Mobilising the Living Archive of Aboriginal Languages

Abstract

Originally started through an impetus to preserve thousands of books produced in Aboriginal languages during the years of bilingual education in the Northern Territory, the Living Archive of Aboriginal Languages (www.cdu.edu.au/laal) has the basic structure of a traditional archive. However those involved in its development – academics, linguists, educators, language owners and literacy workers – are concerned at each step to develop structures and strategies whereby local knowledge and language authorities can supervise the development and use of their own collections. This goal is in part to provide resources for ongoing language and culture work at the local level (in schools and the wider community), but also to connect interested researchers worldwide with the knowledge authorities who can speak for and enrich the collection through collaborative research. This presentation will consider the work involved in negotiating the structural arrangements within the emerging archive, as well as some of the technical, social and political aspects involved in bringing the archive to life in the 20 communities of origin in conjunction with the 25+ language groups whose literature is represented in the archive.