A visiting Professor of Anthropology and Native American Studies presented a workshop and lecture at UNE last week on Indigenous languages and how they can be maintained.

Professor Neyooxet Greymorning, a Southern Arapaho man from the University of Montana, US, was invited by the School of Law to discuss the unique method he has developed for teaching a second language – called Accelerated Second Language Acquisition.

“This technique mirrors the way children learn their first language,” Professor Greymorning said. “It can bring forward a language that has been asleep and, in the long-term, revitalise that language. But to maintain the vibrancy of a language, you need to understand how it connects to a culture.”

Dr Greymorning spoke about the ancient codes that traditionally helped to maintain balance and equity in Indigenous societies and how Indigenous practices have been eroded. Under Indigenous jurisprudence, communities were not governed by power but instead guided by a cultural compass of what was right and equitable for all.

Dr Greymorning’s method for maintaining and restoring Indigenous languages is founded on principles of Indigenous justice. It has been successfully used in more than 40 native communities throughout Canada, the United States and Australia, including among the Hupa speakers of California and the Mohawk of Canada.