Ngarigo Language
The revitalization of the Ngarigo language is a core pillar of our tribal revival initiative. It is our means of communicating our thoughts, values culture. It captures the feel in the way we communicate, a way of expressing ourselves which has been around for thousands of years.
In the words of National NAIDOC Committee Co-Chair Anne Martin, languages are the breath of life for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, making it vital to raise awareness of the importance of Indigenous languages across the country.
‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait languages are not just a means of communication, they express knowledge about everything: law, geography, history, family and human relationships, philosophy, religion, anatomy, childcare, health, caring for country, astronomy, biology and food.
‘Each language is associated with an area of land and has a deep spiritual significance, and it is through their own languages that Indigenous nations maintain their connection with their ancestors, land and law,’
The Ngarigo language and dialects which derive from it cover most of the high country in southern NSW and Victoria as well as some of the surrounding lower country. Restoring it will benefit several tribes in the region.
We want our language taught in schools and used in our homes. School based language programs encourage Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students to learn Aboriginal languages which strengthens Aboriginal students’ identity and pride stimulates further interest in learning. For non-Aboriginal students, learning a local Aboriginal language provides an insight into and better understanding of the world’s oldest living cultures.
The NSW Department of Education’s Aboriginal Education Policy, commits to working, in partnership with the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Inc. and Aboriginal communities, to implement Aboriginal languages programs in schools. We actively support this and the growing movement to restore Ingenious languages everywhere.
“Indigenous Peoples have the right to revitalise, use, develop and transmit to future generations their histories, languages, oral traditions, philosophies, writing systems and literatures, and to designate and retain their own names for communities place and persons.”
– United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (Article 13)
NNIC has a Language Plan for the next three years.