Topic
Why are Indigenous Languages Important?
Instructions
Purpose This essay will examine if you can respond to the interconnected aspects of Aboriginal society and recognise the holistic overlapping complexity of traditional Aboriginal society.
Description Please answer ONE of the following questions. In your answer refer to current legislation or policy
- a) How can Traditional Indigenous Ecological Knowledge’s be used today?
- b) Why are Indigenous languages important?
- c) What are the benefits of Traditional Aboriginal diets and medicinal practices?
Answer Preview
Indigenous languages are spoken by ethnic communities. The languages personify many indigenous concepts, values, histories and the developments which communities appreciate and have gone through over generations (House of Representatives Committee, 2012). In this regard, the indigenous language serves as an important form of identification of members of a community. People are able to identify members of their own community by the indigenous language they speak. For instance, a Maori can easily be identified from other people based on their speaking of their indigenous language, including the accent they have. Similarly, a member of the Pacific Islander ethnic group can easily identify others by hearing them speak the ethnic language. However, if the language is eroded and people no longer speak it, this sense of identity and belonging may be lost (AIATSIS, 2019). The indigenous language helps to connect individuals to their specific ethnic group. The fact that a person speaks a certain native language implies that they have a reason to belong to that ethnic community, as opposed to if they did not know the language. Besides, since the indigenous language influences the social values and attitudes towards a wide range of things, it goes a long way in shaping the identity of a person.
Word Count: 2100