Iraqw Bible (Portions)

Iraqw Bible (Portions) (IRKBST)

Overview

The Iraqw New Testament (Ya/abtór hho’) is a translation of the New Testament into Iraqw, a South Cushitic language of the Afro-Asiatic family spoken by approximately 600,000 people in northern Tanzania. [1] The Iraqw are one of very few Cushitic-speaking peoples living south of Ethiopia, inhabiting the area between Lake Eyasi and Lake Manyara, south of the Ngorongoro Crater in the Manyara Region. [1] A standardized orthography for Iraqw was initially developed by Catholic missionaries at the Tlawi mission in the 1970s, and the New Testament was published by the Bible Society of Tanzania in 1977. [2] The orthography was further refined in the 1980s and 1990s by Norwegian Christian missionaries, including linguist Froydis Nordbustad. [2] A full Bible translation was later completed after twelve years of work by a team of translators who served as part-time translators while working as full-time pastors; approximately 10,000 copies were distributed by the end of 2013, mainly in the Manyara Region. [3]

Language and People

Iraqw (ISO 639-3: irk) is spoken by approximately 603,000 people in Tanzania. [Glottolog: iraq1241]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by Bible Society of Tanzania.

References