Traditional Knowledge

There is a tremendous movement taking place in Lockhart River to preserve the traditional knowledge of all of the cultural groups which reside in the community.  With the Elders getting older, it is imperative that traditional knowledge is accurately recorded for both the benefit of future generations of Lockhart River children and Australian historical records as a whole.

Traditional knowledge can encompass many things such as stories, ceremonies and the location of significant cultural sites including old walking tracks and hunting grounds.  It can also take different forms –  physical culture:  ceremonies, places and sites and verbal culture:  stories, names and language.  In order for this knowledge to be recorded, stored, effectively maintained and protected, many people within the community must be actively involved.

Young people of all ages are further engaged in this process through participation in the centre’s education programs and being involved in a range of caring for country activities such as beach clean ups, youth camps, research sessions and mentoring.

Umpila and Kuuku Ya’u language speakers, community language workers and collaborating linguists have created an app to support learning of heritage languages of the region. It’s available to community members on both apple and android devices. Tokens are available by contacting Deanka Omeenyo on 07 4060 7144.