Ngamp yalmathwamp wik thawanak ‘Coming together as decision makers’

Abstract

The Wik-Mungkan Language Team at Koolkan Aurukun State School (KASS) share the ways that the Wik-Mungkan First Language program is supporting language and learning across the school and on Country. Wik-Mungkan is the first language (L1) of most children in Aurukun, Cape York Peninsula, Far North Queensland. The Wik-Mungkan Language Program at KASS was established in 2016 to support Wik ways of learning and the maintenance of Wik-Mungkan and related languages and has developed to teach students from Foundation year (Prep) to Year 12.

A community-led collaboration between KASS Wik-Mungkan language team, the Paamp school council and Aak Puul Ngantam (APN), an organisation to assist Traditional Owners in the transfer of traditional environmental knowledge to younger generations, has developed a locally-specific Learning on Country program. Led by community language teachers and leaders, rangers and Elders, Learning on Country is about improving children’s wellbeing, healing and strengthening their identity, language and cultural resilience.

This paper explores language teaching and learning in school and on Country through the community-led production of culturally relevant resources. This includes families leading and documenting everyday language and cultural practices out on Country and developing these materials into engaging and locally-specific teaching and learning resources suitable for use in a school and community setting.