Word Up

For Word Up this week Brooke Wandin is sharing the name of a suburb you’ll find just north of Melbourne which also happens to be the Woiwurrung word for possum "Walert'. 

Brooke Wandin is a Wurundjeri woman from Victoria whose art is deeply intertwined with her culture and heritage.

Broadcaster and artist Natalie Davey takes you to the Great Sandy Desert to explain why you should trust your gut in Walmajarri.

Head back to the Great Sandy Desert in Western Australia with with broadcaster and artist Natalie Davey. There she'll share the Walmajarri name for diamond doves.

Natalie Davey is a Bunuba/Walmajarri woman and radio broadcaster from Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia. This week Natalie is sharing the Walmajarri word for paternal grandfather — kirlaki.

This is our last week with Gary Williams, joining us all the way from the Mid North Coast of NSW in Gumbaynggirr Country. Today, Gary will share his word for brother-in-law and how this word is passed on to his family. 

This week Uncle Gary Williams shares the Gumbaynngirr names for the pardalote, a tiny native bird also known as a peep wren.

Uncle Gary Williams shares different ways to say 'yes' in Gumbaynggirr language.

Muurrbay Aboriginal Language and Culture Co-operative CEO, Uncle Gary Williams continues to share his knowledge for Word Up.

On Word Up this week, we return to the Pilbara region in Western Australia.

Over the last couple of weeks Pinikurra Elder Susanne Hay-Hughes has been sharing her language.

Pinikurra Elder Susanne Hay-Hughes shares some greeting words from her language — Thalanyji.

Pinikura Elder Susanne Hay-Hughes, from the Pilbara region in Western Australia shares a Thalanyji term that means "we're all together'.

Pinikura Elder Susanne Hay-Hughes, from the Pilbara region in Western Australia shares some of her language, Thalanyji.

Head to Yankunytjatjara Country to catch up with Karina Lester and her daughter Larissa. There they’ll share the Yankunytjatjara name for a lovely bird: the magpie. 

Head to Yankunytjatjara Country to catch up with Karina Lester and her daughter Larissa. 

For Word Up, Yankunytjatjara speakers Karina Lester and her daughter Larissa take you back to north west of South Australia to share the word for dog — tjutju.

Yankunytjatjara speakers Karina Lester and her daughter Larissa share a word that describes a precious commodity on their Country — water.

Meet Karina Lester and her daughter Larissa from Yankunytjatjara Country. Karina is Co-Manager & Senior Aboriginal Language Worker at The University of Adelaide’s Mobile Language Team and Larissa has her own language series online. They share the Yankunytjatjara word for meat, and explain the first language words they learnt.

Jane Edwards shares the Nyigina word for 'country'. 

The Kimberley region of Western Australia is the only place in the country where boab trees grow. Here, they are prolific. Our language legend Jane Edwards has been sharing Nyigina from her home in Derby in the west Kimberley region. Today, she shares the Nyigina word for the boab tree. 

Jane Edwards is in Derby in the west Kimberley sharing some of her language: Nyigina.  Last week, she shared the Nyigina word for a great-grandmother. This week, she’s focusing on a different family member.

Meet Jane Edwards in Derby in the west Kimberly. She’s our language legend this month. Today, Jane shares a Nyigina word that can describe someone’s daughter.  It’s also the word for a great-grandmother – who becomes a daughter to her great-grandchildren.

Kalkatungu is the language of the Mt Isa area, and Will Blackley has been working with a team to revitalise it. For his final time on Word Up, Will shares the Kalkatungu words he uses when there’s a storm brewing. 

Will Blackley live in the Mount Isa area on Kalkatungu Country.  But his life started on Palm Island.  He describes how he got to know his language when he wasn’t on Country, and shares the Kalakatungu word for kangaroo.