Kaurna Warra finds online home

It’s been roughly 150 years since Kaurna Warra, the original language of the Adelaide Plains, was last spoken day to day in early colonial South Australia in the mid-1800s, but recent revivals have seen the language come alive again and be taught and used at many places on Kaurna Yerta.

Resources for both learning and teaching the Kaurna language have now found a home on the internet to help with this at KaurnaWarra.org.au, which stems from years of research and volunteer work around the language.

Established by a team led by Associate Professor Rob Amery, Head of Linguistics at the University of Adelaide, the new website features educational videos, favourite games such as Wordle and Solitaire in the Kaurna language, and a wide selection of relevant books and merchandise available for purchase from an online store.

The website is also the new online home for the Kaurna language body Kaurna Warra Pintyanthi (KWP) and Aboriginal corporation Kaurna Warra Karrpanthi (KWK), which handles requests for Kaurna names and translations.

Professor Amery has 33 years of experience in the maintenance and revival of the Kaurna language, including a PhD in the late 1990s, and the recently published Kaurna Warrapiipa, Kaurna Dictionary, the first-ever English to Kaurna dictionary, which he co-authored alongside Susie Greenwood and Jasmine Morley. you see it around the town, and it gives you a real strong feeling of connection and pride.

“The Kaurna Warra website is making Kaurna language resources more accessible to all, including the Kaurna community,” said Professor Amery.

“I would love to see that happen here in Berrin (Mount Gambier), and it is happening.”

The council will add the new names gradually throughout the region as digital and printed signage is updated.

“The website will facilitate a more streamlined approach to dealing with requests for Kaurna names and Kaurna translations. The KWK Members-Only area will provide easier access to KWK documents and expedite the affairs of KWK. We hope that the Kaurna Warra website will become the first port of call and a one-stop shop for all matters in relation to Kaurna language.”

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Published March 2021

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