Choctaw
Choctaw (or Chahta) is a native American language spoken in parts of Oklahoma, Mississippi and Louisiana.
Bible Translators
Bible translation began into the language about 1830. Books of the Bible (Holisso Holitopa) were translated into Choctaw by Cyrus Byington (1793-1868) and Alfred Wright (1788-1853), both of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM). These translators work with native speakers Captain Joseph Dukes (1811-1861), who had acted as an interpreter to Cyrus Kingsbury (1786-1870), the pioneer-missionary to the Choctaws and W. H. McKinney (c. 1850-1900).
Alphabet
The missionaries developed the Choctaw alphabet a/A, a̱/A̱, ʋ/Ʋ, b/B, c/C, ch/Ch, e/E, f/F, h/H, hl/Hl, i/I, i̱/I̱, k/K, l/L, m/M, n/N, o/O, o̱/O̱, p/P. r/R, s/S, sh/Sh, t/T, u/U , u̱/U̱, v/V, w/W, y/Y
Language Analysis
A Grammar of the Choctaw Language by Rev Cyrus Byington was published in 1870. A Choctaw Lexicon (Chahta Leksikon) was produced by Allan Wright in 1880. A Dictionary of the Choctaw Language was produced by Rev Cyrus Byington which was published in 1915.
Bible Portions
Parts of Genesis, and a Gospel Harmony were published in 1831, Jonah was published in 1836, and Acts in 1839. The edition of Acts included a note on the Chahta alphabet, and a list of proper names, and tables of unusual words. 1 to 3 John were published in 1841, Matthew in 1842. James was published in 1843, and the Four Gospels in 1845.
The whole New Testament with chapter summaries was published in 1848. Joshua, Judges and Ruth (Choshua, Nan Apesa, Lulh) were published as a single volume in 1852. Then 1-2 Samuel and 1 Kings were also published as a single volume in 1852. After the death of Alfred Wright in 1853 the work was continued by John Edwards. 2 Kings was then published in 1855. The Penteteuch (Pintetuk: Chenesis, Eksotus, Lefitikʋs, Nʋmbas, micha Tutelonomi) was published as a single volume in 1867, followed by Psalms (Atʋloa) in 1886.
The New Testament was reprinted in 1871, 1881 and again in 1913, as Pin Chitokaka Pi Okchalinchi Chisus Klaist In Testament Himona, Chahta Anumpa Atoshowa Hoke. These Scriptures (Holisso Holitopa) were published by the American Bible Society.
Digital Edition
The Choctaw 1848 New Testament, the 1867 Penteteuch, the 1842 edition of Joshua, Judges and Ruth. and the 1886 Psalms, were brought together for the first time as Chahta Holisso Holitopa 1886. They were digitised for the American Bible Society, at the request of members of the Choctaw tribe, with the help of MissionAssist in 2023.
