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
State Library’s kuril dhagun will again be celebrating Murri Christmas at Maiwar Green on Saturday 2 December. This year’s theme celebrates the Queensland lifestyle and focuses on Sun, Sand and Water – three things associated with Christmas in Queensland. There will be a host of activities on the day with the highlight being the arrival of … Read more
The State Library of Queensland (SLQ) will be hosting an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages Research Workshop at the State Library in Brisbane from 4-7 December 2017. This workshop aims to build upon and extend previous research workshops and enhance the research skills and knowledge of community language workers. This event is aimed at language … Read more
State Library has received a steady number of requests for ideas and resources relating to Indigenous languages for the upcoming NAIDOC Week. While the Indigenous Languages webpages are a good starting point, there is also a range of resources available for schools and community groups to celebrate the theme of “Our Languages Matter“. There are a … Read more
This community language workshop was held in partnership with Resource Network for Linguistic Diversity (RNLD) and the Pama Language Centre (PLC). Participants were taken through some of the modules available under the Documenting and Revitalizing Indigenous Languages (DRIL) program which aims to enhance community skills to revive traditional languages. On arriving in Aurukun we received … Read more
The recent announcement of the 2017 NAIDOC Week theme has generated interest in schools and communities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. NAIDOC Week provides schools, community organisations, libraries and individuals with an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. This year’s NAIDOC Week theme highlights the importance of … Read more
The State Library of Queensland (SLQ) is co-hosting an Indigenous Languages Research Workshop at the State Library in Brisbane from 12-15 December 2016. This workshop will be in partnership with the Resource Network for Linguistic Diversity (RNLD) to offer participants an innovative training experience. The workshop aims to build upon and extend previous research workshops … Read more
Wednesday 7 September marks Indigenous Literacy Day 2016 hosted by the Indigenous Literacy Foundation to raise awareness of the need to improve literacy rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. The National focus will be on Sydney with a huge event at the Sydney Opera House. ILF Ambassadors Justine Clarke, Josh Pyke, Deborah Cheetham, Andy Griffiths, … Read more
ABC Splash in conjunction with First Languages Australia are holding an Indigenous Languages Song competition. Marrin Gamu is a competition for schools that showcases local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. The title Marrin Gamu combines the word for body in two of the languages in the film clip: Marrin – Wiradjuri (NSW) Gamu – Kalaw … Read more
The 2016 Indigenous Languages Residency was another successful research event held recently at the State Library of Queensland. For a week in June, four community members from across Queensland were able to access SLQ’s heritage collections to assist their community language work. This year, State Library was able to offer four residencies as previous experience has shown … Read more
