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Knowledge of the Bible transforms Kaingang people BRAZIL — “I can bear witness to the transformation that knowledge of the Bible has brought to the Kaingang people.” Perhaps more than anybody else, Ka’egso Heny is qualified to tell the world about the impact that receiving God’s Word can have on a community under pressure. Now aged 38, Mr Heny was born in Brazil to German missionary parents. They named him Martin, but he later changed his name to one which reflects the fact that he put down strong roots among the Kaingang people, Brazil’s second-largest ethnic group. Village life At around the time he was born, traditional Kaingang culture was starting to disappear as the modern world encroached on village life. But another German, linguist Ursula Weisemann, was already fighting against this trend. She had come to Brazil in the 1950s and had started to research the Kaingang language. Eventually she was able to develop a written form of the language, and she dedicated herself to teaching the Kaingang people to read and write and to training teachers from within the Kaingang community. Turning point The real turning point came in 1977 with the launch of the Kaingang New Testament. “This event began a process of revival of Kaingang culture,” says Mr Heny. Stocks of the Kaingang New Testament ran out after a few years, though. Later it also became clear that this translation would need to be revised to reflect the language as it is spoken by around 18,000 people today. Now a missionary with Missão do Cristianismo Decidido, Mr Heny was a member of the team set up by Ms Weisemann to revise the Kaingang New Testament. With the support of the Bible Society of Brazil, this project was completed in three years and culminated in a joyful two-day launch in January. As a speaker of three languages – Kaingang, Portuguese and German – and a member of three communities, Mr Heny brings a wealth of knowledge to his translation work. “The Word of God is a message worthy of being translated into all the languages spoken in the world,” he says. Based on an article in A Biblia no Brasil, the magazine of the Bible Society of Brazil, April-June 2006. (WR 405/9 - 09/10.06) [2 photos] |
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