WHY THE NAME FIRST NATIONS VERSION?

The term First Nations, while mostly used in Canada for the original inhabitants of the land, is increasingly being accepted and used by many Native Americans in the United States and by indigenous peoples worldwide. Following this trend, the name First Nations Version was chosen for this translation.

WHY ENGLISH?

It is conservatively estimated that over 90 percent of First Nations people do not speak their tribal language, and even fewer can read it. This is the result of several generations of governmental assimilation policies that attempted to eradicate over 250 languages spoken in North America.

This translation is not intended to be tribally specific but to present the Scriptures in a general way, attempting to represent some of the simple yet profoundly beautiful ways our languages can be expressed in English.

We aimed for a style that is easy to read, with an attempt to present, in writing, the cadence and feel of an oral storyteller. A contextual approach was adhered to, using English word choices and idiomatic phrases that are culturally relevant, with an effort to refrain from a stereotypical or culturally degrading simplicity.

PARTNERING ORGANIZATIONS

OneBook, a Canadian organization dedicated to helping indigenous peoples all over the world translate the Bible for themselves, provided financial support along with the tools and training needed for a high-quality translation. They partnered with Rain Ministries, located in the United States, to facilitate this translation. Wycliffe Associates of Orlando served this project in the beginning by providing technical support and funding for gathering the council together.

CHURCH ENGAGEMENT

The First Nations Version of the New Testament was produced in response to the consistently positive feedback given to the initial translation efforts. As samples were shared in churches and other venues, those who heard these samples began asking for more. Pastors, evangelists, missionaries, Native elders, and others began to ask whether a complete New Testament would be translated using this contextual approach. The FNV is for all the churches, and it is especially for those involved in contextual ministry with Native North Americans.

THE TRANSLATION COUNCIL

A translation council was selected from a cross-section of Native North Americans. Elders, pastors, young adults, and men and women from different tribes and diverse geographic locations were chosen to sit on the council. This council also represents a diversity of church and denominational traditions to minimize bias.

Our council consisted of twelve (one remains anonymous) First Nations individuals with tribal heritages from diverse geographical regions. This council had input into the style and method of translation to be used. From this group, a smaller council was chosen to determine how the most important biblical terms would be translated.

The members of our council are listed below with their North American tribal heritages:

• Barry D. Belindo—Kiowa/Navajo/Pawnee/Choctaw

• Garland Brunoe—Wascoe/Ojibwe

• Gordon Campbell—Kalispel/Spokane/Nez Perce

• Shándíín Church—Diné/Pokagon Band Potawatomi

• Alvin Deer—Kiowa/Creek

• John GrosVenor—Cherokee

• Antonia Belindo—Kiowa/Navajo/Pawnee/Choctaw

• Bryan Jon Maciewski—Anishinabe/Ojibwe

• Dale and Charlotte Tsosie—Diné (Navajo)

• Terry M. Wildman—Ojibwe/Yaqui

The following ministries gave of their time to participate in this project: Rain Ministries, OneBook of Canada, Wycliffe Associates, Native InterVarsity, and Mending Wings.

OTHER NATIVE PEOPLE INVOLVED

Besides the members of our council, many other First Nations people have had input into this translation as reviewers, cultural consultants, and community-feedback participants. All in all, the tribal heritages represented include but are not limited to Apache, Assiniboine, Blackfeet, Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Desert Cahuilla, Cayuga, Diné (Navajo), Hopi, Kalispel, Kiowa, Klickitat, Lakota, Mohawk, Métis, Miami, Muscogee, Nez Perce, Northern Cree, Odawa, Ojibwe, Pawnee, Plains Cree, Potawatomi, Tlingit, Tohono O’odham, Western Cree, Yankton Sioux, Spokane, Wascoe, Yakama, and Yaqui.

CONSULTANTS AND SUPPORT

Alongside our translation council were a number of support people on this project. Our translation consultant was the former head of Wycliffe Canada and the founder of OneBook Canada, with over fifty years of biblical translation experience with indigenous cultures. State-of-the-art translation software called Paratext was provided by OneBook along with expertise and guidance. We also had volunteer help from a retired teacher in Canada for the initial punctuation on the entire project. These friends and support partners were committed to having the First Nations people do the actual work of translation, while they provided experience, expertise, help, and feedback.

COMMUNITY CHECKING AND FEEDBACK

Our hope is that this translation will be used widely by the Native churches in North America. To facilitate this, about thirteen hundred draft versions of Luke were printed and distributed to Native churches, leaders, and many others both in Canada and the United States, asking for review and feedback. A number of pastors, church leaders, and members, along with some Bible scholars, participated in reviewing the draft version of Luke. Their input was valuable in improving this translation. Our translation council was instrumental in ensuring widespread community testing in Native communities. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and many great suggestions were incorporated.

For more information, visit firstnationsversion.com.

READER AIDS

Use of italics. In an attempt to present the Scriptures as a living and moving narrative, at times reasonably implied statements were added within, above, and below the text. For this, we used our imagination as we tried to picture what may have been the reaction in the voices and faces of the participants. These added statements are not intended to change the meaning of the text but rather to bring clarity. For further clarity, these additions are in italics to distinguish them from the text of Scripture.

History, culture, and geography. At times we also inserted comments about the history, culture, and geography within the story to add depth and understanding. This is for those without an historical understanding of the Jewish culture that is found in the New and Old Testaments. All these additions are also in italics to distinguish them from the text of Scripture.

Names of persons and places. We decided to follow our Native naming traditions and use the meaning of names for persons and places in this Great Story. In our community feedback, this practice was affirmed and appreciated. Most reviewers liked the standard English versions of the names in parentheses, while a few did not. We experimented with many options and finally decided to reduce the size of the font for the standard English names. Leaving the names in the text this way, instead of in footnotes, keeps the eye on the text and helps the reader’s eye to more easily skip over it, if so desired.

Gender and the Great Spirit. We are of the understanding that the Great Spirit is neither male nor female. However, the original writers of the New Testament present the Great Spirit as Father, a male term. We see these terms as cultural metaphors when used of Creator. However, it is clear in the Scriptures that Creator Sets Free (Jesus) was literally born into this world as a male human. In this translation, we follow in the footsteps of the writers of the New Testament and use male pronouns for the Great Spirit. This was also the practice of many of our Native peoples as they spoke of the Supreme Being.

Names of God. Great Spirit, Creator, Great Mystery, Maker of Life, Giver of Breath, One Above Us All, and Most Holy One are a few of the names you will find in this translation. Names like these have been chosen in the retelling of this story to honor the simplicity and beauty of our Native understanding of our Great Creator. 

The First Nations people of Turtle Island (North America) have many names and terms referring to the Supreme Being that created the universe. One of the names or terms that has been used predominantly is Great Spirit or Great Mystery. Among the Anishinaabe peoples Kitchi Manitou or as in many biblical translations Gizhe Manitou would be used. This would be understood generally as Great Spirit or Great Mystery. The term Creator is also used frequently among many of our peoples. While these terms are not tribally specific, the usage of Great Spirit and Creator is generally accepted by our First Nations people as a reference to the Supreme Being.

Some have asked us why we are not using the English word “God.” While this term is almost exclusively used in English translations of the Bible, it is not an inspired usage. The word god is a translation of the Greek word theos in the New Testament and in the Septuagint (Greek) version of the Hebrew Scriptures. Theos is a general term for the divine and can be used of Yahweh (the Hebrew name for God) or for lesser divine beings. The English term god most likely came from a Germanic language root which was originally used for a lesser Germanic deity. In the Hebrew Scriptures, there is also a generic word for deity, the word El, used of both foreign gods and Yahweh. There are many names, designations, and titles used in the Bible that refer to God.

For the First Nations Version we preferred to use names, designations, and titles for God that are more relevant to our First Nations people. Even though all Christians believe in one God, they certainly have different doctrinal statements and ideas of what to correctly believe about God. Our hope is that our Native people will make the connection, through this translation, with the one who reveals perfectly who the Great Spirit is—that is Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One.