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State based initiatives: Aboriginal Placenames Workshops
Aboriginal Placenames Workshops
The ANPS NSW/ACT Aboriginal Names Committee has been busy co-ordinating a series of workshops on Aboriginal placenames, held in regional locations in NSW. These workshops have been organised in conjunction with the NSW Aboriginal Languages Research and Resource Centre and Geographical Names Board of NSW and have been supported by grants from the NSW Department of Aboriginal Affairs and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services. To date workshops have been held in Yarrawarra (2-3 June), Canberra (12 June), Wellington (20-21 July), Armidale (28 July), Lightning Ridge (4 August). More are planned for later in 2004 and early 2005 with provisional locations, such as Nowra, Katoomba, Lithgow, Broken Hill, Casino, Deniliquin, and Narrabri.
The workshops emerged mostly as a result the GNB’s Dual Naming Policy and the need for dual naming proposals to be based on sound linguistic research and community consultation. In NSW the GNB has established a dual naming sub-committee and dual naming guidelines. These guidelines recognise the significance of Aboriginal culture by giving dual names to already named geographical features, such as, rivers, creeks and mountains. An example of dual naming is Dawes Point Reserve situated under the southern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority proposed a dual name be considered for the Reserve. Local Indigenous communities and historical sources were consulted to ensure cultural accuracy; a dual name can be assigned only where there is strong evidence of a pre-existing Indigenous placename, and the proposal must have the support of the local community. The Sydney Harbour pilot project has resulted in the Cadigal name Tar-ra, as well as Dawes Point, being adopted and displayed prominently at the Reserve.
The success of the Dawes Point/ Tar-ra dual name prompted the GNB, ALRRC and ANPS, and community members and representatives from all over the Sydney basin and beyond to come together for a workshop on dual naming on the 31st of October 2004. This workshop resulted in proposals for dual naming twenty geographical features in Sydney Harbour also encouraged the GNB, ALRRC and the ANPS to oragnise workshops across NSW. For more information about this workshop see the cover article in December 2003 Placenames Australia. These proposals have been publicised and commented on by the media (to see an article featured in The Daily Telegraph on 29 June 2004, click here) and have been well received by the public.
Each workshop has involved discussions on researching placenames in various Aboriginal languages, archiving the information and proposing names for inclusion in the Geographical Names Register in NSW. Regular presentations at the workshops have included Dr Jaky Troy (ALRRC) talking about placenames research in the context of Language revitalisation. Greg Windsor (GNB) outlining the dual naming policy and Dr Michael Walsh (Linguistics Department, Sydney University) discussing the case study of dual names in Port Jackson. Flavia Hodges and David Blair have also been keen to talk to community members about the work of the ANPS and how it can support community-based research projects. Each of the workshops have also included a variety of local presenters. See the article in September 2004 Placenames Australia for details on local presenters.
The workshops have been well-attended by Aboriginal community members, Elders, sites officers with the National Parks and Wildlife Service NSW, Local Aboriginal Land Councils and linguists. Please visit the Aboriginal Placename Workshop Photo Gallery for a selection of photos of workshop participants.
Links to sites and information on dual naming:
GNB Preserving the history, culture and identity of New South Wales
GNB Information Kit 'Dual Naming - Supporting Cultural Recognition'
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