‘Deep purpose’ behind Lala’s work for NAIDOC win

BY TALEI ELU

Proud Meuram woman from Erub, Lala Gutchen, has won the prestigious national NAIDOC Caring for Country and Culture Award for her contribution to language preservation and involvement as a key cultural witness in an historic Queensland Land Court case.

Lala said she was extremely proud to have put Erub in the spotlight and have wider recognition for her work.

“It’s something community blor mine e mina proud of and receiving the award all my pamle ya where Darnley know more about all know the work that I do,” she said.

“It was a proud moment for all my families here on Erub and families down south.”

On stage, Lala took a moment to thank her parents and her Elders for their guidance and support for her work, and emphasised the importance of this years’ theme: For Our Elders

“I be esso my parents, and I took the time to acknowledge my Elders from Murray to Boigu,” she said.

“This theme isn’t just for this year, it is every year we should acknowledge our Elders and I learn from Elders all across this continent.

“They are our libraries.”

For the past three years Lala has worked with the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation on the Erub Mer language project with her father, Kapua Gutchen, an Erub Mer mentor and language holder.

Together they recorded over 2000+ unrecorded words in Erub Mer.

As part of her work in language preservation and education, Lala co-authored a series of journal articles for the Foundation of Endangered Languages.

In 2019 she was named a Young Champion by First Languages Australia after providing mentoring as a Community Educator through Living Languages, and participating in research discovery workshops with the Queensland State Library.

She said she felt a deep purpose to her work and had made sacrifices in her own life to ensure the preservation of language.

“I left lots of good jobs and opportunities where mainland, but in the back of my mind if I be move for another man’s land I would be lost, I thought ‘why, when I can care for my country and stay on my country’.

“We were put here for a reason to care for our country and language because without language you are lost, you can’t understand land or sea country and I be wande make sure our young people can still speak our language.”

She said she hoped the award would inspire more young people to take the time to sit and learn language from their Elders.

“The sun e set on our old people, and e rise on our young people,” she said.

“In my getting the award I hope it opens up the door for all them young people to standup and learn from mepla Elders.”

The National NAIDOC Awards were hosted in Meanjin (Brisbane).

The Torres Strait Regional Authority was one of many who sponsored the event, and they supported the Thaiwa Dance Team from Iama to perform at the celebrations.