Introduction

This blog is dedicated primarily to providing a place where interested people can post their personal interpretations of favorite or interesting Bible verses into the Butuanon language so they can be made available to others. We are not claiming that this is a blog of the Butuanon Bible. However whatever is posted here may be helpful to anyone wanting to read or share personal interpretations of Bible verses in Butuanon and also to anyone planning someday to translate the whole Bible or the New Testament into Butuanon.


Why Bible verses? 

People belonging to the Butuanon ethnic group may have been the first people in the Mindanao and possibly the whole Philippines to accept the Christian faith (The two Butuanon rulers, Raja Kolambu and Raja Siahu seemed to accept the Christan faith when they befriended Magellan in 1521), yet neither the the Bible or even just the New Testament has ever been translated into Butuanon. I have in my possession four published versions of the Cebuano Bible, two versions of Tagalog, about ten versions of the English Bible (it is estimated that there are more than 500 English translations of the Bible). I also have New Testaments in Hiligaynon, Agusan Manobo, Mamanua, Maranao, Tausug and Sinama, but not a single book of the Bible in the original language of the people of Butuan. Why is this?

One thing that has inspired me to create this blog is a quotation from the book of Acts 17:26-27 which says, “From one man He made every nation of men that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out to Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.” From these two verses, I have personally concluded a number of things. First that God created the Butuanon people or nation (in the original Greek of the New Testament, “ethnos”) or ethnic group and placed them strategically in Butuan. He did this more than 1000 years ago and it continues until today. An essential expression of an ethnic group being its unique language. Secondly, an important reason why God created the Butuanon people and language is so that the Butuanon people would seek Him and find Him. Now from a Christian point of view, one of the best ways a people can be helped to seek and find God is to translate the Bible into that ethnic group's language. If a complete Bible or at least a New Testament is not yet available, then at least attempts at expressing verses or small portions of the Bible in Butuanon should be done as a precursor to the full Scripture. A third conclusion I draw from the two verses in Acts comes in the form of a question: Is it possible that one reason why some ethnic groups and languages disappear or die out, or are absorbed into others is because they fail to fulfill one of the purposes for their creation and that is to seek and find God and express their service to and worship of God using their unique language and redeemed cultural expressions?

Contributing material to this blog

There are five ways you can contribute to or interact with this blog. First, and most important, is that you can contribute your own personal interpretations into the Butuanon language of favorite or personally interesting verses from anywhere in the Bible. Second you can post any personal interpretations specifically from the gospel of Mark beginning with Mark chapter one. Third, you can post positive, inspiring quotations, songs, poems, short stories translated into Butuanon, that you have read, heard or created that can be used as an encouragement to Butuan and the Butuanon people. Fourth is a glossary of the meanings of Butuanon words or expressions used in the blog not found or not usually used in Cebuano Visayan. Fifth is a forum for any suggestions or discussions on how the present and future generations of Butuanons can be encouraged to learn and use Butuanon language and express Butuanon culture in good and positive ways.

Who can contribute to this blog? Anyone who is interested in contributing in a positive way whether you are living in Butuan or outside Butuan. Those who can still speak and understand Butuanon, old or young. Even those who do not know Butuanon or know very little Butuanon. This is an opportunity to learn. You can ask a Butuanon speaker to teach you how to translate a verse or thought into Butuanon and you can post it on the blog. The blog is also for anyone who wants to ask and learn how a verse or thought can be expressed in Butuanon. For those who are good or just better Butuanon speakers, please suggest improvements in terms of grammar and vocabulary on anything translated into Butuanon that is posted on ths blog. We encourage you to use as much Butuanon as you can when posting comments but it is okay to comment using Cebuano, English or Tagalog. Please tell your friends about this blog site and encourage them to contribute. You may also prefer to contribute to material in this blog by sending an email message to <binutuanon@gmail.com>. Salamat Kadyaw!