The Garifuna Orthography Meetings

Bible translation is complicated, especially when you first need to craft a written language. Roger Reeck, a partial support UB missionary serving with Wycliffe Bible Translators, has worked on the Garifuna language for nearly 20 years. The Garifuna are a people scattered along the coast from Nicaragua to Guatemala. The Garifuna Bible is ready for the printer. But a major problem arose from a group which preferred different spellings for many Garifuna words. This had to be worked out. Roger Reeck tells about the meetings held September 25-27, during which all of this was resolved.

When our very best Garifuna friend and co-worker, Elias Velasquez, died suddenly of a heart attack on July 10, our family thought that we would not be able to go on without him. He was our friend, counselor, helper, and the vision behind everything that we have done in the Garifuna work during the last ten years. Our office staff felt the same way. He had been the force behind all the translation, literacy projects, etc. The Lord began to heal and gave each a desire to keep pressing on and accomplish all of the goals set before them.

On August 12-14, the Garifuna Christian Council held its annual meeting. Participants from New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, Belize, Guatemala, and all over Honduras attended. There was great enthusiasm, and the Garifuna Christians made a strong commitment to evangelize and reach their own people. It was a great time of sharing of ideas, good teaching, encouragement, and fellowship. All went home fired up to "press on toward the goal." Praise the Lord!

During June, July and August, a major portion of our and our staff’s time was taken up with holding workshops using the newly published primer we produced for teaching Garifuna people to read their language. Classes were held in 18 different towns! Many local school teachers were also trained, and they used the materials in the local school. The results were exciting.

Over the last few years, there has been more interest among Garifuna people about how to write their language. As more authors have emerged, the need has arisen to standardize the way Garifuna words are spelled--the Garifuna orthography, it is called. At a meeting held four years ago, they came to a consensus about an official orthography. The Bible would be printed with that orthography.

But recently, we heard that that was to be changed.

There is a main Garifuna author, Salvador, who had his own particular method of spelling. Other than our office, he has produced the major body of literature and his voice is very strong. He has two followers, Zuni and Mateo, and they are the ones who called a special meeting September 25-27 to determine the official orthography.

We were concerned. If they drastically changed the orthography, what would we do with the Bible we were ready to deliver to the printer? Or, what if they came to no decision? At the same time, we didn’t want to antagonize the group, because they could be influential in rejecting the Bible in the future.

Fortunately, the Lord orchestrated it all.

During the summer, God led us to prepare numerous teachers to use the newly-printed primer. Many of them attended the meetings representing their town. We prepared a special edition of the primer that included a defense of our orthography. A few days before the meeting, we got a call from the Secretary of Education office asking for 150 copies, which they themselves presented at the meeting!

Salvador’s group dominated the two days of meetings, and they gave our representatives just ten minutes to explain the use of our primer. But God worked it out nicely.

Dr. Bernardez, a highly respected Garifuna doctor living in the United States, became the mediator. On the last day of the meetings, he decided that he would dictate words and the spelling of the majority would be the determining factor as to how each sound would be spelled. In all cases, the way most people chose was the orthography that we have been using.

No changes in the Bible are needed!