Batchelor Institute logo
Acknowledgement of country

Batchelor Institute would like to acknowledge and pay respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sovereign people of the lands on which our campuses are located. As we share our knowledge, teaching and learning and engage in research practices within this Institution and/or conduct business with a variety of external agencies and organisations, we must always pay respect to the sovereign status of our hosts. May their Ancestors always be remembered and honoured, their Elders listened to and respected, all members treated with dignity and fairness — in the present and well into the future.

We also acknowledge and pay respect to the knowledge embedded forever with our hosts, custodianship of country and the binding relationship they have with the land. Batchelor Institute extends this acknowledgment and expression of respect to all sovereign custodians — past, present and emerging. By expressing Acknowledgement of Country we encourage all to extend and practice respect to all First Nations people wherever their lands are located.

Please read this important information
It is a condition of use of the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education website that users ensure that any disclosure of the information contained in the website is consistent with the views and sensitivities of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
This includes:
Language
Users are warned that there may be words and descriptions which may be culturally sensitive and which might not normally be used in certain public or community contexts. Terms and annotations, which reflect the author’s attitude or that of the period in which the item was written, may be considered inappropriate today in some circumstances.
Deceased persons
Users of the website should be aware that, in some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities, seeing images of deceased persons in photographs, film and books or hearing them in recordings may cause sadness or distress and in some cases, offend against strongly held cultural prohibitions.
Access conditions
Materials included in this website may be subject to access conditions imposed by Indigenous communities and/or depositors. Users are advised that access to some materials may be subject to these terms and conditions which the Institute is required to maintain
Application details
Position No.

.pdf, .doc, .docx maxiumum file size 8mb

Thank you for your application

Our Batchelor Institute team will get back to you shortly.

Inter-Library loan form
4 characters left

Item

Single article/chapter

Single article/chapter

I hereby request you to make and supply me with a copy of the article or extract listed on this application, which I require for the purpose of research or study. I have not previously been supplied with a copy of the said article or extract by a librarian. I have undertaken that is a copy is supplied to me, I will not use it except for the purposes of research or study.

Thank you for your application

Our Batchelor Institute team will get back to you shortly.

Send your enquiry and a Batchelor team member will get back to you shortly
Thank you for contacting us

Our Batchelor Institute team will get back to you shortly.

Search
Languages Forum results in collaborative statement and vision
3 minute read
Participants in the Top End Languages Forum are pictured in Darwin on 6 June 2022.

Coinciding with the UNESCO International Decade of Indigenous Languages, 2022-2032, Aboriginal language advocates from across the Top End gathered in Darwin recently for the Top End Languages Forum.

The two-day forum, coorganised by Batchelor Institute, Charles Darwin University (CDU) Northern Institute, and the University of Melbourne, was held at CDU campus on 6-7 June 2022. It brought together over 65 delegates from more than ten Aboriginal communities of the Top End region to discuss what they want for their languages by the end of the decade.

The meeting was held entirely for and by Aboriginal community representatives, facilitated by Rarrtjiwuy Melanie Herdman. At least a dozen Aboriginal languages are still spoken fluently in the Top End, and this was reflected in the variety of languages used in the meeting. Keynote and closing addresses were delivered by Mr Yiŋiya Mark Guyula, Member for Mulka, and a panel discussion was organised by interpreters from the Aboriginal Interpreter Service. In addition to this, presentations were given by First Nations leaders and language champions from a number of Top End communities.

Delegates at the meeting spoke of the central importance of language on every level of their lives, from education and community development through to spirituality, wellbeing and sovereignty. Over two days of passionate discussion and sharing of stories, delegates articulated a shared vision for the maintenance and strengthening of Aboriginal languages in the Top End. There was a particular focus on issues of bilingual education, community-based language practices, building connections between communities, and raising the profile of Aboriginal languages more widely.

Batchelor Institute’s Mia Stanford presented at the forum, talking about her experience working with her Kungarakan language. Ms Stanford reflected that the forum highlighted the need and sense of urgency to develop language programs and resources.

“This forum was so important for participants to come together to build cultural resilience, network and tap into the professionals and avenues to create language repositories and expertise to champion language leadership,” she said, adding that she was looking forward to future collaborations and development opportunities.

Batchelor Institute’s Dr Robyn Ober, who also participated in the forum, described it as an inspiring event, where everybody was engaged and real issues about language, identity and connection were passionately discussed.

“It was run by our mob – the facilitators, the presenters, the guest speakers,” said Dr Ober. “It was very inspirational, and makes such a difference when we run the events.”

An initial statement of shared goals for 2032 was drafted at the forum, and this will now be discussed within a wider network of community representatives, to be finalised in the coming months. An accompanying video will also be released.

The forum was dedicated to the late Dr Cathy Bow, a highly respected linguist who was a key figure in language work in the NT and was central to the organisation of the forum, prior to her sudden passing in 2021.