Colorful, Diverse Oaxaca

Little by little we have ministered in each of these ethnic groups.  Sometimes it is confusing when we say our technicians are recording another Zapotec, Mixtec, or Mazatec New Testament translation, but there are many many different variants of each language represented on this chart. 

Later this month we will be returning to Mexico to distribute audio Bibles among the Nahuatl (Aztec), but traveling to villages in the neighboring state of Puebla to do so.  In the country of Mexico, there are more than a million speakers of Nahuatl, though most live outside Oaxaca.

Mexico boasts six million indigenous language speakers, though other Latin American countries have a higher percentage of indigenous people.  To put it in perspective, the southern state of Oaxaca is 65% indigenous, whereas the country of Guatemala is only 42.8%.

According to YWAM, "Oaxaca contains the largest concentration of people groups in the Americas.... many whom are considered unreached."

 Click here to see a short video clip

illustrating how colorful and diverse Oaxaca is. 

The clip is now a bit outdated as you will note when they refer to cassette tapes being distributed, but it is interesting that they mention the Jesus Film.  Our studio has been responsible for the dubbing of the Jesus Film in many of the indigenous languages of Oaxaca.

*The languages in parentheses are considered derivatives of the larger language group, whereas Huave, Nahuatl, and Chontal are each distinct languages that comprise the remaining 7% of languages represented in Oaxaca.

Audio, video, and literacy

After posting the last article, which I had hoped might encourage some friends working very diligently in less than successful literacy campaigns in Oaxaca, I discovered that it stirred slight animosity from Bible translators we know.  Let me go on record as saying that Jim and I remain huge fans of Bible translation.  We send monthly support out of our own budget to help finance Bible translation work in other parts of the world.

Twenty five years ago, Jim and I arrived in Guatemala as the so-called "Literacy Specialists" - having taken the necessary graduate courses through the University of Texas in Arlington.  It was in Guatemala that we first faced the obstacles to literacy in a culture that did not value it, and where we adjusted our personal vision statement to be "Seeing lives transformed through the translated scriptures in use among native speakers."  

We make a purpose to reach people in the way they are most receptive to the gospel.  Because most of the people around us are oral learners, scriptures in audio form and Bible stories are effective tools.  Without a written New Testament and a minimal number of literate native speakers, we could never hope to dub the Jesus movie, Luke video, or to  produce audio scriptures. We are in no way "anti-literacy."

With that said, I want to share a very cool video of some music translated and performed in one of the many Zapotec languages of Oaxaca.  You can see how the language looks in written form along with the Spanish and English translations below it.  We are told that it is not difficult for native speakers learn to read it, though it is tricky to learn to write.

The native translator of this language is married to an American linguist who is a friend of mine, and their sons (playing bass guitar and keyboard on the video) are friends with our kids.  The recording was done in our studio next door, bringing this project that much "closer to home."

You might also like to check out Rucel's, the older son's, photography business (click to see his Facebook page).  He sells greeting cards and posters with excellent photos of Oaxaca.