Distinctions

Orden de la Educación Boliviana

To celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of our mission in Bolivia, in November 1980 we had an exposition and special program in La Paz. With national officials and many people from the ministry of education present, we had opportunity to tell about our work, our spiritual motivation, and our aspirations for the small tribes, the forgotten peoples, of Bolivia. At this program, the Minister of education, Coronel Ariel Coca Aguirre, conferred on us the “Gran Orden Boliviano de la Educación,” in gratitude for our work with the tribes’ people. The Presidential resolution authorizing the award said in part:

“The ILV has spent 25 years of uninterrupted, intense, and purifying work in behalf of the jungle people of Bolivia, successfully elevating their world view, their way of thinking and their mode of expression, thus enabling them to be incorporated into the national life; and has trained and prepared several dozen bilingual teachers, health promoters, and middle-level technicians. Taking special notice of the fruitful work of the Instituto Lingüístico de Verano in the far regions of the country, the Ministry of Education, in this solemn and worthy act, bestows upon the Instituto Lingüístico de Verano the national honor ‘La GRAN ORDEN BOLIVIANA DE LA EDUCATION.’” The resolution was signed by General Luis Garcia Meza Tejada, President of Bolivia, and other leaders.

Reconocimiento a la labor del Instituto Lingüístico de Verano

Ultima Hora, jueves 13 de noviembre de 1980

En ceremonia especial realizada ayer en la Casa de la Cultura “Franz Tamayo”, el Ministerio de Educación reconoció la labor de 25 años del Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, con la orden de la Educación Boliviana, impuesta por el ministro Ariel Coca. En el acto estuvo también presente el Gral. Waldo Bernal, comandante de la Fuerza Aérea y ministro del Aire, autoridades nacionales y numeroso público.

Condor of the Andes

September 4, 1985 was the day planned for the “Farewell Program.” Then began the unsettled political situation with demonstrations, strikes and marches. It was doubtful if we could even go ahead with the program.

The Minister of Education declared that HE wanted to sponsor the program in honor of ILV and that it would be held regardless of the political atmosphere. The minister himself, Dr. Enrique Ipiña M., began by reading a presidential decree conferring upon SIL of Bolivia the medal “Condor of the Andes,” the highest distinction possible for a non-government organization such as ours. He spoke for almost a half hour, expressing his own appreciation and that of his government for the SIL work in Bolivia. “What other organization, Bolivian or foreign, has done so much for the ethnic minorities?” “Your work in Bolivia is like the seed which feel on good soil; it continues to bear fruit not only here but also in other countries of the world.” Perry Priest had the privilege of responding, expressing our appreciation for being allowed to work in this wonderful land for the past thirty years, and sharing a bit of what our purpose has been in being here. Vicente Ino, a Sirionó man, then spoke in his own language (with Perry Priest translating), expressing the satisfaction of people from various tribes that SIL had come to teach them and to give them God’s Word.

Thirty Years in Bolivia: A Tribute

by John Lindskoog
From “In Other Words,” October/November 1985

In a public ceremony on September 4, 1985, in La Paz, the Bolivian Ministry of Education officially marked the completion of 30 years of work by the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL). In his speech the minister of education acknowledged the cooperative efforts that have resulted in a mass of research and educational literature on Bolivian Indian languages and culture. With deep feeling he hailed the positive moral and spiritual impact that has resulted from the personal lives and Bible translation work of members of SIL.

Field director Perry Priest and his team had been planning the closing ceremonies for months. They chose September 4 for the big day. Even 48 hours before that day a continuing nationwide strike made it doubtful the ceremonies could take place. But hundreds of people were praying and things began to change drastically.

The day before the program, SIL members Perry Priest, Dave Farah, John Alsop, Ken Gregerson, Elaine Townsend and Vicente Ino, a Sirionó Indian, had an excellent interview with the minister of education who warmly commended SIL for its work in Bolivia.

Only hours before the ceremony, and despite the nationwide strike, the president of Bolivia, Dr. Victor Paz Estenssoro, granted a special audience to members of SIL. Elaine Townsend, wife of the late founder of SIL and WBT carried personal greetings from mutual friends in Peru. Ken Gregerson, president of SIL, thanked the president and his nation for the privilege of 30 years of partnership. David Farah, Bolivia branch member and international director for government relations, presented sample copies of SIL publications to the president. He recalled that the president himself, during an earlier term of office, had signed the initial invitation for SIL to work in Bolivia.

The president accepted the books from Dave Farah as a final report to the people of his nation. The meeting ended with Dave Farah leading in prayer for the president and people of Bolivia.

On September 4, the closing ceremony took place at the Casa de la Cultura Boliviana (Museum of Bolivian Culture), hosted by the Bolivian minister of education, Dr. Enrique Ipiña Melgar. About 150 people were present. Central to the program was the conferring on SIL of a decoration, the Condor of the Andes, the highest honor given to non-Bolivians.

The minister of education was lavish in his praise of SIL. He spoke of the organization’s work as a grain of wheat which will produce much in his country. He asked “What other organization, Bolivian or foreign, has done so much for the ethnic minorities?” He mentioned the “shadows and doubts” which have been cast on SIL by critics, but he said, “These should be tossed aside--every good work will be criticized by someone.”