Mexico’s Indigenous Peoples Hear the Good News

ON November 10, 2002, a group of Mixe, an indigenous people of Mexico, gathered in San Miguel, Quetzaltepec. That is a town in the beautiful southern state of Oaxaca. The group were attending a district convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The highlight of the program that morning was a Bible drama.

When the first words of the Bible drama came over the sound system, the audience was astounded. They broke out in applause, many of them in tears. The drama was presented in the Mixe language! When it concluded, many expressed deep appreciation for this unexpected blessing. “For the first time, I could understand the drama. It reached my heart,” said one. “Now I can die happy because Jehovah has granted me to hear the drama in my own language,” declared another.

What happened that morning was part of an intense effort recently undertaken by Jehovah’s Witnesses in Mexico to reach the indigenous peoples with the Kingdom good news.​—Matthew 24:14; 28:19, 20.

Jehovah Listened to Prayers

There are more than 6,000,000 indigenous people in Mexico​—enough to constitute a nation on their own, a multicultural nation with 62 different languages. Fifteen of those languages are spoken by more than 100,000 people each. More than 1,000,000 of the indigenous people do not speak Spanish, Mexico’s official language. And of those who speak Spanish, many can more readily learn Bible truth in their own language. (Acts 2:6; 22:2) Some have studied the Bible and have faithfully attended Christian meetings for years, yet their understanding has been limited. So having the message of truth in their own tongue has been a subject of their prayers for some time.

To deal with that challenge, the branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Mexico began arrangements in 1999 to hold congregation meetings in indigenous languages. Translation teams were also formed. By the year 2000, the district convention drama was presented in Maya and later in several other languages.

The next step was to tackle the translation of Bible study aids of Jehovah’s Witnesses. First, the brochure Enjoy Life on Earth Forever! was translated into Huave, Maya, Mazatec, Totonac, Tzeltal, and Tzotzil. More publications followed, including a regular edition of Our Kingdom Ministry in Maya. Audiocassette recordings of some publications have also been made. To teach indigenous peoples to read and write in their own language, a brochure entitled Apply Yourself to Reading and Writing is being adapted for  local use. Bible literature is presently produced in 15 of the indigenous languages, and more publications are on the way.

“Making Every Effort”

The translation work has not been easy. For one thing, very little secular literature has been published in the indigenous languages of Mexico. In many cases, finding dictionaries has been a challenge. Then there are the many dialects of some of the languages. For example, in Zapotec alone there are at least five variants being spoken. These dialects have become so distinct that Zapotec from different areas cannot understand one another.

Furthermore, where there are no established standards for a language, the translators have to establish some of their own. This requires much investigation and consultation. No wonder many of them at first felt the way Élida, from the Huave team, did! She recalls: “When I was invited to the branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Mexico to do translation work, I had two emotions​—joy and fear.”

The translators also have to learn computer skills, scheduling, and translation techniques. Indeed, the task has been quite a challenge for them. How do they feel about it? Gloria, a member of the Maya team, responds: “We have no words to describe our joy at having a share in translating Bible publications into Maya, our native language.” And an overseer in the Translation Department observes about the translators: “The desire to have Bible publications in their language is so strong that they are making every effort to meet the challenge.” Has it been worthwhile?

“Thank You, Jehovah!”

Jehovah’s blessing on the work in the indigenous field has been evident. Attendance at Christian meetings and assemblies has multiplied. For example, in 2001, the 223 Mixe-speaking Witnesses met to observe the Memorial of Christ’s death. Yet, the total attendance was 1,674​—seven and a half times the number of Witnesses!

Some people who accept the truth are now able to understand it properly from the start. Mirna remembers what happened to her before the meetings were held in Maya. “I got baptized after three months of Bible study,” she says. “I knew that I should be baptized, but I must say that I really did not understand Bible truths as well as I should have. I think the reason is that my native language is Maya, and I did not understand Spanish very well. It took a while for me to get the real sense of the truth.” Today, she and her husband are happy to be part of the Maya translation team.

For all in the congregations, it is a great joy to receive the publications in their own language. When the newly translated Enjoy Life on Earth Forever! brochure in Tzotzil  was presented, a woman who had begun to attend Christian meetings embraced it and exclaimed: “Thank you, Jehovah!” Reports show that many Bible students have more rapidly advanced to baptism, inactive publishers are being reactivated, and many Christian brothers now feel qualified to accept responsibilities in the congregation. Some householders are more willing to accept Bible literature in their own language and to study it.

In one case, a Witness went to conduct a Bible study, but the student was not at home. When the husband came to the door, she offered to read from a brochure. “I don’t want anything,” he replied. The sister said to him in Totonac that the brochure was in their language. Hearing that, the man pulled up a bench and sat down. As she read to him, he kept saying, “That is true. Yes, that is true.” He now attends Christian meetings.

In Yucatán, the husband of a Witness was opposed to the truth and sometimes hit her when she came home from the meetings. When meetings in Maya began to be held, she decided to invite him. He came and really enjoyed them. Now he attends the meetings regularly, has a Bible study and, needless to say, no longer beats his wife.

A Totonac-speaking man told two Witnesses that he never prayed because the Catholic priest had told him that God only listens to prayers in Spanish. In fact, he had to pay the priest to pray in behalf of the Totonac.  The Witnesses explained that God listens to prayers in all languages, and they gave him a brochure in Totonac, which he accepted with great joy.​—2 Chronicles 6:32, 33; Psalm 65:2.

“Kualtsin Tajtoua”

Thrilled with these developments, many Kingdom publishers are endeavoring to learn an indigenous language or to improve their knowledge of one. This is just what a circuit overseer who serves five Nahuatl-speaking congregations in northern Puebla is doing. He relates: “Children who used to fall asleep at the meetings are very alert and listen carefully when I speak in Nahuatl. At the end of one meeting, a four-year-old boy came to me and said: ‘Kualtsin tajtoua’ (you speak nice). That made me feel that the effort was well worth it.”

Yes, the indigenous language field is truly “white for harvesting,” and all those who share in it feel greatly encouraged. (John 4:35) Roberto, who worked to organize the translation teams, sums it up in these words: “It has been an unforgettable experience to see tears of joy rolling down the faces of our brothers and sisters as they listen to the truth in their native language and get the sense of it. Thinking about this gives me a lump in my throat.” Undoubtedly, helping these sincere people to take a stand for the Kingdom also brings joy to Jehovah’s heart.​—Proverbs 27:11.

[Box on page 10, 11]

Meet Some of the Translators

● “My parents taught me the truth ever since I can remember. Sadly, when I was 11, my father left the Christian congregation. Two years later, my mother abandoned us. Being the eldest of five children, I had to take on my mother’s responsibilities, though I was still attending school.

“We had the loving support of our spiritual brothers and sisters, but life was hard. Sometimes I wondered: ‘Why is this happening to me? I am so young!’ It was only with Jehovah’s help that I made it. After graduating from high school, I became a full-time minister, and that helped me greatly. When the Nahuatl translation team was formed, I was invited to be part of it.

“My father is now back in the congregation, and my younger brothers and sisters are serving Jehovah. Remaining faithful to Jehovah has been well worth the effort. He has blessed my family very much.”​—Alicia.

● “A Witness classmate gave a talk on the origin of life. I missed that class and was concerned about the exam, so I asked her to explain the subject to me. I had always wondered why people die. When she offered me the Creation book * and a Bible study, I accepted. I was deeply touched by the Creator’s purpose and love.

“When I finished school, I had the opportunity to become a bilingual teacher in Spanish and Tzotzil. But that would have required moving far away, taking classes on weekends, and missing Christian meetings. Instead, I worked as a bricklayer. My father, who was not a Witness, did not like my decision at all. Later, while I was serving as a pioneer minister, a team to translate Bible literature into Tzotzil was organized. I was impelled to have a share in it.

“I can see that having publications in their own language makes our brothers and sisters feel appreciated and dignified. That is very satisfying. I feel highly privileged to have this assignment.”​—Humberto.

● “When I was six, my mother left us. During my teen years, my father started studying with Jehovah’s Witnesses. One day a sister offered me a Bible study that included counsel for young people. As a teenager without a mother, I felt that this was exactly what I needed. I was baptized at age 15.

“In 1999 my father was killed by some evil people who wanted his land. I was devastated. I fell into severe depression and felt that I could no longer go on. But I kept praying to Jehovah for strength. The traveling overseer and his wife encouraged me greatly. Soon I became a regular pioneer.

“Once I observed some who had walked for six hours just to hear a 20-minute talk in Totonac, even though the rest of the meeting was in Spanish, which they could not understand. Thus, I was thrilled when I was invited to help translate Bible publications into Totonac.

“I used to tell my father that I dreamed of serving at the branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He told me that this would not be easy for a single girl of my age. How thrilled he will be when he comes back in the resurrection to find that I was able to do so, translating Bible literature into our language!”​—Edith.

[Footnote]

[Picture on page 9]

Members of the Tzotzil translation team discuss a word that is difficult to translate