Everything about Palawa Kani totally explained
Palawa kani is a reconstruction of
Tasmanian
Aboringinal language in attempt to resurrect Tasmanian Aboriginal culture.
History
The original
Tasmanian languages became extinct in 1905 when the last native speaker died. As part of community efforts to retrieve as much of the original Tasmanian culture as possible, efforts are made to (re)construct a language for the indigenous community. Due to the scarcity of records, Palawa kani is being constructed as a composite of the original estimated 6 to 12 original languages.
Sources
The project employs various sources such as:
Another source of material for the project is community knowledge where a surprising amount of words, phrases and snippets of lore have survived. The reconstruction project also uses linguistic data of related mainland native languages if necessary.
State of the language
Developed in conjunction with the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, community ownership of the language is maintained for the time being. The language project is entirely community based and the language isn't taught in state schools but at various after school events, organised camps and trips. There is obvious enthusiasm for the language especially among younger people and an increasing number of people able to use the language to some extent, some to great fluency. Lutana Spotswood famously gave a eulogy in palawa kani at the funeral of the Tasmanian
Premier Jim Bacon.
Palawa kani is also used on a number of signs in
Tasmanian National Parks and
Kunanyi has been accepted as an official name for
Mt Wellington and the Asbestos Range National Park is now known formally as
Narawntapu National Park.
Grammar
Palawa kani appears to be an
isolating language with an
SVO structure.
| mina |
I |
| nina |
you |
| he |
he |
| waranta |
we |
|
you (pl.) |
| nara |
they |
Possessives follow the noun, for example
milaythina mana 'our land'.
Examples
No capital letters are used in native texts but when used in English, place names such as
Kunanyi are often capitalised.
Vocabulary
kanaplila : dance
kani : language
katina : beach
kipli : eat
kitana : little girl
krakapaka : die
kunanyi : Mt Wellington
kunnikung : pigface
lakri : tree fern
larapuna : Eddystone
laymi : never
laykara : run
liyini : sing
lumaranatana : Cape Portland Country
luna : woman
lungtalanana : Clarke Island
lutana : moon
lutriwita : Tasmania
luwana : girl
luwutina : children
luyni : stone, rock
mapali : very, plenty
milaythina : land
muka : sea
mukra : dog
mulaka : hunt
munawuka : chicken
mungalina : rain
nala : earth
narawntapu : Asbestos Range
nayri : good, happy
nika : this
nuyina : spirit
palawa : native tasmanian
payathanima : wallaby
pliri : boy
poatina : cavern
preminghana : Mount Cameron West
pukana : people
purinina : Tasmanian Devil
putalina : Oyster Cove
putiya : not
rayakana : song
raytji : white, european
redpa : mosquito
ringina : burrow (n.)
takara : walk
tapilti : go
tayaritja : Furneaux Islands
temma : hut
timita : possum
tiya : shit
tiyuratina : wind
truwana : Cape Barren Island
tunapri : 1 understand, know 2 remember
warina : a type of mollusc
waypa : man
wukalina : Mt William
wura : duck
wurangkili : sky
yangina : swim
yula : Short-tailed Shearwater
Numerals
pama : 1
paya : 2
luwa : 3
wulya : 4
mara : 5
nana : 6
tura : 7
pula : 8
tali : 9
pamaki : 100
payaki : 200
luwaki : 300
wulyaki : 400
maraki : 500
nanaki : 600
turaki : 700
pulaki : 800
taliki : 900
pamaku : 1000
payaku : 2000
luwaku : 3000
wulyaku : 4000
maraku : 5000
nanaku : 6000
turaku : 7000
pulaku : 8000
taliku : 9000
Phrases
he yangina in muka : he swims in the sea
milaythina nika milaythina mana : this land is our country
mina putiya tunapri raytji kani : I don't understand English
mina kani palawa kani : I speak palawa kani
mina takara on milaythina mana : I stand on my land
mukra mana laymi putiya nayri : my dog is never not good
mukra mana nayri mapali : my dog is very good
nina tunapri mina kani : do you understand what I'm saying?
ningina paruwi mimara : get that bug
tapilti ningina mumara prupari patrule : go and get wood to put on the fire
taypani pinikita : come quickly
waranta mulaka payathanima : we're hunting wallaby
waranta putiya makara : we won't stop
waranta tapilti nayri : we're going, ok?
ya : hi, hello!
ya pulingina : welcome!
ya tawatja : good day!
Text samples
This sample is a eulogy by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre Language Program first used at the 2004 anniversary of the Risdon Cove massacre of 1804.
| ya pulingina milaythina mana mapali tu |
Greetings to all of you here on our land |
| mumirimina laykara milaythina mulaka tara |
It was here that the Mumirima people hunted kangaroo all over their lands |
| raytji mulaka mumirimina |
It was here that the white men hunted the Mumirimina |
| mumirimina mapali krakapaka laykara |
Many Mumirimina died as they ran |
| krakapaka milaythina nika ta |
Died here on their lands |
| waranta takara milaythina nara takara |
We walk where they once walked |
| waranta putiya nayri |
And their absence saddens us |
| nara laymi krakapaka waranta tu manta waranta tunapri nara. |
But that'll never be dead for us as long as we remember them. |
The second sample is from the interpretation boards in Kunanyi Park.
| milaythina nika milaythina-mana |
This land is our country |
| pakana laykara milaythina nika mulaka |
Aboriginal people ran over this land to hunt |
| pakana-mapali krakapaka milaythina nika |
And many died here |
| tapilti larapuna, tapilti putalina |
From Eddystone Point, to Oyster Cove |
| tapilti kunanyi, tapilti tayaritja |
From Mount Wellington to the Bass Strait Islands |
| waranta takara milaythina nara takara |
We walk where they walked |
| nara taymi krakapaka waranta-tu waranta tunapri nara |
And that'll never be dead for us as long |
| milaythina nika waranta pakana |
As long as we remember them |
| waranta palawa, milaythina nika |
This country is us, and we're this country |
Bibliography
MacGilleEathain, R 2007 "Aiseirigh às an luaithre" in Cothrom, Vol 53 Autumn 2007, CLÌ Gàidhlig, Inverness
"Pakana Luwana Liyini" 2005 (CD), Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre Inc
Sainty, T "Tasmanian places and Tasmanian Aboriginal language" 2005, Placenames Australia Newsletter of the Australian National Placenames Survey
Further Information
Get more info on 'Palawa Kani'.
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