By Morgan Miles —
Oklahoma Pastor Raymond Johnson has translated the bible into his own native American language, Choctaw, and is bring revival to both the language and his fellow Choctaw in the church he pastors.
“The Choctaw Bible is about 25 years worth of work, and the Choctaw Hymn book took us eight years to get this,” Johnson said on CBN. “The reason why it took so long is because nobody got paid to do it.”
After decades of being forbidden to speak their own language, the Choctaw Nation is experiencing a cultural revival by way of God’s word. The new Choctaw Bible, translated after many years of hard work, is helping the Choctaw Nation rediscover its identity. Johnson says only 500 Choctaw speak their language, but having the Bible in Choctaw my revive the language.
The Choctaw Indians were indigenous to Alabama and Mississippi. The Indian Removal Act of 1830, signed into law by Andrew Jackson, allowed the U.S. Government to relocate Indian tribes to lands west of the Mississippi River. The Choctaw Nations were the first Indian Nations to be forced to relocate, an event known as the Trail of Tears. They settled in Oklahoma.
Presbyterian missionaries introduced Christianity to the Choctaw. One of their leading missionaries was Cyrus Byington.
In the 1800s, the United States wanted to promote Native American assimilation by language suppression. They established boarding schools and forced Native American children to separate from their families. The children were forbidden to speak their native language. As a result, many Native American languages have been forgotten, and cultural identities have been diminished.
Today, Raymond Johnson, Pastor of Grace Indian Baptist Church in Talihina, Oklahoma is leading a Choctaw language revival. With the help of Clifford Ludlow, a Chocktaw translator, they have completed 25 years of work to translate the Choctaw Bible.
Chief Baton said, “I see movement happening because I feel like we’re embracing Christianity. We’re closer, I think, than ever to God because everywhere you go throughout the Choctaw Nation, you know it’s okay. You’re in a Christian nation, it’s okay to pray. It’s okay to share your faith.”
The Youversion Bible app has uploaded two translations of the Choctaw Bible. Young people now can access the Choctaw Bible on their phones. With the app providing the Bible in 2,000 languages, the potential for spreading God’s word is enormous.
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About the writer of this article: Morgan Miles studies at Lighthouse Christian Academy near Venice, CA.
