Wik Alken Linguistic Notes and Sources

There is an extensive archive of material relating to the wider Wik region from the 1920s onwards which provides historical and background information about the language groups of the area. Materials include such varied texts as curriculum materials, mission reports, photographic collections and specific anthropological and linguistic material. Significant bodies of research material are from anthropologist Ursula McConnel’s work on the west coast of CYP in the 1920s and Peter Sutton’s long-term fieldwork at Aurukun and Cape Keerweer on language, society and territory (1978). Sutton (1978: 36–43) presents an extensive survey of previous research and archival data relating to western CYP prior to 1978. Further research has included site mapping work (Sutton et al. 1990), anthropological work (Martin 1993), ethnographic films (MacDougall & MacDougall 1979, MacDougall 1980) and, more recently, botanical and medical ethnobotanical work (Smith 2013, Edwards 2005). Recent language documentation projects have involved collaborative work with the Wik-Ngathan, Wik-Ngatharr and Wik-Alken language communities to record and document current language practices and to produce community and research resources (Ashmore, in prep).

List of references:

Edwards, S. (2005). Medical Ethnobotany of Wik, Wik-Way and Kugu peoples of Cape York Peninsula, Australia: an integrated collaborative approach to understanding traditional phytotherapeutic knowledge and its applications. Phd Thesis. University of London.
Hale, K. (1976). Wik reflections of middle Paman phonology. In P. Sutton (Ed.), Languages of Cape York (pp. 50–60). Canberra: AIAS.
Hale, K. (1966). The Paman group of the Pama-Nyungan phylic family. In G. N. O’Grady, C. F. Voegelin & F. M. Voegelin (Eds.), Languages of the world: Indo-Pacific fascicle 6 (Anthropological Linguistics 8/2) (pp. 162-197).
Hale, K. (1964). Classification of the Northern Paman Languages, Cape York Peninsula, Australia: a research report. Oceanic Linguistics, 3, 248-265.
Karntin, J. S., & Sutton, P. (1986). Dutchmen at Cape Keerweer. In L. Hercus & P. Sutton (Eds.), This is What Happened: Historical narratives by Aborigines (pp. 82–108). Canberra: Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies.
MacDougall, D. & MacDougall, J. (1979). Takeover. Film. 87 mins.
MacDougall, D. (1980) Familiar Places. Film. 50 mins.
Martin, David (1993). Autonomy and Relatedness: An ethnography of Wik People of Aurukun, Western Cape York Peninsula. PhD Thesis. Australian National University, Canberra.
McConnel, U. (1933). The symbol in legend. Psyche 13: 94–137.
Smith, N. (2013). Contested Discourses: Aboriginal attitudes towards non-native plants and engagement in weed management in Cape York, northern Australia. PhD Thesis. Charles Darwin University, Australia.
Sutton, P. (2006). Sacred Images and Political Engagements. Ron Yunkaporta and Garry Namponan Exhibition, Heide Museum of Modern Art.
Sutton, P. (2002). On the translatability of placenames in the Wik Region, Cape York Peninsula. In L. Hercus, F. Hodges & J. SImpson (Eds.), The Land is a Map: Placenames of Indigenous Origin in Australia (pp. 75-86). Canberra: Pandanus Books, The Australian National University.
Sutton, P. (2001). Talking Language. In J. SImpson, D. Nash, M. Laughren, P. Austin & B. Alpher (Eds.), Forty years on: Ken Hale and Australian Languages (pp. 453-464). Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University.
Sutton, P. (1997). Materialism, sacred myth and pluralism: competing theories of the origin of Australian languages. In F. Merlan, J. Morton & A. Rumsey (Eds.), Scholar and sceptic: Australian Aboriginal Studies in Honour of L. R. Hiatt (pp. 211-242, 297-309). Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press.
Sutton, P. (1995). Wik-Ngathan Dictionary. Adelaide: Caitlin Press.
Sutton, P. (1991). Language in Aboriginal Australia: social dialects in a geographic idiom. In S. Romaine (Ed.), Language in Australia (pp. 49-66). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Sutton, P. (1978). Wik: Aboriginal society, territory and language at Cape Kerweer, Cape York Peninsula, Australia. PhD Thesis, University of Queensland.
Sutton, P. (1976). A Note on Cape York Laminals. In P. Sutton (Ed.), Languages of Cape York (pp. 124–125). Canberra: Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies.
Sutton, P. (Ed.). (1976). Languages of Cape York. Canberra: AIAS.
Sutton, P., Martin, D., von Sturmer, J., Cribb, R., & Chase, A. (1990). Aak: Aborginal estates and clans between the Embley and Edward Rivers, Cape York Peninsula. Adelaide: South Australian Museum.
Thomson, D. F. (1972). Kinship and behaviour in north Queensland. In H. W. Scheffler (Ed.). Canberra: Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies.
Thomson, D. F. (1936). Fatherhood in the Wik Monkan tribe. American Anthropologist, 38, 374–393.