Language reclamation and mental health: Revivalistics in the service of the wellbeing of Indigenous people

Abstract

Language is postulated as core to a people’s wellbeing and mental health. Hallett, Chandler and Lalonde (2007) report a clear correlation between youth suicide and lack of conversational knowledge in the native language in British Columbia, Canada. However, there has been no systematic study of the impact of language revival (in contrast to language loss) on mental health, partly because language reclamation is still rare. The Barngarla people of Eyre Peninsula, South Australia are but one example of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples suffering the effects of linguicide (language killing). Their dependency on the coloniser’s tongue, language loss, and consequent lack of cultural autonomy and intellectual sovereignty, increase the phenomenon of disempowerment, self-loathing and suicide. According to the 2008 National Australian Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) Social Survey (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2010a), 31% of Indigenous Australians aged 15+ experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress in the four weeks prior to their interview. This is 2.5 times the rate for non- Indigenous Australians. The Barngarla people have decided to reclaim their “sleeping beauty” tongue. While looking at evidence from Barngarla and other Aboriginal revivals, this paper begins to determine whether there is a positive correlation between language reclamation and increased personal empowerment, improved sense of identity and purpose as well as reduced cases of depression. Acknowledgments: Caryn Rogers, Amy Finlay, Michael Wright, Leonie Segal, and Gareth Furber.