Our languages
The Aboriginal languages of eastern Australia, specifically in the region stretching from Southeast Queensland (SEQ) to Bundaberg, encompass a variety of fascinating languages, including Yugambeh, Yuggera, Wakka Wakka, Kabi Kabi, Jandai and more.
Modern efforts are built on the work of generations of language keepers within and outside of Aboriginal Communities. The languages serviced by the South East Queensland Indigenous Language Centre have been extensively documented and studied by a multitude of experts, amateurs, locals, and Aboriginal people themselves.
Yugambeh
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, linguistic scholars such as Archibald Meston, John Mathew, and A.R. Radcliffe-Brown conducted research on the Yugambeh language.
Their work included wordlists, grammatical descriptions, and ethnographic observations. These early studies laid the foundation for understanding the structure and vocabulary of Yugambeh.
Discover the Historical Wordlists & the People Behind Them
Joe Culham was a Mununjali (Beaudesert) man living at Woodenbong Aboriginal Station in 1966 when he recorded his language with student linguist Margaret Cunningham, who produced 'The Yugumbir dialect of Bandjalang' in 1968.
Download Culham Wordlist
Billy Drumley, wife Mary Sandy and daughter Ida photo c 1895. Drumley was born near Nerang in the 1850s and lived in Southport and Beaudesert. He provided a list of language words to John McGrath of Veresdale shortly before his passing in 1951.
Download Drumley Wordlist
Jenny Graham née Drumley (c.1859 - 1943) was the younger sister of Billy Drumley. She was a chief informant for W.E. Hanlon, a language and history enthusiast who managed the post office in Southport. Hanlon produced numerous works containing language as supplied by Jenny and others.
Download Hanlon Wordlist
Edward Micklethwaite Curr (1820-1889) wrote 'The Australian Race: Its Origins, Languages, Customs' in 1886. Over a decade, Curr corresponded with squattors, pastorlists, policemen, and government officials to compile lists of language throughout Australia.
Download Curr Wordlist
John Allen, a.k.a. Bullum (1850-1933) was a member of the local Wangerriburra clan, and in 1913, with Jimboomba schoolteacher John Lane, he wrote a 'Grammar, Vocabulary, and Notes of the Wangerriburra Tribe'.
Download Bullum Wordlist
William Duncan was a cedar-getter and early settler of the Tweed and Numinbah districts. A fluent language speaker, Duncan passed language to his non-Indigenous descendants. His great-granddaughter, Joan Rudd, recorded a list of Yugambeh language known by the family in the early 2000s.
Download Duncan Wordlist
Frederic James Watson of Toowong, wrote 'Vocabularies of Four Representative Tribes of South Eastern Queensland' in 1944, which included a dictionary of Yugumbir. Watson wrote often into the paper about Aboriginal language and knew Billy Drumley and Billy Brown (Dilberigam) of Beaudesert.
Download Watson WordlistYuggera
The documentation on Yuggera began with early European explorers and settlers recording their interactions with the local Indigenous communities. These records provided valuable insights into the language, although they often reflected the biases and limited understanding of the time.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, linguistic scholars such as Archibald Meston, Thomas Hardcastle, and Eipper conducted research on the Yuggera language. Their work included wordlists, grammatical descriptions, and ethnographic observations. These early studies laid the foundation for understanding the structure and vocabulary of Yuggera.
Discover the Historical Wordlists & the People Behind Them
Frederic James Watson of Toowong, wrote 'Vocabularies of Four Representative Tribes of South Eastern Queensland' in 1944, which included a dictionary of Yagarapul.
Download Watson Wordlist
Eipper was an early German missionary in the 1840's, he wrote a brief list of Aboriginal language from the Amity Point area.
Download Eipper WordlistTurrubul
The documentation on Turrubul began with early European explorers and settlers recording their interactions with the local Indigenous communities. These records provided valuable insights into the language, although they often reflected the biases and limited understanding of the time.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, linguistic scholars such as Archibald Meston, William Eipper, and Andrew Petrie conducted research on the Turrubul language. Their work included wordlists, grammatical descriptions, and ethnographic observations. These early studies laid the foundation for understanding the structure and vocabulary of Turrubul.
Jandai
The documentation on Jandai began with early European explorers and settlers recording their interactions with the local Indigenous communities. These records provided valuable insights into the language, although they often reflected the biases and limited understanding of the time.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, linguistic scholars such as Archibald Meston, Thomas Welsby, and George Watkins conducted research on the Jandai language. Their work included wordlists, grammatical descriptions, and ethnographic observations. These early studies laid the foundation for understanding the structure and vocabulary of Jandai.
Discover the Historical Wordlists & the People Behind Them
Thomas Welsby (1858-1941) was from Ipswich, and his 'Recollections of the Natives of Moreton Bay. Together with some of their names and Customs of Living' featured a wordlist of local language.
Download Welsby WordlistWakka Wakka
The documentation on Wakka Wakka began with early European explorers and settlers recording their interactions with the local Indigenous communities. These records provided valuable insights into the language, although they often reflected the biases and limited understanding of the time.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, linguistic scholars such as Archibald Meston, John Mathews, and Nils Holmer conducted research on the Wakka Wakka language. Their work included wordlists, grammatical descriptions, and ethnographic observations. These early studies laid the foundation for understanding the structure and vocabulary of Wakka Wakka.
Discover the Historical Wordlists & the People Behind Them
Robert Hamilton Mathews (1841-1918) was an Australian surveyor and self-taught anthropologist who wrote 'The two Representative Tribes of Queensland'.
Download Mathews WordlistKabi Kabi
The early European explorers and settlers who interacted with the Kabi Kabi people left behind valuable documentation. These records, while influenced by the biases and limited knowledge of the time, provide important insights into the Kabi Kabi language.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, linguistic scholars like Archibald Meston, John Mathews, and Nils Holmer studied the Kabi Kabi language. They created word lists, described grammar, and made ethnographic observations. Their research provided a solid base for understanding the structure and vocabulary of Wakka Wakka.
Discover the Historical Wordlists & the People Behind Them
Robert Hamilton Mathews (1841-1918) was an Australian surveyor and self-taught anthropologist who wrote 'The two Representative Tribes of Queensland'.
Download Mathews Wordlist
