Wearing my Storytelling Australia Vic hat, I attended a public lecture at Melbourne University given by Paul Paton (Gunnai Monero, Executive Officer VACL) and Mandy Nicholson (Wurundjeri, Project Officer VACL): The revival of Victorian Aboriginal languages.
The lecture began with a Welcome to Country
from Colin Hunter Junior (Wurundjeri Elder).
We were asked to consider for a moment the
richness of Australian Languages prior to 1788 – upwards of 250 with 600 dialects.
Currently only 15 – 20 are still being learned as a first language. The First
Australians were, and many still are, multilingual. Fluency in five or six
languages is not unusual.
All the Victorian languages are in revival
mode. Mandy referred to them as having been ‘asleep’ but now with energy coming from
the communities, they are being revived. She emphasised the connection between language, identity and well-being and the cruelty of past practice when Aboriginal people were forbidden to speak their languages.
There are 38 recognised languages in
Victoria. We were asked to respect Community protocols
around language. And here I will quote from the text on the back of the
language map I brought home with me.
‘…The learning and teaching of Aboriginal
languages can be a sensitive issue for Indigenous communities and care needs to
be taken when considering using language. When seeking access to Aboriginal
languages, it is vital to understand the issues involved and to work together
with local communities. It must be noted that Victorian Aboriginal languages
are in revival mode and Traditional Custodians are the only ones with the
authority to share language…’
The VACL website is a rich resource providing
language maps, apps, information about school language programs, contacts for
permission to use language, pronunciation and protocol questions. It’s worth
checking out the online shop. There are bilingual stories, dictionaries and
teaching resources.
Paul suggested people look at Nyernila – listen
continuously: Aboriginal Creation Stories of Victoria. It can be downloaded for
free HERE.
Please if you wish to learn more, I encourage you to explore the
VACL website HERE.
You may also be interested in the Research
Unit for Indigenous Language (RUIL) University of Melbourne HERE.
Also Melbourne Museum Bunjilaka HERE.
If you are attending events that you think
are of interest to the Storytelling community please write them up and drop me
line. storytellingvic@live.com.au
. I love receiving news and stories of your events and adventures.
Jackie Kerin ( blog editor)
