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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-09-27 Daily Xml
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Kaurna Dictionary

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN (15:20): My question is to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. Will the minister please inform the council on the recent launch of the Kaurna dictionary at Tauondi College?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:20): I thank the honourable member for his question and his interest in this area. Earlier this year, on 28 July, I was fortunate to attend and formally launch the Kaurna Warrapiipa, the Kaurna dictionary. This dictionary is the first Kaurna to English dictionary to be published and contains over 4,000 words. As I understand, previous to this resource the closest thing to a dictionary was a document previously written by German missionaries, who documented approximately 2,000 Kaurna words in the 1830s. The launch was held at Tauondi Aboriginal College in Port Adelaide and was collectively organised by the Kaurna Warra Pintyanthi and the Kaurna Warra Karrpanthi, Wakefield Press and Tauondi College.

As is well documented, the arrival of Europeans on Kaurna country had devastating consequences for the Kaurna people, who had lived and thrived on this land for tens of thousands of years. One such devastating consequence was much of the loss of language due to many of the European Australians' assimilation policies at the time, which forbade the use of their own language. Perhaps the most obvious examples of this are members of the stolen generations, who were forcibly removed from their families and communities at a young age, to be disconnected from culture, language and kinship, in many instances for the rest of their lives.

Therefore, it is important to acknowledge the many efforts of Kaurna leaders in the community preserving and revitalising Kaurna heritage and culture, and the launch of this dictionary is another very important step in the revitalisation of the Kaurna language. It has been well documented that language plays an important role in cultural healing, wellbeing and empowerment, while research is starting to show that it can improve physical and mental health as well. I note that research is currently being untaken I think by Adelaide University and SAHMRI in Adelaide to look at just that: the effects on language revival and reclamation on the physical and mental health of Aboriginal people.

Furthermore, Aboriginal languages are starting and I think will increasingly play an important part in our state's education system. I know from my own experience with my own kids that the units they have been taught, particularly in primary school, about Kaurna culture, Kaurna words and language have been important for them and their classmates, and I think we will increasingly see that in the future, particularly with the resources like the one now available.

I want to congratulate all of those involved with the development of this project. In particular I pay tribute to Rob Amery from the University of South Australia and also Jack Buckskin, who have been involved in the reclamation of the Kaurna language, both to a very significant degree, and to Wakefield Press, who were the publishers of the Kaurna language dictionary that was launched this year. I note, from talking to the publishers, the dictionary's initial run had at the time either sold out or was very close to selling out. I certainly have had a number of people ask me about the dictionary and where it can be bought. That says very positive things about the reconciliation process and where we are at the moment.

I want to finish up by also congratulating Katrina Power, who played a very important role on the day in helping launch the dictionary and talking about why it's needed and why things like promoting language can help to overcome the disadvantage so many Aboriginal people have faced.

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