The Top End Language Forum

We have now entered the UNESCO International Decade of Indigenous Languages, 2022-2032, and Aboriginal language advocates in the Top End are taking advantage of this to focus on the future. On 6-7 June 2022, 60+ delegates from 10+ Aboriginal communities in the region gathered in Darwin to discuss what they want for their languages by the end of the decade.

The forum brought together representatives from 10+ communities.

The meeting was held entirely for and by Aboriginal community representatives, facilitated by Rarrtjiwuy Melanie Herdman. At least a dozen Aboriginal languages are still spoken fluently in the Top End, and this was reflected in the variety of languages used in the meeting. Keynote and closing addresses were delivered by MLA Yiŋiya Mark Guyula.

Delegates at the meeting spoke of the central importance of language on every level of their lives, from education and community development through to spirituality, well-being and sovereignty. Over two days of passionate discussion and sharing of stories, delegates articulated a shared vision for the maintenance and strengthening of Aboriginal languages in the Top End. There was a particular focus on issues of bilingual education, community-based language practices, building connections between communities, and raising the profile of Aboriginal languages more widely. An initial statement of collective goals for 2032 was drafted, and this will now be discussed within a wider network of community representatives, to be finalised in the coming months.

Jenny Manmurulu speaks to Judy Lalara and others.

Pirrawayingi Marius Pupuntatameri speaks to Tictac Moore.

The meeting was jointly supported by Charles Darwin University, the University of Melbourne and Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education.