Tolaha ni Qaoolana Mala Ulawa (1907)
Portions of the Book of Common Prayer in Ulawa
Contents
3-13Morning Prayer 14-23Evening Prayer 23-29The Litany 30-37Prayers and Thanksgivings 37-103Collects and Epistles 103-120The Order for the Administration of the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion 120-123The Order of Confirmation 123-127The Form of Solemnization of Matrimony 128-129Thanksgiving of Women after Childbirth 129-134The Order for the Burial of the Dead 134-192Selected Psalms 208-214The Catechism
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Historical introduction
Ulawa is a dialect of the Sa'a language spoken in the Solomon Islands, particularly on Ulawa island in Makira-Ulawa Province. The Melanesian Mission’s work on Ulawa was begun by the Reverend Clement Marau, an indigenous missionary from Merelava in the Banks Islands.
Henry Hutchinson Montgomery discusses the history of Anglican missions on Ulawa in Chapter XVIII of The Light of Melanesia (1904). William Muss Arnolt discusses the history of local liturgical translations in Chapter XLVI of The Book of Common Payer among the Nations of the World (1914):
In 1904 the Melanesian Mission Press published an edition of portions of the Book of Common Prayer, omitting the liturgical Epistles and Gospels, but including many of the Psalms, 206 pages. In 1907 the S.P.C.K. published:
* Tolaha ni Qaoolana | Mala Ulawa. | Muni Qaoola onioni ani | i Haahulee | na | i Seulehi lou | i nima ni mane. | Portions of the Prayer Book, Ulawa, Solomon Islands.
214 pages, fcap. 8vo. Title, reverse blank; text, p. 3 foll. This edition includes the liturgical Epistles and many of the Psalms. [Psalms 2, 6, 8, 15, 16, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 32, 38, 39, 40, 45, 47, 48, 50, 51, 53, 54, 57, 68, 69, 85, 87, 88, 89, 90, 96, 97, 101, 102, 104, 108, 110, 111, 113, 114, 115, 118, 121, 122, 127, 130, 132, 135, 136, 143, 145, 148.]
The translator, in all probability, was the Rev. Walter George Ivens, missionary priest in charge of S. Mala, with Ulawa, from 1895 to 1909. Since that time he has been organising secretary of the Melanesian Mission, and is stationed at present at Kilbinnie, Wellington, N.Z. Ivens graduated from the University of New Zealand, B.A. 1893, and M.A. 1894.
David Griffiths identifies this translation as 186:3 in The Bibliography of the Book of Common Prayer 1549-1999 (London: The British Library; New Castle, Delaware: Oak Knoll Press, 2002); it was digitized in 2012 by Richard Mammana from a copy of the original provided by the late Thomas N. Rae.