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Alyawarr Picture Dictionary LAUNCHED
Compiled by David Blackman and David Moore with members of the communities
of Amperlatwaty (Ammaroo), Antarrengeny, Arnkawenyerr, Atnwengerrp,
Ilperrelelham, Irrwelty, Mwengkart (McLaren Creek) and Wetenngerr (Epenarra).

7 October 2004
 The NSW government recently recognised that languages are integral to the sense of identity of all Aboriginal people, and that meaningful reconciliation must address issues to do with the
maintenance of language and culture.

In Alice Springs, Australia’s oldest independent Indigenous publishing house, IAD Press, is continuing its significant contribution to Australia’s cultural wealth and knowledge base by launching the Alyawarr Picture Dictionary, the third volume in its highly acclaimed
series of Aboriginal language picture dictionaries.

Over the last year, Alyawarr (pronounced ‘al-YAH-wara’) communities have worked with linguists David Blackman and David Moore to create the Alyawarr Picture Dictionary, a literacy resource based on aspects of Alyawarr culture, both past and present.

‘I believe this dictionary will be a crucial tool in slowing the alarming rate of language loss among Alyawarr children,’ says David Blackman, who has been studying Alyawarr for 12 years. And at
Epenarra (NT), people have been saying, ‘This will be really good for the kids.’

The Alyawarr region is large, stretching across the south-east of the Northern Territory and into western Queensland. The words included in the Alyawarr Picture Dictionary are those commonly used as far north as Ilperrelhelam (Lake Nash, NT) and as far south as the Plenty Highway.

Contributors to the dictionary include 54 people from the communities of Amperlatwaty (Ammaroo), Antarrengeny, Arnkawenyerr, Atnwengerrp, Ilperrelelham, Ilperrelhelam, Irrwelty, Mwengkart (McLaren Creek) and Wetenngerr (Epenarra).

The Alyawarr Picture Dictionary contains about 620 key Alyawarr words with 400 accompanying pictures. It draws on Alyawarr elders’ knowledge of the ethnobiology and natural history of their lands, and of kinship and skin groups relating to their social structure. It also records some of the hand signs that older Alyawarr people use in place of words.

The Alyawarr Picture Dictionary is a valuable resource for Alyawarr school children and their teachers, for Alyawarr speakers wanting to learn Alyawarr literacy, and for anyone wanting to learn something about the Alyawarr language of Central Australia.

Launch
The Alyawarr Picture Dictionary will be launched by the Hon. Warren Snowdon (MP Lingiari) at Amperlatwaty School (4hrs north-east of Alice Springs) at 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday 13 October 2004.

To request a review copy, contact Sam Moulds on  08 8951 1379 or email: press@iad.edu.au
To arrange an interview, contact Kirsty Nancarrow on 08 8951 1379 or email: kirsty@iad.edu.au

Institute for Aboriginal Development Inc. is assisted by the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
                                                                                                             


 

Copyright © Institute for Aboriginal Development 2004                               

IAD is a registered training organisation (National code: 0167)

3 South Terrace Alice Springs  phone: 08 8951 1311  fax: 08 8953 1884  Email: general.info@iad.edu.au
 

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