Faye Edgerton facts for kids

Faye Elva Edgerton (Navajo: "The One Who Understands") was an amazing woman who lived from 1889 to 1968. She was a missionary, a language expert (linguist), and a Bible translator. Faye worked with Wycliffe Bible Translators. She is best known for translating the New Testament into the Navajo and Apache languages. She also helped with translations for the Hopi and Inupiat/Eskimo people.

Growing Up and Learning

Faye Edgerton was born in Nebraska in 1889. She became a Christian when she was 10 years old. After finishing high school, she went to Chicago to study music. While there, she got very sick with scarlet fever and temporarily lost her hearing. Luckily, she recovered and her hearing came back.

After this, she attended and graduated from the Moody Bible Institute. Later, in 1943, she started learning about languages (linguistics) at the Summer Institute of Linguistics. She learned from famous experts like Kenneth L. Pike and Eugene A. Nida. Eugene Nida even helped her personally when she was starting out. She continued to study languages and work in the field for many years.

Mission to Korea

In 1918, Faye Edgerton traveled to Korea to work with the American Presbyterian Mission. On her long boat trip across the Pacific Ocean, she studied Korean. By the time she arrived, she could read the language well!

She worked in Chungju, Korea. Her first winter there, she got a bad sinus infection. In the spring of 1919, the stress of the Samil Movement (a Korean independence movement) also affected her health. Faye received a lot of support from friends, especially Gerda Bergman, and kept going. In 1920, she was given her permanent work station. However, by the end of 1922, her sinus problems got worse. She had to return to America for treatment. Sadly, her health never allowed her to go back to Korea.

Translating the Navajo Bible

After returning to the United States, Faye spent time with her father, who was very ill. He passed away in December 1923. In early 1924, the Presbyterian board assigned Faye to work at a school in Ganado, Arizona. This school was on a Navajo reservation. They thought the dry climate would help her sinus problems. Also, because of her health, she needed to be close to medical help, so returning to Korea was not an option.

At the school, Faye noticed that children were not allowed to speak Navajo, except for a short time after supper. She began to learn Navajo herself. She soon realized how much the Navajo people needed the Bible in their own language. After taking a course at the Summer Institute of Linguistics, she felt sure she could do this important work.

In 1944, she decided to leave the Presbyterian mission and joined Wycliffe Bible Translators. She worked with a man named Geronimo Martin. Together, they checked and improved older translations of parts of the New Testament, like Luke and Romans. They then finished translating the entire New Testament into Navajo. It was published in 1956 by the American Bible Society.

This Navajo New Testament became the longest piece of Navajo literature. It was very popular among the Navajo people. This translation also helped to bring back the Navajo language, which many people had tried to stop others from speaking.

Translating the Apache Bible

After finishing the Navajo New Testament, Faye Edgerton learned the Apache language. She worked with Faith Hill to translate the New Testament into the Apache language. The Apache New Testament was given to President Johnson in 1966.

Faye's original notes and translation papers are kept at Northern Arizona University. She also helped with parts of the Hopi and Inupiat/Eskimo New Testaments.