| Summary: | Abstract
The Kimberley Language Resource Centre (KLRC) earned its
status over three decades as the representative body for
Kimberley languages. In 2004, the organisation started to
respond to grassroots concerns about the lack of language
speakers in the younger generations. Aboriginal people are
also connecting loss of languages to loss of bio-cultural
knowledge. In 2006, the KLRC began promoting language
continuation strategies such as Teaching On Country. The
organisation uses a series of diagrams to assist with this
work and is developing an Aboriginal oral curriculum. Lack
of support from within government and education circles for
these strategies led the organisation to reflect on the
difference between Aboriginal and Western knowledge
systems. This paper questions Western approaches to
education and argues that Aboriginal holistic knowledge
must be supported within appropriate teaching and learning
contexts to ensure the survival of languages and knowledge.
It makes a case for evidence based, community engaged
research examining language and knowledge continuation. It
asks that Western education providers, who segregate
language knowledge from experience and from country,
examine and revise their practices. In conclusion, it calls
for a realistic dialogue with government which honours the
intentions of former Prime Minister Rudd's Apology to the
Stolen Generations.
|
|---|