#yolngu matha

[spankerella]

Bluey speaks Indigenous language in time for NAIDOC week

The animated award-winning cartoon series Bluey has been translated into Yolŋu Matha, from north-east Arnhem Land, for NAIDOC Week.

[twitterexile]

[linguaphiliax]

Despite there being hundreds of Indigenous Australian languages, the phonetics of them all follow a very similar logical consistency.

Here’s another of my attempts at showing people how amazing Australian languages are, and if you want to see more... well, you’re on social media, so I’m assuming you know what to do.

[siancore]

Danzal Baker, known professionally as Baker Boy, is the recipient of  Young Australian of the Year, 2019. He comes from Milingimbi Island, Arnhem Land. He is an Aboriginal musician, dancer, artist, and actor who incorporates both Yolŋu Matha and English in his lyrics. Baker Boy gained national recognition in 2017 as winner of the Triple J Unearthed National Indigenous Music Awards Competition. He has since performed with artists such as Yothu Yindi, Dizzee Rascal, and 50 Cent.

[phonaesthemes]

High school students follow in Baker Boy's footsteps by rapping in Yolngu Matha

A project working with high school students in the birthplace of Yothu Yindi puts Indigenous female rappers in the spotlight.

A project working with high school students in the birthplace of musical group Yothu Yindi is putting Indigenous female rappers in the spotlight — and they are doing it in their own language, Yolngu Matha.

The song Shine and an accompanying music video is the result of a two-week workshop with high school students in Yirrkala in north-east Arnhem.

Performer and Yolngu woman Elena Wangurra led the project.

She said while many of the teenage girls started out quite shy, the workshops turned into a safe space as they navigated themes — like petrol sniffing — to include in their song lyrics. "It just goes to show once you create a space of encouragement and safety, that this can be the end product. I really wanted an end product that was a positive representation of young women in communities and especially young women in Yirrkala. So that's what the song is about: women having a voice."

[linguisten]

Arnhem Land artist one of first to rap in Indigenous language

Baker Boy releases his first rap partly in Yolngu Matha, and believes he is the first Aboriginal musician to rap in an Indigenous language.

[ich-bin-der-baer]

Social media, birds and desire to share culture help Yirrkala teen become published author

An inspiring young schoolgirl becomes a published author by providing a rare insight into the rich birdlife of her hometown.

[gekbarna]

A translator takes on the role of NT Supreme Court judge. (ABC: Avani Dias)

Language and the law: NT judges 'on trial' in role-playing court lesson

Northern Territory Supreme Court justices have taken the defendant's dock and put interpreters in charge in an unusual role reversal to highlight the difficulties for non-English speakers in court.

The role-playing is part of a Language and Law Conference that focuses on issues that arise when interpreting languages spoken in the NT.

In one scenario, Acting Judge Dean Mildren sat in the dock accused of going to an Aboriginal community without the tribe's permission, which is a crime in some clans.

The court proceedings were in Yolngu Matha, which is the language spoken by communities in north-east Arnhem Land.

Derrick Hunt from the Aboriginal Interpreters Service (AIS) translated the proceedings for Justice Mildren.

"It gives other people an insight into how Aboriginal people feel when they're in the legal system or when they don't understand English properly," he said.

"I think the whole point of this conference is to raise awareness on the language difficulties that Aboriginal people have in the English world, but it also helps the professionals engage with Aboriginal people a bit better."

In another scenario, Justice Judith Kelly was questioned by police in Indonesian, accused of hitting an officer during an altercation.

The court proceedings used humour to draw attention to common misconceptions by judges when defendants use a language interpreter.

"Surely if I allow him to have an interpreter, I'm just rewarding him for not learning Yolngu Matha properly?" the mock judge said in the Aboriginal language.

"If he keeps coming back often enough, he will definitely learn to speak Yolngu Matha."

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