Documents on Indigenous Australian Languages Found in NSW State Library

The discovery of old and remarkable indigenous Australian languages documents in the New South Wales State Library has opened new doors. With this significant find, there will be a better understanding of the early contact between European settlers and the original inhabitants of Australia. These pieces of paper were found during a forensic search. It was like buried treasure amongst files of unpublished papers.

Agony and ecstasy

The whole operation was spearheaded by Dr. Michael Walsh, a member of the Linguistics Department of Sydney University. After two years of hard work, he and his team successfully put together all the pieces that have been found amongst the clutter of random documents stored in the old colonial building of the NSW State library.

Dr. Walsh affirmed that the discovery was met with mixed emotions. He described the experience as a combination of agony and ecstasy for his team. The difficulty of the task was immeasurable. He added that they needed to sort each page and then find only one or two relevant documents from a horde of about 2,000 pages.

History unraveled

The documents showcasing indigenous Australian languages are already on display and can be viewed by the public starting today. A viewing was done in connection with the international indigenous language conference that is being held at the NSW State Library. Dr. Walsh was there to usher in the few fortunate members of the public first to bestow their eyes upon the historic documents on display. Having been found in the first and oldest library in the country, it is also only fitting that the documents will be kept and displayed in the same venue.

The importance of the discovery

These findings are proving to be very relevant in understanding how civilization started and evolved in Australia. These records are very important since they might have been used by settlers, surveyors, explorers and other people who greatly contributed in establishing the colony. With no knowledge whatsoever of the landscape and the Aboriginal tribes that are native to the territory, the note-takers described how they tried to communicate with them. Settlers and explorers could never have done anything more in mapping the new and strange environment without the capability to communicate with the tribes they’ve met.

Learning the native language of the indigenous peoples gave the first colonists the opportunity to learn more not only about the tribes but the surrounding landscape as well. The documents are a testament to the world of how it all began for Australia and how the colony started to materialize.

Prize findings

Dr. Walsh and his team also unearthed what is possibly the most valuable document concerning the Eora language. The list was mislabeled and was found between one document on Solomon Island and another page of antique alphabet from the Philippine archipelago.

The Eora language is an extinct aboriginal language primarily used in Sydney. In a statement given by Dr. Walsh, he said that the list containing Eora language might be the most precise record of the lost indigenous language that ever existed. Thus, it is one of the most extraordinary findings amongst the NSW Library discovery.

Photo Credit: The NSW State library is the first and oldest library established in Australia.