Purepécha people get the New Testament
in their own language

By Miguel Ortega, Production Coordinator, Bible Society of Mexico

Girls in traditional costume at the launch of the Purepécha New Testament in Michoacán State, Mexico, on May 28, 2005. Photo: BSMexico/Miguel Ortega (MEX05DJ-3.JPG)

MEXICO — On May 28 the New Testament in the Purepécha language was launched.

For several years, church leaders in Cherán, in the south-western state of Michoacán, asked the Bible Society of Mexico to supply them with the New Testament in Purepécha. Emigrant workers who had left the region to work in the USA did the same: they all spoke of the need for the New Testament.

There were translations in earlier years, produced by the Bible League in partnership with the Bible Society, but the most recent version went out of print long ago.

The Bible Society therefore decided to do some research. It looked into questions such as the total number of speakers of Purepécha, and, if it were to start a translation project, the level of support it could count on from the community’s churches.

Once satisfied that the interest and commitment to a New Testament translation project was genuine, the Society drew up a contract with the Purepécha Church. It was made easier by support provided by the Finnish Bible Society.

Space to work

A committed individual called Abraham Custodio helped, too. Deeply interested in advancing the translation project, Mr Custodio got in touch with the Bible Society with the offer of computer equipment and space for the translators to work in. He also volunteered to put his academic training and his knowledge of the Purepécha language at the Society’s disposal.

The project went so well that a little more than a year after Mr Custodio’s offer of help the ‘new New Testament’ was ready. The formal launch was combined with that of the Purepécha translation of the booklet called The Bible and Human Rights (see World Report 381/18, November 2003).

A girl in traditional costume at the launch of the Purepécha New Testament in Michoacán State, Mexico, on May 28, 2005. Photo: BSMexico/Miguel Ortega (MEX05DJ-5.JPG)

On May 26 Bible Society promoters left for Cherán with their vehicle stacked full of copies of the two publications.

Unfortunately they hadn’t even got as far as Toluca, just 65 km (40 miles) from Mexico City, when the van broke down. They rang for a breakdown truck to give them a tow to a repair shop but it never arrived; they rang the offices of the Bible Society but it was after office hours and there was nobody there; then they tried contacting another Bible Society promoter at his home and found, to their joy and relief, that he had not yet left for Michoacán.

Broken down

The promoter went out to the Bible Society depot where he collected another van and then went to find the party who had broken down. When they met, they transferred the load to the new van and, after staying the night in Toluca, early the next morning the group resumed their journey, of another 535 km (330 miles), to Cherán.

When they got there, local people were already starting to arrive at the venue. This was a new auditorium which the governor of Michoacán is building and which he offered to the Purepécha churches, in advance of its official opening, for their celebration.

The local Purepécha were treating the day as a holiday, and the women, in particular, were dressed in their beautiful ‘fiesta’ costumes. There were worshippers from the various different denominations because all were so delighted that at long last they were to have the New Testament in their own language.

Celebration

Seating had been provided for 400, but by the time the celebration began at 11.00am as many as a hundred more had turned up bringing their own folding chairs. All listened with rapt attention.

Miguel Ortega, Production Coordinator of the Mexican Bible Society, was there representing the Rev Abner López, the General Secretary.

He gave a brief outline of the translation of the Bible into Spanish, mentioning that the first translation was produced during the Golden Age of Spanish literature. Once it arrived in America, he said, it provided the inspiration for translations into the native languages of Mexico. He spoke too of the efforts of the Society in this area in recent years.

He also gave a special emphasis to the booklet The Bible and Human Rights, being launched in a Purepécha translation – the fifth ethnic language it has been translated into.

At the moment when the booklet was ceremonially handed to the pastors, a group of young girls passed copies out among the crowd.

Among the special guests was Tata Máximo, the missionary who translated the New Testament into Purepécha, a man much beloved in the district because he has spent most of his life there, loves the people and is deeply committed to his work. As well as doing the translation, he organised reading and writing campaigns to strengthen the use of the local language.

After the ceremony, the people crowded around the stand for Bibles and copies of The Bible and Human Rights.

Offerings

“It was wonderful to see how people brought their offerings to the Bible Society that day,” said Mr Ortega. “A small crowd with envelopes in their hands went to deposit their offerings into a special Bible box.” Offerings given in support of Bible work that day amounted to nearly US$13,000.