Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are the sovereign Peoples and custodians of the land that we now call Australia. Invasion saw attempts at destroying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander connection to Country, identity, and languages. First Languages Australia has developed a website to support the revival of the many Traditional Languages that haven’t been heard since invasion. First Languages are the oldest continuously spoken languages in the world, and as speech pathologists, it is important we continue to advocate for the sovereign communication rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to speak and communicate in a way that preserves the history, culture, identity, songs, and stories of the lands that have been passed down for thousands of years.
The aim of this website is to support communities toward a future where all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language communities have full command of their languages and can use them as much as they wish to. Importantly, this website addresses the strengths of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. First Languages Australia connects language communities across Australia to address issues that impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages to make positive changes.
The website content is well organised in terms of understanding First Languages, the importance of maintaining languages, and language terminology. For speech pathologists working towards advocating for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to revitalise, use, develop, and transmit languages, as stated in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), this is a great opportunity to develop one’s learning and appreciation for First Languages.
As well as an important learning resource, the website provides numerous opportunities for use in the clinical setting. Resources such as children’s books and activities can be used creatively with child clients and families. The clinician and the adult Aboriginal client could engage in interesting and meaningful discussion about language. The client, for example, could locate their Country and language group under the 50 Words project (see https://www.firstlanguages.org.au/resources) and try to teach the clinician correct pronunciation, “flipping” the usual clinician-patient roles where the clinician is typically the “knower”. You will find resources that you could use with people across the lifespan who identify as Aboriginal and/ or Torres Strait Islander. The resources are valuable for clientele who speak their Traditional Languages and Home
Languages, as well as those who speak standard Australian English.
From the wide range of resources available, we’ve provided brief descriptions below as examples of some that might be particularly useful to you as a speech pathologist.
Home
There are eight information tabs on the home page through which speech pathologists can gain further understanding of the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. They support those who work in policy development and advocacy, university lecturers, community clinicians, and researchers. The 50 Words project and Sounds resource seem to appear across all the project and resource tabs. These are vital resources as they aim to provide readers with 50 words in every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language and highlight some of the shared features of sound systems and orthographies across the continent.
Resources
A further 25 resources can be found under the resources tab, which have been developed to assist language centres and custodians to enable languages to be “spoken strongly into the future”. We have identified the following resources that may support your cultural learning (CPSP requirement) as well as support in providing culturally safe and responsive services.
Professional educational resources
Linking therapists and educationalists with their local language custodians to share languages, Gambay is an interactive First Languages map that allows you to navigate and identify Aboriginal Language groups. The map displays the diversity of languages and has interactive videos of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples around Australia discussing their personal journeys to keep their languages alive. It was recently used in a higher educational setting, where students were able to identify the traditional custodians for the land that they were on and to develop their own Acknowledgement of Country.
Important places and resources for clinicians
As a result of successful collaborations between schools and language communities, the Nintiringanyi: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Language Teaching and Employment Strategy has collated a document discussing the importance of developing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language syllabuses to support communities in teaching their language/s in schools. This may be a useful resource for speech pathologists when conducting assessment and/or therapy sessions. Another resource for speech pathologists working in the paediatric setting is the Spread the Word resource, where Disney, Media Farm and First Languages Australia have collaborated to develop a 10-part Indigenous languages series. This is a fun resource featuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander comedians introducing you to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander words.
Overall, this website provides fantastic resources that are relevant for speech pathologists to use right across the nation, regardless of which range of practice area or age group you work with. We encourage you to explore this fantastic website to build your knowledge, understanding, and resources.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Tara Lewis
Tara Lewis is an Iman woman with connection to Taroom area in central Queensland. Tara has had the privilege of working and learning on the lands of the Yuggera and Turrbal Peoples in Meanjin. She is the Senior Advisor Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Strategy and Practice at Speech Pathology Australia. Tara has dedicated her life and work to ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families have access to culturally safe and responsive care, which values the importance of home language/s.
Elizabeth Armstrong
Beth Armstrong is Foundation Chair in Speech Pathology at Edith Cowan University, Perth. Her research focuses on improving services for Aboriginal people after brain injury.
Hannah Thompson
Hannah Thompsonis a proud Kara Kara woman who grew up in Darumbal Country, Rockhampton, Queensland. Hannah is now living and working in Naarm, Melbourne, as a speech pathologist in the acute hospital setting, working with adults. Her specialty areas are emergency medicine, critical care, oncology, haematology, and palliative care units. She is actively involved in Speech Pathology Australia groups including the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and part of the Reconciliation Action Plan. Hannah enjoys travelling back to sunny Queensland to see her family and friends and spend time at the beach with a coffee in hand.