Culture And Language
Our people speak and use our traditional languages on a daily basis for our culture, our well-being and our spirit.
Culture and language are inseparable and cannot be considered in isolation from each other. The vision of the Torres Strait Traditional Languages Centre incorporates this inter-dependence and recognises the decline in speakers of our traditional languages and the impact that language has on the well-being of all Torres Strait Island and Aboriginal peoples.
Our Principles
The following values and principles need to be considered as a whole and are inseparable when considering Torres Strait traditional languages:
- Our traditional languages and culture are inseparable, intertwined and interrelated.
- Our traditional languages are an integral part of our culture and identity.
- Our people and communities have the sovereign right to determine our decisions and work collaboratively for the best interest of our region.
- Traditional languages and culture are everyone’s responsibility.
- Traditional languages and cultural knowledge exist in kinship and connect our people spiritually to the land, sea and sky environment.
- Traditional languages connect, heal, empower and strengthen well-being.
- The authenticity of our traditional languages and our cultural knowledge, Lore and Kastom must be protected by cultural and intellectual property protocols
- The revitalisation and maintenance of traditional languages is community owned, community based and community driven.
- Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people have the fundamental right to connect with language and country irrespective of where we live.
- All Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people are two-way strong in traditional language as well as Standard Australian English.
