The combination of knowledge and communication, along with a few other fundamental conditions such as liberty and respect , leads to social, cultural and technological development.
A souvenir stand in the Canary Islands displaying boomerangs (on the right).
fabcom/flickr
The production of fake First Nations art is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to cultural appropriation. From ‘didge therapy’ to the overuse of words like ‘deadly’ here’s a (subjective) guide to what to avoid.
Rosie Tasman Napurrurla, Warlpiri 2002, Ngurlu Jukurrpa (‘Grass Seed; Bush Grain Dreaming’), line etching on Hahnemuhle paper.
Warnayaka Art Centre, Lajamanu, and Aboriginal Art Prints Network, Sydney
The theme of this year’s NAIDOC week is “Our Languages Matter”. Aboriginal languages under threat across Australia. Read a Warlpiri introduction to Dreamtime and The Dreaming.
Australia’s Indigenous population is growing – rapidly.
AAP/Dan Peled
The census mostly delivered a good news story on Indigenous Australian outcomes, but it is unclear to what extent this correlates to improved lives for Indigenous families.
Reviving languages is no easy task – it needs teachers, a staged curriculum and resources.
The government’s plan to prioritise the revival of Indigenous languages in New South Wales is a welcome first step. Truly achieving it will take several more.
A billabong on SBS website My Grandmother’s Lingo, which takes viewers on an interactive journey through the Marra language.
My Grandmother's Lingo
A beautiful interactive SBS online documentary puts the spotlight on Marra, an Indigenous language spoken fluently by just three people.
Rika Hamaguchi from the Bangarra Dance Theatre performs at the culmination of the barrangal dyara exhibition.
Photo Peter Greig/Kaldor Public Art Projects
Jonathan Jones uses Aboriginal shields to create a skeleton of Sydney’s Garden Palace, destroyed by fire in 1882. In song, dance and sculpture, he celebrates what has been lost and rediscovered.
Every language contains a unique, and irreplaceable, worldview.
Reuters
Malcolm Turnbull’s tears have drawn attention to harsh truths about the loss of Indigenous culture. As a nation we should embrace Indigenous languages.
Australia’s Bumala-y Yuurrama-y seems to be accepted only when confined to matches between Indigenous players, yet all New Zealanders feel able to embrace the Haka.
AAP/David Crosling
While AFL player Adam Goodes polarised Australians by performing an Indigenous war dance, New Zealanders unite in celebration of the Haka. The difference in approach to Indigenous culture is telling.
About 20% of the Australian population speaks a language other than English. However there is little connection between the languages taught in schools, and the languages spoken in homes.
European New Zealanders have embraced and preserved the Māori culture and language far better than European Australians.
Rob Chandler/Flickr
New Zealand’s relationship with its Indigenous people and knowledge of their language far exceeds Australia’s.
Xhosa women celebrate in Qunu in the Eastern Cape. It is time for African languages and cultures to dominate at the continent’s universities.
Antony Kaminju/Reuters
Genetics and linguistics show Aboriginal people spread iconic boab trees around north west Australia.
NSW Deputy Premier and Nationals leader Troy Grant kicked off his party’s election campaign launch on March 15 by speaking in Wiradjuri.
Nikki Short/AAP
NSW Nationals’ leader Troy Grant has broken new ground by speaking Wiradjuri in parliament and at his party’s election launch – and it reflects a growing Indigenous language revival in NSW.
Indigenous youth are creating new languages, something that is very rare across the globe.
Flickr/Rusty Stewart
By now we know that traditional Indigenous languages are losing speakers rapidly and tragically. Of the 250 languages once spoken in Australia, only 40 remain and just 18 of these are still learnt by children…
Leader of the pack: Djalu Gurruwiwi of the Galpu clan leads younger performers at the 2013 Garma Festival in Arnhem Land.
AAP Image/Youthu Yindi Foundation
Tony Abbott is spending this week in North East Arnhem Land, part of his long-held hope “to be not just the Prime Minister but the Prime Minister for Aboriginal Affairs”. We asked our experts: what stories…
Indigenous languages won’t survive if Indigenous kids don’t have the opportunity to speak their native languages at school.
AAP
The question of what language(s) to teach Indigenous students, what languages to teach them in, and how to go about it has been generating a little political heat (but not quite so much light) of late…
The new radio service will benefit residents of Warlpiri Country, in the Northern Territory.
Rusty Stewart
Some 40 years ago, on any remote island in the Arafura Sea, that stretch of water between Darwin and Papua New Guinea, if a group of Yolŋu were living on country for more than a few days there would be…
Are Australian policymakers trapped in a monolingual mindset?
Katie Tegtmeyer
Indigenous languages are under attack yet again. The federal budget, released on May 13, includes a substantial reduction of A$9.5 million over four years for the Indigenous Languages Support Programme…
Associate Professor and Reader, ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, Research Unit for Indigenous Language, School of Languages and Linguistics, The University of Melbourne