Reconciliation and Social Justice Library

A MATTER OF SURVIVAL - WHO SHOULD TEACH THE LANGUAGE?

3.15 Most people the committee spoke to felt that parents should teach language to their children wherever possible but in many cases the parents do not speak the traditional language. This is the result of the removal of children and other dislocations in the past which have broken the language chain. In other instances grandparents did not pass on the language to parents. In some communities parents speak to their children in language but the children reply in another language such as a creole or English. Children frequently do not hold their traditional language in high esteem. In communities where parents do not speak the language sufficiently to be able to teach their children then a variety of other ways of propagating the language were sought. Parents who are multilingual are often not fully aware of which language they use most with their children.

3.16 Miriwoong and Gajirrawoong people at Kununurra told the committee of the need to convince younger people to use their language:

At the moment there is no-one under forty who can speak either of these languages fluently, though there are many younger people who understand, but are too shy, or lack a suitable context to try to speak themselves. If children are to learn the language, not only their grandparents, but their parents must speak it with them and ideally re-embrace it as their principal means of communication. 48

3.17 Where traditional languages are taught within schools most communities were quite clear that such language teaching should be under ATSI control. In the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Lands bilingual education has been terminated at the request of the community. Teaching in Pitjantjatjara by non-Pitjantjatjara speakers was seen to be corrupting the language through mispronunciation, improper grammar and pidginisation. Domain separation or two-way schooling is now their preferred method of schooling with English speakers teaching the European part of the curriculum and Pitjantjatjara speakers taking the Pitjantjatjara parts.

3.18 At Yirrkala, in the Northern Territory, there is strong community control over language matters. While one dialect is taught within the school, the many clan dialects are taught by clan members in a setting away from the school but as part of the community school program. Students are then able to produce classroom materials in their own dialect.

3.19 Two-way schooling overcomes the difficulty encountered at some schools where traditional limits on who may teach what and to whom are sometimes offended against. In non two-way schools, ATSI control over ATSI matters is low. While language speakers are employed as teaching assistants or teacher's aides the class teacher or co-ordinator is usually non-ATSI. Many communities expressed dissatisfaction of varying degrees with their relationship with the school and their control over what is taught and how it is taught. Similarly, many were concerned that awareness and respect for other cultural matters was low. While a few made this criticism of community schools it was a far more common complaint about town schools. These parents sought a greater involvement in their schools and increased responsiveness from the schools.

3.20 Because of the range of views expressed the committee believes that a flexible approach is required in supporting language maintenance with individual communities determining their own priorities.

CHAPTER 4