Stories of the Tanganekald

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (15:13): My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. Will the minister inform the council on the launch of the book Stories of the Tanganekald?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:13): I thank the honourable member for his question and his interest generally in the areas of Aboriginal affairs and promoting and uplifting Aboriginal people in this state. I recently had the privilege of attending the book launch of Stories of the Tanganekald.

Stories of the Tanganekald isa collection of many ancient stories from the Ngarrindjeri nation and the Lower Lakes and Coorong area. Sadly, the Tanganekald people of the Ngarrindjeri nation were severely disrupted upon European settlement in the region from the mid 19^th century.

However, with great foresight many of these stories were composed and recorded by the Ngarrindjeri ancestor Milerum in the 1930s. Milerum was a Tanganekald man steeped in traditional knowledge who saw his culture under threat and therefore decided to make recordings of songs, stories and events that formed his upbringing. Some of these are now well known, such as the exploits of the powerful Ngurunderi who chases Ponde along the River Murray to the lakes and the Coorong region, shaping the landscapes as they go. Others are less well known, including the vengeful Crow and the evil Prope, an evil sister who preys upon children. There is much to be learnt from reading many of these stories.

Milerum formed a productive relationship and partnership with Norman Tindale from the SA Museum, who created this vast collection of Tanganekald records. Not only are the collection of stories contained in this book special themselves but importantly they are now a resource for rich language and cultural education that is being taken out of the archives and shared back with the community.

At the launch, many Aboriginal people understood the significance of the launch of this book, the significance of the language and the intrinsic connection between language and culture. In particular, Ali Abdullah-Highfold, who is a descendant of Milerum of the Tanganekald people, expressed that:

Projects like this continue the process of getting valuable stories and language back to Ngarrindjeri community. This is all part of the continued sharing of knowledge and dreaming stories that sits at the centre of our sense of belonging and community.

The stories in this book have been powerfully illustrated by the drawings and paintings of Jacob Stengle. Sadly, Jacob passed away before the book was completed. Jacob was a grandson of Milerum. We had the pleasure of hearing from Jacob's niece, Gabrielle, who acknowledged the pride her family felt in the work Jacob had done for the Tanganekald language and stories and in the book being provided for the community to share. I would like to acknowledge the Stengle family, the descendants of Milerum and the Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation for their support and contributions to this project.