Taungurung Land and Water Council (TLaWC) Language Group are revitalising the language spoken by the Taungurung tribes of the Kulin Nation, publishing a colourful pocket guide for the next generation to use as a language reference, and more importantly, to ensure their language is never lost.
There are no known audio recordings of the Taungurung language, however, with the help of expert researchers, specialist linguists, and the Taungurung community, TLaWC have been able to recover some of the words and phrases used by their ancestors.
Similar to English, Indigenous languages contain nouns and adjectives, pronouns and verbs, and even suffixes. ‘Dhumbak’ is the word for talk, and ‘Taungurung’ is the name for ‘country’, so it makes sense to title their pocket guide Dhumbak Taungurung.
Prior to colonisation, the Taungurung people occupied much of Central Victoria, and they shared a common language that nursed valuable information about their creation and dreamtime stories, economic and kinship connections, and most importantly, where they could find medicine, food, and water resources in varying seasonal conditions.
While the pocket guide is an important resource for early learning centres and classrooms, and even for visitors who come to see Taungurung country, it also provides an opportunity to learn more about local Indigenous culture, and delivers self-determination to the Taungurung community to help them identify with their culture and honour their ancestors.
The A6 pocket guide is available to purchase online via www.taungurung.com.au.
