Enjoy the colourful world of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander jarjum (children’s) books and storytelling.
Throughout the world, children’s books by First Nations authors are used as a beautiful extension of cultural practices and act as a powerful meeting place for oral and written traditions.
Enjoy the colourful world of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander jarjum (children’s) books and storytelling.
In celebration of the International Year of Indigenous Languages, we invite you to explore Jarjum Stories. Discover how traditional narratives are being retold, how Queensland languages are being used and how children are being involved to tell their own stories.
For thousands of years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have used art, stories, dance and song as a form of expression. These cultural practices are intimately tied to their connections to Country, spirituality and understanding of the world and are a continuation of a rich culture across generations.
Throughout the world, children’s books by First Nations authors are used as a beautiful extension of cultural practices and act as a powerful meeting place for oral and written traditions.
Explore the collection
Priority Country Area Program
In the 1980s and early 90s the Queensland Department of Education’s Priority Country Area Program (PCAP) created a series of books with children throughout Queensland. The stories produced reflect the true to life experiences and authorship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in remote Queensland.
The Lutheran Archives
Carol Toby and Marie Shipton worked as teacher’s aides in Far North Queensland in the 1970s, sharing their intimate knowledge of country, totems, management practices, survival and language with students. Their teachings were transformed into bilingual readers.
Our words, our stories
Authors, language workers and educators discuss the creation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community authored books and their impact on language revitalisation, literacy and identity.
A very cheeky bird: the making of Jingeri Jingeri
Jingeri Jingeri is an English/Yugambeh interlingual book created as a legacy of the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages.