What is Yolngu Matha?
Yolngu Matha is the name for a group of related Aboriginal languages spoken by the Yolngu people of northeast Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. Matha means tongue or language.
Yolngu Matha includes many clan languages and dialects, such as Djambarrpuyngu, Gumatj, Gupapuyngu and Dhuwal. Each clan has its own variety, linked to its land, songs and ceremonies, and people often speak several.
Djambarrpuyngu is the most widely spoken variety today and is used as a common language in communities such as Galiwinku and Ramingining.
Language in schools and music
Bilingual education programs in Yolngu communities, such as at Yirrkala and Shepherdson College on Elcho Island, have taught children in Yolngu Matha and English.
Yolngu Matha reached a wide audience through the songs of Yothu Yindi and Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, who sang mainly in his Gumatj and Galpu languages.
Charles Darwin University offers courses in Yolngu Matha, one of the few Aboriginal languages taught at university level. Words such as bäpi (snake) and yolngu (person) are commonly used.
Did You Know?
The word Yolngu itself means person or people in these languages.