September 2, 2024
Contribution provided by Anders Göranzon, General Secretary of the Swedish Bible Society. Find the original article in Swedish here.
The Indigenous Southern Sami people in Saemie, the churches in Norway and Sweden have been enriched by a new New Testament Bible translation: ‘Orre testament’.
A 40-year pioneering work, the Southern Sami translation was celebrated at the end of August in Staare/Östersund in Sweden, where the Swedish and Norwegian churches gathered with Sami associations and other interested parties.
This translation is the first edition of the New Testament and the most extensive collection of texts ever published in Southern Sami – of great importance for revitalizing this endangered language.
“When a language gets the Bible translated, it is of great importance for language development, a milestone for an endangered language,” says Anders Göranzon, General Secretary of the Swedish Bible Society.
The Norwegian Bible Society and the Swedish Bible Society are the joint publishers of the new Bible translation.
The main translator, Rev. Bierna Leine Beintie, who lives in Norway, began his work in the 1970s. At the time, Southern Sami had no orthography. Together with Ms Anna Jacobsen, he translated the Gospel of Mark, which was published in 1993. Initially, a project hosted by the Norwegian Bible Society, the Swedish Bible Society and churches in both countries joined the work.
On the last Sunday in August, the Swedish and Norwegian Bible Societies handed over the new Bible translation to representatives of Sami associations and churches. It was done during a well-attended service which was held predominantly in Southern Sami. Øyvind Haraldseid, General Secretary of the Norwegian Bible Society spoke to the congregants:
“We are so thankful to the translation team. Words cannot describe the importance of their work,” said Haraldseid.
Four Lutheran bishops from the Church of Sweden and the Church of Norway led the service, which also included representatives from several other denominations.
The atmosphere in the Great Church was cordial and somewhat solemn. During the service, musicians and singers performed parts of the Arctic Mass Aejlies Gaaltije (The Holy Fountain) – creating the atmosphere. Rev. Bierna Leine Bientie translated the liturgical texts, and the music was written by the Norwegian composer Frode Fjellheim.
Southern Sami language, culture and church life were highlighted in several ways during the launch event, with an exhibition of Southern Sami crafts at the cultural centre Gaaltije, with seminars at Mid Sweden University and on Saturday evening with the entire Arctic Mass in the Great Church. The celebrations also included a morning prayer, partly in Southern Sami, in the Uniting Church of Sweden, and an Orthodox Divine liturgy, where the Epistle text was read in Southern Sami.
