Fore

Back in 2012, I was the Regional language Director.  After a group meeting with employees and missionaries—where I gave a fifteen-minute presentation—I was walking home along the dirt road to my house. One of the employees, Capigora, was cleaning out a roadside ditch. He paused, leaned on his shovel, and said:

“Rich, it was good to hear what you said. We’ve been happy about the Kamano-Kafe language work and Bible. But what are you going to do about my Fore language? We used our New Testament, and it’s sold out. Now the young people can’t read the Bible in our language anymore.”

I asked him to pray, and we discussed a first step. Capigora helped me produce a five-chapter test recording. His fellow villagers listened and appreciated it, but they noted that some words—originally translated and published in 1974—had changed meanings. The New Testament would need revision before it could be reprinted and recorded for the now 26,500 speakers of the Fore language.

The Fore people have a unique and tragic history. They come to global attention during outbreaks of Mad Cow disease, such as the one in Britain in the late 1990s, which claimed 156 lives. In the 1950s and 60s, the Fore lost over 1,000 of their population due to a similar disease—Kuru—caused by ritual cannibalism of deceased relatives. The last known death from Kuru occurred in 2005, with most victims being women and children.

Today, God has opened a door through Tyndale Bible Translators to build a Fore retranslation team. They spent 3 years revising and checking the New Testament in Fore. It is now being audio recorded for the 80% of the population who are illiterate. Once the recording is complete, we will print the New Testament.

We need your help. The pastors in this community are volunteers, and they lack the resources to support this vital work. Please consider partnering with us to bring the Word of God back to the Fore people in their heart language. —Rich Mattocks, Director Tyndale Bible Translators