Ngaiawang Storybook Workshop
November 25, 2025
In November 2025, the MLT travelled to Berri to deliver a Ngaiawang storybook workshop at the River Murray and Mallee Aboriginal Corporation (RMMAC) office. The day brought together community members and RMMAC staff for a creative and language-filled workshop focused on Ngaiawang, an important language of the River Murray River region.
The morning began with the launch of a Ngaiawang wordlist that was developed by the MLT in response to community requests for more accessible language learning resources. Project Linguist Phoebe Leggett introduced the resource, which includes about 800 Ngaiawang words. Phoebe explained the origins of the words in historical sources relating to the region and how changes were made to the original spelling to make them easier to use. For most participants, this was the first time they had ever seen Ngaiawang in writing. This sparked plenty of discussion and curiosity as everyone began exploring the wordlist together.
The day was filled with language, storytelling, art – and plenty of laughter. There was a strong shared feeling that learning Ngaiawang and passing it on to the next generation is of vital importance. Participants were excited to tell their stories, so their children and grandchildren can begin learning the language through meaningful personal and local narratives.
This workshop is part of MLT’s Pathways project, which aims to create employment and career pathways for Aboriginal community members to become Language Workers. Through Pathways workshops, participants can work on their own languages, produce learning resources, and build practical skills that support strong language use within their communities.
If you’re interested in language resource development for your community, contact us to see how you can be involved!
The MLT is grateful for the financial support of the Yipti Foundation and Indigenous Languages and Arts.
