A complete New Testament was published in 1826. The Old Testament books, like Psalms and Genesis, were also translated over the years. The entire Old Testament was finished before 1867.

Even though all parts of the Bible were translated by 1867, they weren't all put into one book. It took many more years for that to happen. The Moravian Church in Newfoundland & Labrador and the Canadian Bible Society worked together to revise and publish the whole Bible as one book. This complete Bible was officially released on January 20, 2009.

North Slope (Alaska) Dialect

In the North Slope region of Alaska, the New Testament was translated into the local Iñupiat dialect. This important work was done by Roy Amaogak, along with Donald and Thelma Webster from Wycliffe Bible Translators.

Their translation of the New Testament was published in 1967 by the American Bible Society. It was later reprinted in 1992 under the name "Uqalugiksuat." Work is still ongoing to translate the Old Testament. A team of translators in Utqiagvik, Alaska is working on it. They have already translated books like Jonah, Ruth, and Obadiah.

Northwest (Alaska) Dialect

For the Northwest Alaska dialect, some parts of the New Testament were translated by Wilfried Zibell. His work, called "Agaayutim Ukałhi," was published in 1971.

Later, Wolf and Hildegard Seiler, also from Wycliffe Bible Translators, continued this work. They finished the complete New Testament, which was published in 1997. The International Bible Society published it under the title "Ipqitchuat Makpiġaat."

Inuinaktun (Western Canadian) Dialect

Translating the Bible into the Inuinaktun dialect, also known as Copper Eskimo, had some challenges. In 1920, H. Girling translated the Gospel of Mark. He tried to make it easier for Inuinaktun speakers by adding special notes and instructions.

However, even with all his effort, this translation wasn't fully accepted by the people who spoke Inuinaktun. Later, more successful translations were made. The four gospels and the book of Acts were published in 1972. The book of Ruth was published in 1979. Finally, the complete New Testament for this dialect was published in 1983. John R. Sperry was one of the people involved in this translation.

Eastern Arctic Dialect

In the Eastern Arctic, an Anglican missionary named Edmund Peck played a big role in encouraging Inuit people to use syllabics for writing. Syllabics are a special writing system. He transcribed (wrote down) parts of the New Testament, which were published in 1878. The four gospels followed in 1897.

The full New Testament for the Eastern Arctic dialect was published in 1912 by the British and Foreign Bible Society. The book of Psalms was published in 1917.

More recently, the Canadian Bible Society and the Anglican Church started a new project. They wanted to translate the Bible into a modern version of the East Arctic Inuktitut dialect. This modern translation work began in 1978. A team of Inuit Anglican ministers, including Benjamin Arreak, Joshua Arreak, Jonas Allooloo, and Andrew Atagotaaluk, worked on this project.

Their New Testament was published in 1992. The complete Bible for the Eastern Arctic dialect was finally published by the Canadian Bible Society in 2012. It was celebrated in Iqaluit on June 3, 2012.