Voice of survival rings in reclaimed names (fwd)

[Phil CashCash]

Voice of survival rings in reclaimed names
By Debra Jopson
December 27, 2003
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/12/26/1072308682054.html

Twenty Sydney harbour landmarks could have their original Aboriginal
placenames officially added to the current English versions as early as
Easter after preliminary approval was granted by a group of indigenous
representatives.

In keeping with the NSW Government's dual-naming policy, Darling Harbour
would also be known as Dumbalong, Elizabeth Bay as Gurrajin and Mosman
Bay's second name would be Goram Bullagong. Sydney Cove would also once
again be called Warrane, Farm Cove Wahganmuggalee and Lavender Bay
Gooweebahree.

But no one knows what the names mean. The meanings were not recorded in
First Fleeters' journals and other historical sources from the first 20
years of settlement which archaeologist Val Attenbrow and linguists
Jaky Troy and Michael Walsh used to glean the place names.

"What the first colonisers said is: 'What do you call this?' and they
just got a name," said Dr Troy, head of the NSW Aboriginal Languages
Research and Resources Centre who has reconstructed hundreds of words
from the original Sydney language.

The 20 names got the go-ahead from a workshop at which descendants of
Sydney's original Dharug, Tharawal and Guringai people and other NSW
Aborigines who live in the city approved spellings and rejected place
names they thought culturally sensitive.

One name was omitted because workshop members "were fairly certain it
was a men's ceremonial place", Dr Troy said.

Local councils and NSW government bodies with jurisdiction over the
parts of the harbour will now officially consider the proposed names.

Then the Geographical Names Board will advertise them to the public. If
there are no objections, the new names could become official as early
as Easter, said Flavia Hodges, research fellow with the Australian
Placenames Survey.

Under the board's policy, only features such as rivers, islands and
points can be given dual names but not streets, suburbs or towns. "You
don't want emergency services sent to somewhere they've never heard of,
but if it is a feature like a point, no worries," said Dr Walsh, a
Sydney University linguist.

Since the Government announced its dual-naming policy 2 years ago, only
two Sydney places have officially had their traditional names added to
the map. Dawes Point, under the Harbour Bridge, is also known by its
Cadigal name, Tar-ra. South Creek, in Sydney's west, is also known as
Wianamatta.

Eventually, dual names could cover NSW. But there are possible pitfalls,
said Dr Troy. "Goona", for instance, meant faeces in several NSW
Aboriginal languages.

But names can also be uplifting. One workshop participant, Christopher
Kirkbright Wagan Yullubirrgn, said: "When people once again utter the
words that have been the names of our places for eons upon eons the
sweet voice of our land will once again speak with meaning to her
children."

This story was found at:
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/12/26/1072308682054.html