Dunjiba Women’s Shed Share Stories & Memories through Yankunytjatjara Wangka
August 24, 2026
On 12 and 13 August 2026, the Mobile Language Team (MLT) travelled to Oodnadatta to support a community-based workshop at the Dunjiba Women’s Shed, bringing together local women to record stories about their lives, families and experiences in Oodnadatta.
Facilitated by Maria Stewart, the two-day workshop was the first of two workshops planned to develop a collection of stories told entirely in Yankunytjatjara by women who have spent their lives in Oodnadatta. The recordings will contribute to the development of new language-learning resources for students at Oodnadatta Aboriginal School as part of the First Nations Languages Education Program (FNLEP).
Throughout the workshop, photographs, books, and drives out on Country were used as storytelling prompts, encouraging participants to reflect on memories and experiences they wanted to share with younger generations. The stories explored themes including Country, mission days, family, and capturing local histories through the voices and perspectives of Oodnadatta community members.
Alongside the audio recordings, participants were invited to create artwork connected to their stories. Participants could draw landscapes, places, or other elements significant to the memories they shared, providing another way of representing the relationships between story, Country and lived experience.
MLT supported the workshop by recording the women’s stories and beginning the process of transcribing the Yankunytjatjara audio. Bringing together spoken language, storytelling and artwork will allow the final resource to reflect not only the language itself, but the people, places and experiences that give it meaning.
Importantly, the project provides an opportunity for students at Oodnadatta Aboriginal School to engage with Yankunytjatjara Wangka through stories grounded in their own community. By recording the memories of community members, the resource will connect classroom language learning with Oodnadatta’s living histories, families, and Country.
The August workshop marks the first stage of developing the resource, with a second community-based workshop planned to continue recording, developing and preparing the stories for use with students.
MLT thanks Maria Stewart for facilitating the workshop, the Dunjiba Women’s Shed for hosting, and most importantly, the women of Oodnadatta who generously shared their language, stories, memories and artwork for the next generation.
To learn more about the MLT’s work through the First Nations Languages Education Program (FNLEP), explore our latest news stories and follow the MLT on social media for updates on our projects. For more information about the MLT or to discuss language support for your community, contact us.