Having it both ways: towards recognition of the Kaurna language movement within the community and within the university sector

Abstract

Kaurna, the Indigenous language of the Adelaide Plains in South Australia, was a sleeping language until its reclamation and re-introduction in the 1990s. Most likely it had not been spoken on a daily basis since the 1860s. It is now being revived on the basis of nineteenth century written documentation in the absence of sound recordings. The Kaurna language movement is unusual in the Australian context in that it is driven by a long-standing, but poorly defined and largely unrecognised, partnership embodied in Kaurna Warra Pintyanthi (KWP), which operates between the Kaurna community and the tertiary sector. This partnership has hinged on Amery’s relationship with Kaurna Elders and youth, involvement in many aspects of Kaurna language reclamation and its re-introduction, and his employment as an academic at the University of Adelaide. A series of projects funded by the Commonwealth Government, state government Department of Education and Child Development, local governments and donations have been run through the University. KWP also engages directly with the public, schools and a wide range of institutional clients in addressing their requests for Kaurna names, translations and information. Up to ten or even fifteen such requests may be tabled at the regular monthly KWP meeting. Recently this partnership has been immensely strengthened through a triennial grant from the Commonwealth Indigenous Languages Support (ILS) program that has funded the employment of key Kaurna people, Buckskin and Goldsmith, by the University. This has initiated a new phase and a window of opportunity for the Kaurna language movement. KWP is using this opportunity to establish an incorporated body, Miyurna Warra Karrpanthi (MWK), which will act as a sister community-based organisation to work alongside KWP. This will strengthen the language movement within the Kaurna community. At the same time KWP, which is based within the University of Adelaide, is seeking to clarify and formalise its relationship with the University through a Memorandum of Agreement. All members of KWP are well aware of the vulnerability of the Kaurna language movement, dependent as it is on government grants, goodwill and voluntary effort, and are actively pursuing strategies to make the language movement sustainable over the long term. Formal agreements, the strengthening of an organisation that operates within the tertiary institution and the establishment of an organisation that operates outside the tertiary institution are part of that strategy.