Bidjara, also spelt Bidyara or Pitjara, is an
Australian Aboriginal language. In 1980, it was spoken by twenty elders in
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
between the towns of
Tambo and
Augathella
Augathella is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Murweh, Queensland, Australia.
Geography
Augathella lies on the Matilda Highway, is north of the town of Charleville, west of Roma and west of Brisbane (Queensland's capital). The ...
, or the
Warrego and
Langlo Rivers. There are many
dialect
The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena:
One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a ...
s of the language, including Gayiri and Gunggari. Some of them are being revitalised and is being taught in local schools in the region.
Dialects
The Bidjara language included numerous dialects, of which Bidjara proper was the last to go extinct. One of these was Gunya (Kunja), spoken over 31,200 km
2 (12,188 sq mi), from the
Warrego River near
Cunnamulla north to Augathella and Burenda Station; west to between Cooladdi and Cheepie; east to Morven and Angellala Creek; at Charle-ville.
Fred McKellar was the last known speaker.
Yagalingu is poorly attested but may have been a dialect of Bidjara.
Natalie Kwok prepared a report on Gunggari for the
National Native Title Tribunal
The National Native Title Tribunal (NNTT) is an independent body established under the ''Native Title Act 1993'' in Australia as a special measure for the advancement and protection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (Indigenous Aus ...
in Australia. In it she says:
:Language served as an important identity marker between the Gunggari and Bidjara peoples. Although academically speaking, differences between the two languages have been found to be minor, from an emic point of view such distinctions were meaningful and consequential. Lynette Nixon recounts that when her father used to converse with the Gadd brothers it was understood that, although communication was possible, they each spoke in their own tongue. Ann-Eckermann recounts,
:I was present many times when Bert Mailman (Bidjera) and Aunty Mini Dodd and Aunty Annie Currie would sit outside their houses calling out to one another in language – it was explained to me that Bert spoke Bidjera from
Augathella
Augathella is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Murweh, Queensland, Australia.
Geography
Augathella lies on the Matilda Highway, is north of the town of Charleville, west of Roma and west of Brisbane (Queensland's capital). The ...
and that the two old ladies were speaking Gunggari – and that, although some of the words were mutually intelligible, Bert really couldn't understand what the ladies were saying – and it was driving him crazy because the women were making fun of him. (pers. comm.)
The Wadjigu (also known as Wadja, Wadya, Wadjainngo, Mandalgu, and Wadjigun) language region includes the local government areas of the
Aboriginal Shire of Woorabinda
The Aboriginal Shire of Woorabinda is a local government area in Central Queensland, Australia.
Geography
Most local government areas are a single contiguous area (possibly including islands). However, Aboriginal Shires are often defined as a ...
and
Central Highlands Region, including the
Blackdown Tablelands. the
Comet River
The Comet River is a river located in Central Queensland, Australia.
Geography
Formed by the confluence of the Brown River and Clematis Creek, the Comet River rises in the Expedition Range, north of Expedition National Park and south of Roll ...
, and the
Expedition Range, and the towns of
Woorabinda
Woorabinda is a rural town and locality in the Aboriginal Shire of Woorabinda, Queensland, Australia. In the , Woorabinda had a population of 962 people. It is an Aboriginal community.
Geography
Woorabinda is in Central Queensland, inland abo ...
,
Springsure
Springsure is a town and a locality in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia. It is south of Emerald on the Gregory Highway. It is the southern terminus of the Gregory Highway and the northern terminus of the Dawson Highway. It ...
and
Rolleston Rolleston may refer to:
Places
* Rolleston, Queensland, Australia
* Rolleston, Leicestershire, England
* Rolleston, Nottinghamshire, England
** Rolleston railway station
* Rolleston on Dove, Staffordshire, England
** Rolleston Hall
* Rolleston, ...
.
Language revival
Bidjara
Australian Bidjara artist
Christian Bumbarra Thompson employs his Bidjara language in his video work in an attempt to redistribute his language into the public realm. His work ''Gamu Mambu'', which means "Blood Song", is a video work of a Dutch
Baroque opera singer singing in Bidjara. It was included in the 17th
Sydney Biennale
The Biennale of Sydney is an international festival of contemporary art, held every two years in Sydney, Australia. It is a large and well-attended contemporary visual arts event in the country. Alongside the Venice and São Paulo biennales and ...
, ''The Beauty of Distance: Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age''.
During
NAIDOC Week
NAIDOC Week ( ) is an Australian observance lasting from the first Sunday in July until the following Sunday. The acronym NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee, which was originally National Aborigines Day ...
in 2019, Bidjara man Owen Stanley shared his insights on the loss of language, and his sadness at not being fluent in his own language, with an audience at Uniting NSW. He said that his grandmother was one of the last 20 elders who died with the language, and attempts were being made to revive the language.
Gunggari
there were only three native speakers of the Gunggari language left, including
Elder of the Year Aunty Lynette Nixon, and a major
language revival
Language revitalization, also referred to as language revival or reversing language shift, is an attempt to halt or reverse the decline of a language or to revive an extinct one. Those involved can include linguists, cultural or community groups, o ...
effort has been under way in Queensland schools since St Patrick's School in
Mitchell started teaching it around 2013. Since then, Mitchell State School has also started teaching Gunggari. Aunty Lynette, along with the Gunggari Native Title Corporation (NTC), have been compiling the first Gunggari dictionary. Gunggari NTC have also developed language workshops, for adults to learn their people's language, holding the first off-country in
Toowoomba
Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 ...
. they were planning to extend the workshops to
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
,
Woorabinda
Woorabinda is a rural town and locality in the Aboriginal Shire of Woorabinda, Queensland, Australia. In the , Woorabinda had a population of 962 people. It is an Aboriginal community.
Geography
Woorabinda is in Central Queensland, inland abo ...
and Mitchell.
Phonology
The consonants in the Margany and Gunya dialects:
Vowels
Consonants
Consonants are as follows:
The plosives could also be analysed as .
References
External links
Bibliography of Bidjara language and people resources at the
Bibliography of Gayiri people and language resources at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
Bidyara Swadesh Listat the Internet Archive
{{Pama–Nyungan languages, East
Bidjara (Warrego River)
Maric languages
Extinct languages of Queensland