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
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