VOTL 41 - FATSILC

VOTL 41

Voice of the Land - Volume 41

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Voice of the Land - Volume 41

VOICE OF THE LAND

ISSUE 41
OCTOBER 2009
Federation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages

Wunman Njinde

Yarrawulun

We are excited about future challenges and committed to providing professional and relevant representation for our members and other partner organisations around the country. We are looking forward to building better links to government and to providing a solid and stable bridge between language speakers and workers, and policy makers.

National Update

Yingia Guyula

Opposition to the deeply unpopular NT government policy to dismantle bilingual education in remote schools remain strong. Elders from all over the NT continue to plead with the government to listen to them. “Language comes from within, it’s alive, we are still living, we are not dead yet” said Gulumbu Yunupingu to 4 Corners reporter Debbie Whitmont on the ‘Returning to Lajamanu’ program in September. On the same program Djuwalpi Marika, Chairman of the Yirrkala School Council, said that they would ignore any government direction to cease bilingual learning. People are rightfully angry at this attack on their basic rights to teach and learn in their own language.

Young Indigenous Writers Initiative (Alexis Wright)

FATSIL and the Campbelltown Arts Centre ran a Young Indigenous Writers workshop in July. Alexis Wright was guest mentor and Djon Mundine (as always) provided inspiration, elegance and easy hospitality. For more information about FATSIL’s Young Writers Initiative please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Alexis Wright

Yirrganydji

Patsy Fourmile

Yirrganydji “If you were caught speaking language, you weredressed in a rations sack, had your head shaved and locked in the dormitory” said Yirrganydji Elder Patsy Fourmile at a recent language revival workshop in Cairns. Sadly these brutal methods to crush Indigenous culture were largely effective. The language of Yirrganydji was mostly killed off at Yarrabah, the old Aboriginal mission outside of Cairns, with the last fluent speakers passing away in the early 1970’s.

Kurtjar ... Ian Waldron

Ian Waldron My mother speaks Kurtjar. Her name is Clarine. She was born near Normanton, in the Gulf country between Currumbin and Mitchell River. We don’t speak about it much, but I know that it was hard for her when she was growing up. Language was forbidden back then, and you could be beaten for speaking lingo.
Read more...

Wunderkammer

Jack Buckskin Jack Buckskin has got a great new tool to help him teach the Kaurna language from South Australia: a complete Kaurna dictionary on his mobile phone. To find the Kaurna equivalent for an English word, or vice versa, he just punches through a few options on the keypad, and there it is, complete with pictures and an option to hear the correct pronunciation. Life’s good!
Read more...

li-Anthawirriyarra... John Bradley

Yamulu, marnijingarna jarna-barlirranji Yanyuwa wuka, jarna-wunkanyinji marda, li-wankala libardibardi baki li-malbu kanlu-ngunda ngatha jakarda barra wuka, ngayamantharra li-kularrkularr jalini li-lhungku, nalarrku kalinymaba-mirra wiji warriya li-luku marningarna munanga Yanyuwangala jiwini mulungka ngathangka- OK here I am writing Yanyuwa words, I can also talk this language, the old people, the old men and women have given me many words, now there are only a few of them alive, so many have died the poor things, I am here a white man talking Yanyuwa, these words sit in my mouth.

Yanyuwa Weather Diagram, John Bradley

Bilingual Education in the NT... AIATSIS Symposium

Back in June, the Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies hosted a research symposium called ‘Bilingual Education in the Northern Territory: Principles, Policy and Practice’. Here are two of the papers that were presented: ‘Nganimpa-nyangu kurdu-kurdu, nganimpa-nyangu Warlpiri Our children, our Warlpiri (language)’ by Connie Nungarrayi Walit and ‘Dharktja Dhuwala Djambulu Maypa. My language has layers and layers of meaning’ by Rarriwuy Marika & Dhalulu Ganambar-Stubbs.

The Origin of Lake Eacham ... Dick Moses

This is an extract from the book ‘Words of Our Country - stories, place names and vocabulary in Yidiny, the Aboriginal language of the Cairns-Yarrabah region’ compiled by R.M.W Dixon. It is an account of the legend of the origin of Lake Eacham - how newly-initiated men broke important taboos, and so angered the rainbow spirit who caused the earth to erupt, bringing about the formation of several lakes. It was told by Dick Moses at Yarrabah, in 1971, in the coastal dialect of the Yidiny language. George Watson from the Tully region recorded a similar story, and both texts provide a plausible account of a past volcanic eruption.

Dick Moses Yarrabah 1973

3 Stories of Language Learning

Jennifer Biddle, Beth Sometimes and Ute Eickelkamp write about how learning an Indigenous language has made them see the world differently. Jennifer speaks Warlpiri from the south west and central deserts of Northern Territory and Beth and Ute speak Pitjantjatjara, from north west South Australia and the adjacent areas of the Northern Territory.

Beth & bandmate, Jennifer

Young Indigenous Writers Initiative (Margaret Blackman)

This story has been written with the support of the Young Indigenous Writers Initiative, a mentoring program run by FATSIL that helps young indigenous writers to develop their writing skills and get their work published. The aim of the program is to foster and promote the new generation of indigenous writers in Australia. Margaret Blackman, a Yidinji and Gurang woman, is our Young Indigenous Writers Initiative participant and Voice of the Land contributor for this issue. FATSIL acknowledges ‘The Towards a Just Society Fund’ for supporting this Initiative.

Kazi Kusakapu

‘Kazi Kusakapu’ was collected by Anne Edwards from Mrs Kanie Harry (b.1927) and Mr Mobita Harry (b.1928) from Dauan Island

Notices and Events

FATSIL 2009 AGM and NATIONAL LANGUAGES FORUM

The Federation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages is holding their annual National Languages Forum and Annual General Meeting. This year it will be located in Devenport, Tasmania from the 28th to the 29th of November. The theme of the Forum will be ‘From Little things Big Things Grow’ which reflects our vision of indigenous language development; working together to build on the terrific work that is being done on the ground by language workers and speakers around the country.

All FATSIL members are invited to the Annual General Meeting. Please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information about your attendance and participation. The AGM will be held the day before the National Languages Forum begins.

FATSIL is also seeking participants for the National Languages Forum program. You are invited to submit a proposal for a presentation, workshop, or to be part of a panel discussion to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by the 8th of Novermber. Your submission should include who you are, where you are from and what you would like to talk about.

For all other information about the National Languages Forum please call FATSIL on (03) 9602 4700 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it