Cultural ‘Nests’ to Help Keep Aboriginal Languages Alive

TRADITIONAL Aboriginal languages on the NSW mid-north coast were almost lost forever two decades ago but a concerted effort from local communities helped revive them and their resurgence is being backed by the state government.

NSW Aboriginal Affairs Minister Victor Dominello will today and tomorrow launch two new Aboriginal Language and Culture “nests” in Coffs Harbour and Lismore which will run a thread between schools, TAFEs, universities and Aboriginal communities to ensure languages are offered and taught.

“Our remaining Aboriginal languages are in danger of dying out if we do not make a long-term investment to train more people to teach languages,” Mr Dominello said. “The nest will develop more Aboriginal language learners and teachers and aims to build a stronger sense of pride, self-esteem and identity among students.”

The first site launched last year in Dubbo to teach and pass on the Wiradjuri language.

In Coffs Harbour, community leader and Gumbayngirr man Mark Flanders said elders were proud watching local children put their hands up to learn the traditional tongue.

“There was a time when a lot of the elders stopped speaking the language, when they thought it was going to be gone forever,” he told The Australian. “There is a big problem for some young fellas in our community who don’t have anyone to teach them the language, and they’re telling me they want to learn.

“How can you know yourself and your culture if you cannot speak the way its people speak?”

Mr Flanders said the Muurrbay Aboriginal Language and Cultural Centre Co-operative helped save the Gumbayngirr language and developed a dictionary to preserve its words, something that is still being revised and refined today.

The NSW government is providing almost $4.5 million over the forward estimates to fund five language sites to help preserve the Bundjalung language in Lismore, the Paarkkintji/Barkindjii tongue in Wilcannia and the Gamilaraay/Yuwaalaraay language in Lightning Ridge.

“When we consulted over 1200 Aboriginal community representatives before the creation of OCHRE (the government’s overarching Aboriginal affairs policy of ‘opportunity, choice, healing, responsibility, empowerment’), the revitalisation of language and culture was the number one thing people asked us to focus on,” Mr Dominello said.

“The NSW government listened and in partnership with Aboriginal communities we have established five Nests, each representing a network of communities bound together by their connection to an Aboriginal language group.

Mr Flanders said he was preparing for the day he could say Giinagay — that’s hello — to others in the street and have them understand. “That’ll be a good day,” he said.