Page 68 - tesis

salvation to the indigenous towns and they formed strong and mature churches which allowed them to manage their own affairs in their own languages and according to their culture\u2019 (Sywulka 1999: 153). The anthropologist Tito Paredes affirms that bible translation is a key factor in conserving the autochthonous languages of Peru in spite of the fact that some believe that it is a waste of time and money in learning a language and translating as these languages could soon disappear (2000: 115). The anthropologist Elmer S. Miller attributes the revitalization of the Toba culture in the Argentinean Chaco to the appropriation of the biblical message in their own language (cited by Mitchell 1994: 116). The translation of the bible into some indigenous languages encouraged them to learn how to read and the corresponding literacy increased their self-worth.\u000AOnly after Vatican II did the Catholic hierarchy, priests and catechists concern themselves with the indigenous people and their communities. Catholic action turned its attention in favour of the indigenous people in the rural areas. The catechists were concerned about the conversion of indigenous families, their formation and integration into the community of new believers, and their religious practice. The indigenous family groups constituted the local catholic action (Murga Armas 2006: 7, 39).\u000ABenda\u00F1a notes that during the years of the second Vatican Council there were a lot of human resources and projects in favour of the indigenous communities. According to his perspective the training processes were key factors for helping to create awareness of poverty in the indigenous communities especially those that were of a Mayan origin. He points out that the \u2018priority interest of many missionaries was to detect, train and promote community leaders, within their own communities\u2019 (2001: 58-9).\u000AOf course, authors and indigenous leaders affirm that the Catholic and Protestant evangelization was an imposition which brought them many ills. Solares, in his book Estado y Naci\u00F3n las demandas de los grupos \u00E9tnicos en Guatemala, presents Mayan professionals and indigenous Evangelical leaders, expressing their compliant for the bad treatment, devaluation, and oppression which they have suffered for centuries. They also\u000A 55\u000A