Wednesday, 13 February 2019

Bruthen Primary School Victorian Education Excellence Award 2018

From the moment students walk through Bruthen Primary School's front gates, the pride for its Koorie community and culture is clear.
Bruthen Primary School
Nicole Hood Lynnette Solomon-Dent Bradley Kenny Michelle Young
Over the past two years, the small school of 45 students has developed an Aboriginal language and culture program. Aboriginal education and culture is evident in every classroom for every student.
A truly collaborative effort between students, staff, parents, community Elders and Koorie engagement support officers has created outstanding outcomes. They are united in their enthusiasm and commitment to explore the stories of the past and work towards a positive future.
In 2017, the school's Student Attitude to School Survey achieved the 88th percentile for sense of inclusion. This is in no small way due to the Koorie education program's success in teaching principles of understanding, empathy and pride.
The school has also achieved positive academic outcomes. There are notable improvements in literacy and numeracy benchmarks since the Koorie education program began.
As a result of this, Bruthen Primary is deeply proud of its Koorie culture and language program, which it puts at the core of all student learning. They also share the program's success by working with other local schools to help establish their own culturally inclusive program.

It was great to be a part of a small school in a community where my Uncle and Aunty who first started me on my Language learning teaching and passion for our languages lived, my only regret that my Uncle Albert was not around to see this.  Uncle Albert would have been so proud and all of my other Aunties and Uncles who were part of our Yirruk-Tinnor Elders Language Reference group.  They guided us on what was to be taught, how it was to be taught and how it was to be shared with the wider community.  We have parents and community who support the program at the school.

We call it the Yirruk-Tinnor because the language went from Wilson's prom to Genoa/Mallacoota.  Because of colonisation, there was not enough for just a Gunai language and it is a language incorporating the whole of Gippsland and we had the missions which had many peoples form many different places across Victoria. 

The language being used has been called Gunaikurnai or the Ganai or Gunai for the language program but it has words of the people from the  lands on which we live, which is the Gunai peoples of the five groups from Gunaikurnai and the Monaro/Ngarigo and at times Bidawell thus covering our total lands of the Gippsland area. 

When you speak and use language it is important to use the words that belong to that particular place, that piece of land, you cannot use a word from Bundjalung which is from New South Wales to represent land and items in the country of Gippsland as we have a different word which is used for that particular item.

Another misconception people have is that language stayed in one place, our Aboriginal languages are living and thus they live in the people, in the country and thus move with the people, they are shared and as people moved up and down the coast into the high country for Bogong moths celebration and festival that language was there and used and people from other areas liked some of the words and then took them back to their lands to use.

Some of Gippsland words are found in other languages across Victoria.

If we look at the languages we speak today in English we use many language words from other countries and they are part of  our vocabulary, for example these are some word English has stolen from other languages across the world
In French
“Cafe” comes from the French word for “coffee,” but it’s also very similar to other words related to coffee in many other languages.

A croissant is a type of pastry or bread that is light and flaky. “Flaky” means the croissant leaves lots of little crumbs on your plate when you eat it.
In German
A delicatessen (abbreviated “deli”) is an informal restaurant where you can get sandwiches, coffee and other small foods. This comes from the German word Delikatessenwhich means “fine/fancy foods,” but in English it just describes the place where you can buy those foods

Kindergarten Translated literally, this word means “children’s garden.” It’s a common type of school in many parts of the world. Children often go to a year or two of kindergarten when they’re 5 years old before they start elementary school. (german word)

In Spanish Macho This word describes a person who is very strong or masculine. It can also be used to describe a person who is arrogant about his manhood. It’s also been used in the name of a professional wrestler and a popular disco song from the 1970s.

 In English, “patio” generally describes an area outside a house which often has a table and chairs, but no roof.

A plaza describes a public open area in a city, which can sometimes be called a “square.”

A siesta is another name for “nap,” but it’s generally a nap that one takes in the middle of the day, especially after eating or while taking a break from work.

In Japanese
You probably know what karaoke is. It’s when you sing along with the tune of a popular song while reading the lyrics from a screen. There are karaoke bars in many countries, including the US and the UK, but it’s most commonly associated with Japan.

Like karaoke, you probably recognize this word. It describes a popular martial art that originated in Japan. There, the word “karate” means “empty hand,” since you don’t need any special equipment or weapons to do it.

Ninja This word means “spy” in Japanese, but in English it’s used to describe a person who can move and attack silently, without being seen. People also associate ninjas with fighters who wear masks and all black clothing, even though that may not be historically true.

Origami is the art of folding small pieces of paper in order to form them into interesting shapes. Some origami can be really detailed and incredible!

Native American Language
Depending on who you ask, you will probably hear different ideas about what a moccasin is. But at least everyone will agree that it’s a type of informal shoe.

In Chinese Language
DimSim Dim sum is a style of food that’s common in southern China (specifically in and near Hong Kong). So it’s actually from the Cantonese dialect of Chinese

Tofu
This is a word that originally started in Chinese (as “dou fu“). But before it was adopted into English, it passed through Japanese and became “tofu.”
In Chinese, “dou” means “bean” and “fu” means “rotten” or “sour.” It sounds gross when you put it that way, but it can actually be pretty tasty! If you’ve not tried it, you should.

Italy
Paparazzi” is actually the plural form of the Italian word paparazzo. It’s used in English to describe a photographer or a group of photographers who take pictures of celebrities. Then they sell the photos to magazines or newspapers.

Finally Aboriginal Language words

Many people speak our Aboriginal languages in everyday conversations as you have borrowed our words and use them in English

Australian language uses about 500 Aboriginal words. ... A survey of newspapers in July 2007 found that the most common Aboriginal word is 'kangaroo', followed by 'wallaby' (which might be influenced by the rugby team of the same name), 'waratah' (also a rugby team), 'koala', 'billabong', 'kookaburra', 'dingo' and 'wombat'

Learning a Language gets your brain to think, and hear sounds that are sometimes not particular sounds used in the language you use everyday, so start learning another language you will enjoy learning not only to speak that language, but also about understanding the people, the land and the culture of those particular people, language cannot be separated into just learning words that is not learning language.

Learning Language is my greatest asset that my family and Elders have passed onto me I grew up hearing it spoken by my Aunties in Orbost, far East Gippsland and then they have asked me to pass it on and to look after it for out future generations,

I have been reviving, reclaiming our languages for over 30 years now and I intend to be doing it for a lot longer.  My family learnt English as their second language and whilst that is not possible now I will make sure that our families and others interested speak language on country, value and respect it and use it, and then I have fulfilled my promise to my Uncle Albert that I would still keep passing on knowledge about our Aboriginal language. 

There was not one language but over 750 different ones that were on different countries across this great big land.

Saturday, 27 October 2018

Honoring our Local Aboriginal Languages past present and into the future

Wunman njinde
Ngaju budjeri
Ngetal makthar Lynnette Solomon-Dent
Ngaju dardee Monaro/Ngarigo rookut
Ngaju tier Orbost ngetal wurk wurk mangina Braikauloong
Ngaju galamdah Monaro/Ngarigo wurk wurk
Ngaju galamdah wooloo wooloo, tinkara, Lidj

I am a proud Monaro/Ngarigo woman, living and working on my country and my families country around Orbost in East Gippsland and into the Wellington Area the Braikauloong.  I acknowledge the country and lands I work across and honor my Elders, past, present and our young peoples.

From an Early age we heard our language in Orbost my grandfathers, sisters & brothers speaking it as their first language, great grandfather and his children lived in bark humpys along the Bonang road going out of Orbost across from where the Orbost North Primary school now sits.

People who still live in Orbost remember hearing our family's old peoples standing on the corners of Orbost talking in lingo, thus I was destined to carry on that legacy.

In the late 1980's alongwith my Uncles and Aunties we gathered words from around and across Gippsland which they remembered then we taught them to other Aboriginal peoples through University and our schools and kindergartens, a passion and fire instilled into me, it was my journey and destiny.



On Friday night October 26th 2018 in Melbourne the Big smoke our little school Bruthen which has 45 students was represented as finalist for the Outstanding Koorie Education award.  We were 1 of 3 schools and up against some tough competition.

This was our part of our story


This is us the Team Lynnette Solomon-Dent (KESO), Nicole Hood (teacher), Lizzy Mullett (parent), Michelle Young (Principal) , Honourable James Merlino Minister for Education, and Grattan Mullett Parent and community member ( not present our other KESO Bradley Kenny)

Nicole Hood (teacher) Lynnette Solomon-Dent & Bradley Kenny (KESO) Michelle Young (Principal)

From the moment students walk through Bruthen Primary School's front gates, the pride for its Koorie community and culture is clear.
Bruthen Primary School
Over the past two years, the small school of 45 students has developed an Aboriginal language and culture program. Aboriginal education and culture is evident in every classroom for every student.
A truly collaborative effort between students, staff, parents, community Elders and Koorie engagement support officers has created outstanding outcomes. They are united in their enthusiasm and commitment to explore the stories of the past and work towards a positive future.
In 2017, the school's Student Attitude to School Survey achieved the 88th percentile for sense of inclusion. This is in no small way due to the Koorie education program's success in teaching principles of understanding, empathy and pride.
The school has also achieved positive academic outcomes. There are notable improvements in literacy and numeracy benchmarks since the Koorie education program began.

As a result of this, Bruthen Primary is deeply proud of its Koorie culture and language program, which it puts at the core of all student learning. They also share the program's success by working with other local schools to help establish their own culturally inclusive program.
We have to thank our Elders past and present, Aunty Rae who is our last remaining Language person who has guided us since the 1980's along with her husband Uncle Albert who left us 4 years ago, our Aboriginal community members and parents two of them Grattan and Lizzy Mullett our staff and the kids at our school in Bruthen.
 We spoke firstly with our Elders, then our  Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal parents and students about the program, our Principal Michelle Young who has all her passion to allow us to have this journey, our new teacher straight out of graduation Nicole Hood, and Koorie Engagement support workers (KESO) Bradley Kenny and myself Lynnette Solomon-Dent.  A team of dedicated people
Well we Won the Award what a surprise and honor which will be valued and used to carry our language & culture which has been a 60,000 yr journey and is still being continued
To my Uncle Albert who all those years ago when I was in my late 20's tapped me on the shoulders and said 'we have a job for you daught' and I just said 'ok Unc' not knowing it would be reviving and reclaiming our Aboriginal languages and assisting others to speak our local languages across Victoria, which most say are all dead.
Kanitba to all   Lynne
see the videos link below
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/awards/Pages/veeawinners.aspx#link80

Thursday, 4 October 2012

Aboriginal Language Course

At GippsTAFE there are Aboriginal Language courses for Aboriginal students to assist them with skills to Revive, teach and reclaim their own Traditional Aboriginal Languages.

We have been teaching skills for Aboriginal community since 2005 and are currently delivering the Certificate 3 and Certificate 4 in Australian Language and Cultural Heritage

Course Overview

This course is primarily for Indigenous Australians it provides you with the practical skills and knowledge relating to Australian languages, traditional knowledge and cultural heritage.

It will also enable you to organize, develop or manage language programs in your own communities, and provide training to people who are employed in government and community language and cultural heritage programs.

You will also gain formal recognition of your existing linguistic and cultural knowledge. You will determine or gain proficiency of an Australian language, learn about the structure of Australian languages, record and transcribe traditional knowledge and learn skills that enable you to develop culturally relevant resource materials to help language and cultural heritage workers to become more effective in the workplace.

You will also learn how to use new technology to promote Australian languages and traditional knowledge, making resources.

Employment Prospects

Employment opportunities in the Education area, Languages Other Than English (LOTE), Koorie Educator, Koorie Education Support Officers & Further studies for Masters.

It will also enable you to organize, develop or manage language programs in your own communities, and provide training to people who are employed in government and community language and cultural heritage programs.

In 2009 there were 17 graduates from across Victoria I taught students from Warrnambool up to Wodonga and down into far East Gippsland Mallacoota.  These students have gone on to continue working on reviving, teaching and reclaiming their languages.  One of my students is the Manager of the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages, I have other students who work in Early childhood area and is now doing her Bachelor of Early childhood and she will be finished that degree in 2 years as well as completing the Certificate 4.  Other students work in schools to teach Aboriginal Languages.

Lynne with the Graduating student from the Koorie Unit at GippsTAFE 2009
Contact GippsTAFE Morwell if you are interested the course is set up so that you can do workbooks, online classes or do workshops and face to face classes .

Aboriginal Languages, cultures and protocols P-10


Currently in Australia, Aboriginal people are still working towards control over their own cultures, Languages, lands and community life. In addition, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people are gradually seeing increased efforts to share the burden of this goal. The accreditation of a program for Aboriginal
Language learning in Victorian schools supports this reclamation of selfdetermination through reclamation and revival of Language and culture. This in turn contributes to healing within Aboriginal communities and of the nation as a whole.


Language reclamation initiatives
The last 15 years or so have seen a movement to reclaim Language across Victorian communities. Gunditjmara, Gunnai, Wathaurong, Yorta Yorta, Wergaia, Kulin groups and Waywurru/Dhudhuroa are just some of the Language groups which have made concerted efforts towards reconstructing and relearning their Languages, creating resources from calendars to dictionaries, and bringing the Languages into the public eye through speeches in Language, public noticeboards, informal classroom teaching, and other
means.
It is on this wave of interest in Language reclamation that the new initiative to accredit Language in schools emerges. Schools should see themselves as implementing the work that communities are doing, providing a means to pass on the reclamation of Language to students in

See the document for teaching Aboriginal Languages and Cultures to years Preps to years 10

http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/downloads/vels_standards/vels_aboriginal_languages.pdf

VCE Indigenous Languages Revival and Reclamation study


THE INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES OF VICTORIA
The Indigenous languages of Victoria form part of the Australian Language Family. They share similar features with other Australian Indigenous languages.

Over two hundred and fifty languages and even more language varieties were spoken in Australia prior to colonisation. Many of these languages are no longer in everyday use; some are spoken only for special purposes (such as ceremonies). Some exist only in manuscripts, some are ‘sleeping’ and some exist in name only. There may even be languages of which we no longer have any knowledge and which are unlikely to ever be reclaimed. This loss of Australia’s Indigenous linguistic heritage is a direct result of contact with English, despite the remarkable inventiveness of Indigenous Australians to withstand absorption of language and culture.

Language displacement and loss have particularly affected Victoria and Tasmania where Indigenous languages are no longer spoken as the primary means of communication. Even so, most Indigenous Victorians are aware of their language heritage, although some may recall only fragments of the language passed down over several generations since English settlement. Indigenous Victorians have maintained their oral traditions when and where they can, despite continual removal and displacement. These oral traditions constitute the most important body of knowledge on the languages. Other material is available in local, state and national archives and libraries.

The history of the Victorian Indigenous people’s struggle to maintain their cultural heritage, language and identity is truly inspirational to most Australians. Their resourcefulness to withstand absorption of culture and the rebuilding of Indigenous is remarkable. With the assistance of teachers and the Victorian Indigenous community, further progress can be a reality. Despite the history of suppressed Indigenous languages, many Victorian Indigenous people celebrate their survival and advocate strongly for their maintenance.

From the nineteenth century, written information about Indigenous languages was recorded by ‘protectors’, the clergy, squatters, police officers and other interested groups who were in contact with Aboriginal people. In the 1960s, for example, Luise Hercus recorded Indigenous Victorians on tape, speaking their languages.



 THE VICTORIAN/AUSTRALIAN INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES OVERVIEW
The Victorian/Australian Indigenous languages overview makes students aware of the rich variety of the Australian Family of Languages, their key characteristics, common and diverse histories since colonisation, and relevance to contemporary society. The Victorian/Australian Indigenous languages overview utilises a variety of strategies to explore issues such as the key features of the languages; their distribution; sound and writing systems; vocabulary, grammar and symbolic representations/ interpretations. This area of study enables students to apply parallels from other Indigenous languages to advance the revival and reclamation of the target language.

SKILLS FOR LANGUAGE RECLAMATION
This area of study provides students with the knowledge and skills to retrieve and reclaim the target language using appropriate strategies and tools. These include protocols for community consultation, and accessing linguistic and cultural knowledge, including vocabulary, grammar and symbolic representations/interpretations, through a variety of means such as community contacts and resources, artefacts, historical records, archival collections and electronic databases. It also enables students to process, analyse and evaluate the source material gathered.

CREATIVE USE OF THE TARGET LANGUAGE
This area of study enables students to use the target language creatively in an expanding range of contexts. It also provides students with opportunities to share their active knowledge of the target language with others through the development of focused activities.
Aboriginal students in Secondary schools across Victorian can do the VCE program developed for Aboriginal students doing their VCE years they can start this in year 10.  It is taught as an online class through the Koorie Unit at GippsTAFE  eamil Lynnette on lynnetteso@gippstafe.edu.au

http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/vce/ausindigenous/IndigenousSD.pdf

A letter from my Granddaughter 'Why don't we learn our own Aboriginal Languages in school?'

I asked my Grand daughter should we teach our Aboriginal Languages in schools and this is what she had to say about it. She is in Grade 6 and goes to Rosedale Primary school here in Victoria. I will write the letter here just how she gave it to me, she is 11 years old and when she was born I was able to pick a name for her so I picked our Language name and she has Woolberi Ngarawert in  her name which means 'Rain' 'Butterfly' so that our language is passed on.

Here is her letter

Intro: I will be saying why not have classes to teach Aboriginal Languages and Culture.

Reason 1
We should have classes because the land we are on (Australia) is the land that Aboriginals lived in and they are the people that live in Australia and we should know about our own Language.  My Moodjahn Lynnette has taught us our language since we were little.

Reason 2
Another reason is because schools are doing French and other Languages but the thing is, we don't live in France or London or other countries. So why not do a Language from the people in our country.

I think my school  will learn a lot and have a chance at doing a different Language and learning about the Aboriginals and their Language and culture.

So why not do Aboriginal Languages because it's stupid to do French or German and them other countries. So why not do Aboriginal Languages. Please think about it.

This is my Moodjahn and some of our family

There are many communities Reviving their Languages

Across Victoria there are a number of communities involved in Teaching and Reviving their own Aboriginal Languages belonging to particular places.

The Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages (VACL) have been involved in supporting the reviving and reclamation of our Aboriginal Languages since 1994 with Uncle Sandy (John) Atkinson as Chairperson.  I have been involved with the VACL since 1995 until 2003 and was the Secretary of the organisation  but stepping away when I became ill. 

I am still involved in the reviving and reclamation of our Aboriginal Languages and Cultures and wrote the P-10 Aboriginal Languages and Cultures Standards with Dr Christina Eira from VACL for the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority and Aboriginal Languages as part of LOTE (Languages other than English) can now be taught to our children at school.

Why do I think this is important?  Firstly we are the first peoples of Australia and we teach a number of Languages in our schools, so why not learn about our Aboriginal Languages and cultures.

Saying and writing our Aboriginal words is different from how non-Aboriginal people say them so only us as Aboriginal people should say the words but for many of our community members and Elders they want people to know about their Languages and our way of life but it is also a very controversial issue as well, I hope that there will be the teaching of our Aboriginal Languages in many more schools with the schools working with our community and Elders in their community to assist.

The teaching of our Aboriginal Languages is not how other LOTEs are taught you cant just get a dictionary and decide to teach our Aboriginal Languages as many people do with other LOTEs our Aboriginal Languages are intertwined with culture, it is taught in context of the country to which the Language belongs and our belief is that you don't teach another Aboriginal Language in your country unless you have permission from the Elders in your community and also permission from the Elders of whose Language you wish to teach, just as we did do in 1987 to 1995 when the teaching of Bundjalung was taught at the Monash University Gippsland, firstly being taught by a Traditional owner and speaker of that Language who taught me and then when he went back to Casino NSW I visited the Bundjaulng community to seek permission to continue the teaching which was granted this is the protocol we follow when teaching Aboriginal Languages and we would assist that schools follow and support protocols when they are interested in teaching an Aboriginal Language and culture program in their school.

Currently in 2012 there is Aboriginal Languages being learnt at Woolum Bellum Koorie Pathways school years 7-10 which I am currently the Leading teacher working with disengaged Koorie youth from their mainstream schools.  The way to engage is to teach about who they are and that is done through the learning of their Aboriginal Languages and Culture.  We visit Elders, go on Camps, Excursions to special places and learn the history and culture of those places along with the language names.

Healsville Secondary college and Thornbury Primary school are learning Woiwurrung Language the people from the Kulin Nation around Melbourne area.  I am also working with the Bright Secondary college and they have students in their VCE years with students from the WADEYE community in NT learning and reviving reclaiming Aboriginal Languages.  There are a number of other programs down the Warrnambool way also.

As a grandparent now with grandchildren in school and going into Secondary schools I don't want them learning about other Languages I want them to learn about how rich our Aboriginal Languages were and still are.  They also have voiced their own opinions about learning Aboriginal Languages.  My Uncle Max who is my Dads younger brother has been involved with me going to kindergartens and schools to talk about our Languages and culture. The two little ones in pink are my grand daughters in 2004 who were always so excited to Have Uncle Max come, and there are many other Elders doing the same kinds of work across Victoria