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Image 15
15. Evangelist from Utah, Date unknown. (Photo
provided by Millie Guina)
 Two
central goals of government assimilation policy were to convert
and educate. Several Shoshone, some who had been Rev. Roberts’
students helped translate church texts, tricky undertaking when
both sides were just beginning to learn the other’s language:
Two Shoshones, Enga Barrie and Charles Lajoe, assisted the Rev.
John Roberts in the work of translating a part of the Book of Common
Prayer and a Catechism from English into the Shoshone language.
Charles had been one of Mr. Roberts’ pupils from 1883 to 1890.
The work of making these translations was a most difficult
task for the reason that the language is not written and many
English words have no counterpart in the Shoshone language. There
was no word for heaven, the word “hallowed” and “spirit”
were almost impossible to express and there was just nothing to
be done about “forgive” or “sin.” (From an
unpublished manuscript of Rev. Roberts’ daughter, Elinore
Markley. Courtesy Beatrice Crofts, Lander)
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