Saving a Dying Language: How Bible Translation Fuels Revival in Choctaw Faith and Heritage

TALIHINA, Oklahoma – A Native American tribe with deep Christian roots is witnessing a revival of both its language and culture through the translation of the Bible. Members of the Choctaw community are using Scripture to preserve their faith and heritage.

Oklahoma hosts at least 39 Native American nations. On one of the largest tribal lands, the Choctaw Nation holds a rich history of Christianity interwoven into its culture. As part of a larger effort to bring the Bible to every language, a dedicated few are translating Scripture into their native tongue—a legacy that began in the 1800s.

At Grace Indian Baptist Church in Talihina, Oklahoma, Pastor Raymond Johnson plays a vital role in the Choctaw translation effort.

"The Choctaw Bible is about 25 years of work, and the Choctaw hymn book took us 8 years to get this – and the reason why it took so long, nobody got paid to do it," Johnson said.

Johnson serves as a curator, collecting Choctaw Scriptures and hymns, while his brother-in-law, Clifford Ludlow, translates the text. Working with the Global Bible Society, their labor of love produced a King James/Choctaw Bible, bringing the language to a new generation.

"But the more they read it I do feel like they could.. and look at the English part and go back and forth, just like so," said Ludlow.

As the Choctaw language faces modern challenges, there's a deeper significance to the translation work.

"We were not allowed to speak our language. We were forbidden. We were put in boarding schools, all those types of things," said Chief Gary Batton of the Choctaw Nation.

Chief Batton says tribe members have only been able to speak their language since 1979, when they ratified their constitution.

"Most people don't know that Native Americans weren't allowed to vote until the 60s," Batton added.

Christianity within the tribe dates back more than 200 years. Introduced by the Presbyterian Church, it became a foundation of strength in 1829 when then-President Andrew Jackson forced the Choctaws from their homeland as part of the Trail of Tears. Today, the Choctaw Nation spans 11,000 square miles in southeastern Oklahoma, still standing strong in its faith as declared by Chief Batton after his inauguration in 2014.

"I see movement happening, because I feel like we're embracing Christianity. We're closer than ever before to God because everywhere you go throughout the Choctaw Nation... you're within a Christian nation, it's okay to pray, it's okay to share your faith," Batton said.

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In helping make the Choctaw Bible more accessible, the Bible app YouVersion has digitized two Choctaw translations in partnership with the British and Foreign Bible Society.

"It's difficult for us in English to sort of fully appreciate what it would be like if the Bible was not available in our heart language, because we've always had it available in our heart language," said YouVersion Founder and CEO Bobby Gruenewald.

"When you have an app that is opened 270 times every second," he continued, "and it's in 70-plus languages, the Bible itself in over 2,000 languages, there's a scope and complexity to it that's not obvious to people when they use it."

Gruenewald believes this is just the beginning. "The team will probably double or even triple in size over the next several years," he said. "But we're humbled to be part of something God's doing, and love to have others join us."

For Pastor Raymond Johnson and his small congregation, this connection with Scripture is a spiritual lifeline that ties the Choctaw people to their faith, culture, and history.

"Well, your language is your identity," Johnson said. "At this point in history, I think we have less than 500 fluent speakers in the Choctaw Nation, and we have probably about 250,000 on our membership roll. And so it's, it's, it's dying."

Hopefully, the team effort to translate the Bible can help resurrect the Choctaw language and ensure the Christian faith & Choctaw language will be passed down for generations to come.