lien | 2019 INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES: WORD OF THE WEEK – WEEK SEVENTEEN.

As part of State Library’s commitment to the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages, we will be promoting a ‘word of the week’ from one of the 125+ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and dialects from across Queensland.
To coincide with Cameron Costello speaking as part of the Game Changers series, Week 17’s word is Quandamooka [pronounced kwan-dah-moo-kah], from the Jandai language of North Stradbroke Island – this word refers to the people of Moreton Bay and takes in the Ngugi of Moreton Island, Nunukul of North Stradbroke and the Goenpul of the inner islands and adjacent mainland.
This week’s word is sourced from a community dictionary of Jandai compiled in 2011 by the Minjerribah Moorgumpin Elders-in-Council Aboriginal Corporation and includes knowledge of Elders, language custodians and visitors to Moreton Bay who documented language. This corporation is actively involved in the revival of language on North Stradbroke Island – all of the Moreton Bay languages are considered endangered and there are a number of community language workers and families undertaking language activities across the community. Some of this work will be showcased at the upcoming Quandamooka Festival which will feature a language forum in June