NORTHERN Tablelands Local Land Services (LLS) has just launched a new project to compile a comprehensive reference guide to local Aboriginal languages.
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Senior strategic land services officer – Aboriginal communities Harry White is at the helm of the Aboriginal language project.
It follows his previous success with the Bush Tucker, Boomerangs and Bandages and Sticks and Stones publications.
With funding from the Australian government’s Caring for Our Country initiative, Aboriginal linguist, Bernadette Duncan, is also working on the project, to gather as much information as possible about the languages spoken by Aboriginal people across the Northern Tablelands.
Mr White said the Northern Tablelands LLS Aboriginal Reference Advisory Group (ARAG), which includes Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) representation across the region, is also playing a key role in the project.
“We are looking to access LALC language resources and records, as well as using their contact networks to connect with Aboriginal people who can help us build our knowledge of local language,” said Mr White.
“If there are people out there who have information about local languages and dialects, we would love them to contact us, either through their Local Aboriginal Land Council or through any Northern Tablelands LLS office.”
“We’ll be researching local languages and dialects such as Kamilaroi, Biripi, Nganyaywana, Gumbainggir, and Ngarabal. This region was home to several Aboriginal nations with many different dialects and we want to find as much information as we can about all of these languages.”
Mr White said the end goal is to produce a reference book to be distributed throughout the region, to ensure our Aboriginal languages are not lost to future generations.
For more information about the Northern Tablelands LLS Aboriginal Language project, contact Harry White on 02 6728 8047 or email: harry.white@lls.nsw.gov.au.
