Endangered Languages and Cultures

The 2012 grant application round for the Endangered Languages Documentation Programme (ELDP) of the Hans Rausing Endangered Languages project opens on 17th October 2011. The closing date for receipt of applications is 16th January 2012.

ELDP provides grants for:

PhD Scholarships (3 years, but no fees are covered), Postdoctoral Fellowships (2 years), Major documentation projects (up to 3 years), Small grants (up to 1 year and GBP 10,000).

For further information and application details, visit the website or email eldp@soas.ac.uk.

‘Lost indigenous languages to be revived’ reports news from the State Library of NSW: “The Library has entered into an exciting new collaboration with Rio Tinto to help revive and preserve critically endangered Indigenous languages and word lists that are embedded in historical documents held by the Library.” It quotes the NSW Arts Minister George Souris as saying, “A nation’s oral and written language is the backbone to its culture.” So why doesn’t the NSW government fund more Indigenous language work and why is Rio Tinto the hero here? This raises an important issue for us in our efforts to raise funds for language projects. It is an age-old question: how much do we provide a smokescreen of civility for companies like Rio Tinto when we accept their funds? Continue reading ‘Maybe Faust got it right?’ »

Another stunning array of papers and associated performances will feature at the 10th Annual Symposium of NRPIPA (The National Recording Project for Indigenous Performance in Australia). This year there will be a focus on community databases for access to recordings.
Venue: North Australian Research Unit, The Australian National University, Darwin, 13–14 August 2011
Presented in association with:
The University of Sydney, ‘Intercultural Inquiry in a Transnational Context: Exploring the Legacy of the 1948 American–Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land’ (an Australian Research Council Discovery Project, hosted at PARADISEC, University of Sydney)
and The Australian National University’s School of Music, College of Arts & Social Sciences

Programme

Saturday 13 AUGUST 2011
9.30–10.30 Joe Gumbula and Martin Thomas ‘Ceremonial Responses to the Repatriation of Human Remains from Arnhem Land’
10.30–11.00 Amanda Harris ‘The Nutritionist and Her Chaperone: The American– Australian Expedition’s Fish Creek Camp in Arnhem Land’
11.30–12.30 Archie Brown, David Manmurulu, Charlie Mangulda, Bruce Birch and Linda Barwick ‘Welcoming the Upcoming Generations in Western Arnhem through Song’
12.30–1.00 Anthony Linden Jones ‘“You Couldn’t Take it Down in Our Scale”: Traditional Song and the Musical Score to CP Mountford’s Documentary Films’
2.00-2.30 Peter Williams ‘The Wollombi Corroboree’
2.30-3.00 Helen Rrikawuku Yunupiŋu ‘Milkarri Wäŋa-Ŋarakaŋur: Keening on Country’
3.00-3.30 Cathy Hilder, Anja Tait, Kate King and Tony Gray ‘Recording Stories: Revitalising and Maintaining Indigenous Languages in the Northern Territory Library’
4.00–4.30 Samuel Curkpatrick ‘Grooving with the Ancestors: Wägilak Song and the Australian Art Orchestra’
4.30–5.30 Aaron Corn ‘Nations of Song’

Sunday 14 August
9.00–9.30 Myfany Turpin ‘Text Setting in Warlpiri Yawulyu’
9.30–10.00 Nicholas Kirlew ‘Community Stories: The New Version of the Successful Ara Iritija Software’
10.00–10.30 Linda Barwick, Joe Blythe and John Mansfield ‘The Wadeye Song Database’
11.00–12.00 Genevieve Campbell Teresita Puruntatameri and the Wangatunga Strong Women ‘Ngariwanajirri — The Strong Kids Song’
12.00–1.00 Joe Blythe ‘From Malgarrin to Metallica: A Rockumentary History of Wadeye Music’
2.00–3.00 Matthew Martin, Pansy Nulgit, Sherika Nulgit and Sally Treloyn ‘Moving People and Places: The Sustaining Junba Project’
3.00–3.30 Allan Marett ‘It’s Not Just about Preserving Music and Dance: It’s Something Much Bigger’
4.00–5.00 Roundtable discussion on ‘Community Databases: Access, Training, Management’

The 2011 grant application round for the Endangered Languages Documentation Programme (ELDP) at SOAS opened on 10th February. Applications close on 28th March 2011. Further information is available here.

ELDP has made two changes to the application process this year:

1. applications must be submitted through a new online application system (unless online access is difficult)
2. applicants who have previously held an ELDP grant can apply but must make sure the results from their earlier grant have been or are being archived at the Endangered Languages Archive (ELAR). If a second application is successful, funds will only be released once the previously supported project has been completed or is in the process of completion

For enquiries write to eldp -AT- soas.ac.uk