Puliima National Indigenous Language Forum is a biennial event aimed at bringing people together from all over Australia to explore pioneering project ideas, exciting products and equipment that can be used in community based Indigenous languages projects. The Forum allows people to network with an inspirational group of people who all share a common ambition of preserving and celebrating the languages of your country.
Previously the forum has been held in Newcastle in 2007 and Melbourne in 2009 and has been highly successful according to the feedback received. This is in part due to the emphasis on keeping a relaxed community feel, with the majority of the presentations being given by Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people about their own projects or concepts. Puliima is the largest community focused national Aboriginal language conference in Australia.
Silvano Fasolo from Karlkurla Language & Culture Aboriginal Corporation says: "What Puliima has done is allowed people working on language to network and be able to access programs and information that is not readily available to them. Puliima to me is a vehicle for the future of Indigenous languages."....
Puliima 2011 was held at the State Library of Queensland, Brisbane. This was the first time, since its inception in 2007, that Puliima was held in a major public space such as the State Library. This demonstrates how the conference continues to develop; the number of delegates continues to grow and the features of the forum continue to diversify.
As an Australian first Puliima 2011 included a separate forum for Indigenous Linguists of which we are proud to say there are a growing number. Linguists had the chance to come together and look at employment options and collaborate on community projects for the future.
There was also a focus on getting Australia's youth involved in Puliima 2011. Daryn McKenny is manager of Miromaa Aboriginal Language Centre in Newcastle, NSW the organisation that coordinates the Puliima Forum. "This year we have a unique focus on involving our youth with the theme of "Old Language – New Voices", Daryn says. Mr McKenny says the youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. "They are ones that the language is being handed down to, and they will be the ones to continue the important language work that past generations have started."
If you are working in a language program or language centre, or if you are a community member who is passionate about the preservation and revitalisation of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages don't miss the next Puliima Forum to be held in 2013.