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Are the Chukchis mathematically gifted?
The Chukchis probably have to be mathematically gifted to be able to read the Word of God! Nevertheless, they are so pleased to have the first Bible portion in their language. There was a presentation of Luke’s Gospel in Anadyr, their capital, in February. Two thousand copies were sent together with audiocassettes of the text for those unaccustomed to reading their mother tongue. The books were distributed free of charge in various churches (there are more than 100 evangelical Christian Chukchis) and sent to various libraries. At the presentation one of the translators reported that she had read from the book on local radio on several occasions already. Radio is extremely important, because it is the only source of information for many Chukchis who live with their reindeer in the remote taiga. She hopes that she may continue to read on radio. In Ayanka village Zinaida Pepe accepted the gospel, saying: “I believe that my dad will be interested in reading this. He is not a Christian, but his children hope that he will be! I began to read, and then I thought about some of the women who can’t read. But they can listen to the cassettes. It is awfully good. Thanks to the Institute for Bible Translation, the gospel has reached us for the very first time so far in the north.”
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In some languages there are different ways of counting. One of these is the so-called vigesimal counting system that is based on a score, or 20, as in Danish, for example. The Chukchi people (population 13,000) have a similar system. They live on the remote Chukhotka Peninsula at the north-eastern edge of the Russian Far East. In the recently published Gospel of Luke the number seventy-two in chapter 10 verse 1 had to be translated as follows: “Then the Lord appointed a further three score, ten and two and sent them on ahead…” In chapter 9 verse 14 we read: “There were about five five times ten score (5 x 5 x 10 x 20). And he said to his disciples: ‘Let them sit down in companies, about two score and ten in each.’”