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The Australians who are outcasts in their own land Posted: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 Walk around the sprawling community of Wadeye and you will be assailed by children, quick to spot a stranger in town. They crowd around curiously and talk to you in broken English but chatter among themselves in Murrinh-patha, the indigenous language of this former Catholic mission. Six other languages are spoken here, all of them endangered, making Wadeye a laboratory for linguists. 'Language is our identity and if we forget our identity, we are nothing,' says Patrick Nudjulu, sheltering from the sun on the veranda of his house. A patriarchal figure, with white beard and a leg withered by leprosy, he points to his grandchildren playing nearby. Speaking in their mother tongue will keep them connected to their culture, says this old man. But he encourages the children to go to school to do their sums and to learn how to speak in English. 'You need to be able to talk to the white fella,' he says. Full Article : guardian.co.uk |
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