Push to boost number of Aboriginal academic staff

Increasing the number of Aboriginal academic staff is a "pragmatic" way to boost knowledge of indigenous culture and knowledge in the sector, says Larissa Behrendt, the chairwoman of the federal government's review of indigenous access and participation in higher education. Professor Behrendt said the review would not get distracted by academic debates on the content and methodologies of indigenous knowledge. "The terms of reference for this review has a clear focus on closing the gap, while the [one] that focuses on indigenous knowledge allows for an approach which is comprehensive," Professor Behrendt said.

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Japanese linguist helps revive an Aboriginal language

In north Queensland the Worrongo language is coming back to life. It's taken 40 years but from almost the ashes of extinction, an Aboriginal language has been saved and is again being spoken on Palm Island in North Queensland. The last living speaker of the Worrongo language is a Japanese professor who created a dictionary after learning it from one of the last native speakers in the early 1970s.

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Workshop works to revitalize Native American - Tlingit - language

Elders, fluent Tlingit speakers, language teachers and learners gathered in Juneau recently to work towards Tlingit language revitalization. The “Honoring Our Ancestors, Teaching Our Language” workshop was sponsored by Goldbelt Heritage Foundation through an Administration for Native Americans language grant; the grant was titled “Tlingit Language Flowing Through Generations: A Region wide Approach to Language Revitalization'.

Teachers work with elders throughout the year enhancing their understanding of the verb forms and then take that new knowledge and translate it into language lessons for youth. Every member of this team is committed to language revitalization and the benefits inherent herein to heal past historical trauma many of our elders experienced from being punished for speaking their first language within schools. Holding on to the language is a crucial endeavor as teachers strive to learn from our fluent speakers.

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Australian languages

Noel Pearson once said, 'If you don't know an Indigenous Australian language, learn one. If you know an Indigenous Australian language, improve your grasp of it; literacy in Australian languages is still rare. Then speak it to the children. This is the noblest and worthiest cause for an Australian patriot'.