NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life. The week is a great opportunity to participate in a range of activities and to support … Read more
Language revival and maintenance in Mackay has been a priority for a group of dedicated Yuwibara descendants. State Library of Queensland commenced working with the group in early 2015 in creating a body part language video with ABC’s Mother Tongue project producer Dan Battley. The small list available at the time from George Bridgeman [collected … Read more
In 2018, ABC is partnering again with First Languages Australia to host the Marrin Gamu Indigenous Language Song Competition. The rules are fairly straightforward: Sing a song in the traditional language of your area! ABC and First Languages Australia are inviting schools to work with their local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community to translate the … Read more
The week of 27 May to 3 June 2018 is National Reconciliation Week, an annual celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories and lifestyles. During the week, Reconciliation Australia invites all Australians to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories, to share that knowledge and help us grow as a nation. … Read more
2017 Language Residents The State Library of Queensland will once again host their annual Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages Residency at the State Library in Brisbane during June 2018. This will build upon the success of previous events where community members and language workers have explored hidden treasures within the State Library collections. The … Read more
State Library of Queensland partnered with Resource Network for Linguistic Diversity (RNLD), Pama Language Centre and North Qld. Regional Aboriginal Corporation Language Centre to host Indigenous Languages Workshops at the Hope Vale IKC and Mossman State School. Workshops were tailored to meet the community needs and to help them reach their language goals through the DRIL Program. … Read more
Pama Language Centre was established in 2015 to work with the language nations of Cape York Peninsula to record, revive, revitalise and maintain their ancestral languages. Amongst the many projects and activities that the Centre is involved in is publishing and selling books in traditional Cape York languages. These languages include Mpakwithi and Guugu Yimidhirr … Read more
Wednesday 21 February marks International Mother Language Day – a day set aside by the United Nations to raise awareness of the loss of Indigenous languages across the world. The United Nations website highlights some sobering statistics about the current state of traditional indigenous languages. More than 50 per cent of the approximately 7,000 languages spoken … Read more
Local Brisbane historian Dr Ray Kerkhove has brought to my attention the uncertainty around the meaning of the word ‘kuril’. The popular or commonly accepted meaning is that of the white-tailed water rat; hence Kurilpa = place of the white-tailed water rat. Kurilpa Point and the Kurilpa bridge also bears the name as well as … Read more
