The short of the NIV issue is this: I was raised in the Presbyterian Church and cannot ever recall the Gospel message being presented to me as a child or teen-which could have made a huge difference in my teen and adult decision making processes. Not that it is the NIV's fault-but the Presbyterian Church uses the NIV and that particular denomination has become more 'ecumenical' over the years and less Bible.
I was given an NIV from the Presbyterian Church and when I got saved some 13 years after receiving that Bible as a High School graduation gift-it was the first Bible I went to. The guy (Dave-God Bless him!) who gave me the materials that lead me to salvation also gave me a pamphlet on different versions-at that moment I didn't think that it was that big a deal about the versions-until I started digging into that pamphlet and examining Bibles side by side-I was rather shocked. The Bible says not to 'change' God's Word. In short, why does a Bible need to be re-translated every few years in the same language? It doesn't.
The truth is, you actually garner more truth and wisdom from examining the original Hebrew and Greek words with a variety of definitions in English. That's mainly why I stick to the KJV, because I will go back to the Greek and Hebrew for definition clarification anyhow and I can't find any fault in the original full modern English translation. For clarification on thought, the NKJV and NASB help me greatly. Our Church also uses the KJV as our main modern text.
As far as Ham goes;
Genesis 9:
22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.
24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.
25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis 9&version=KJV
http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Gen&c=9&v=25&t=KJV#s=t_conc_9025
I think this will be one of the mysteries that will be clarified when we enter the afterlife as to the exact details of the importance of this verse. Do I subscribe to the 'colored folks came from Canaan' camp-not really. Looking at this, we would have to examine what we know Biblically, 'Scientifically' and Historically about the human race. I ere on the side of the Bible being the truth having being raised to believe many other things growing up. The problem you have with many commentators, theologists and philosophers is that they like to interject their 'opinion' to come up with an answer; that lends towards taking away or adding to God's Word. The Bible will decode itself as you read, and with every reading and walking with the Holy Spirit, more is revealed to you when God sees fit to increase your wisdom. My wisdom on this matter is nonexistent. Therefore, I take it for what it says.