In 1974, young linguist student Diana Eades travelled to Nambucca Heads to record conversations with one of the last fluent Gumbaynggirr speakers, Tiger, or Harry, Buchanan. Ten years later, a group of Gumbaynggirr Elders, living at that time on Dunghutti land, approached a local Priest, Brother Stephen Morelli, and asked if he would help them save their language. He not only agreed, he began to study linguistics. From there, Muurrbay Aboriginal Language and Culture Cooperative was born, and the first dictionary was produced. Now there are songs in language, it has been part of TV shows, and there is a bilingual school where children learn Gumbaynggirr alongside English. This is Gumbyanggirr Barrwayay, a six-part podcast series about the story of a community’s resilience and patience in the process of saving their language. Bringing to life the positive impact that the work has had on the lives of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and reminding us about the importance of language.
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4 mins