Paper and Talk
Living Languages and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) are running another Paper and Talk workshop in October 2024.
Held in Canberra from 14 to 25 October, Paper and Talk will provide small groups of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people the opportunity to access and recover language materials from AIATSIS and other collecting institutions.
Participants will receive training and one-on-one support to understand, interpret and use these materials in their language revitalisation efforts.
Expressions of Interest for the 2024 Paper and Talk workshop are now closed. Be sure to keep an eye out for Paper & Talk 2025 registration opportunities on our social media pages
History of the Program
Paper and Talk was first piloted in 2019. It was inspired by the US Breath of Life Institute - which was in turn inspired by the original Paper and Talk, run by Nick Thieberger in 1993 at AIATSIS.
Over the first two weeks of September 2019, we worked with representatives from five language groups who gathered at AIATSIS, in Canberra, to explore the archives, research historical records and repatriate important material back to their communities.
15 Community Researchers from the Yorta Yorta (Vic/NSW), Wergaia (Vic), Anaiwan (NSW), Wakka Wakka (Qld) and Ngunnawal (ACT/NSW) languages delved deep into archives at AIATSIS, the National Library of Australia and other institutions, discovering and reconnecting with family histories, cultural information and descriptions of their languages.
They were joined in their work by linguistic partners and trainers/presenters, who shared skills in working with archives and understanding linguistic methods and terminology.
At the end of the fortnight, each group presented their research findings and reflected on their experience.
We are grateful to the Indigenous Languages and Arts program for funding this workshop.
