Reclaiming, learning, and sharing Wiradyuri language the Yindyamarra way

Abstract The failure of the Australian higher education sector to enable comparable participation, retention and completion rates of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students relative to their non-Indigenous counterparts is well documented. Although the prevailing narrative about Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students in mainstream higher education is largely one of deficit, the Graduate Certificate in Wiradjuri Language, Culture and Heritage (GCWLCH) since 2014 demonstrates an alternative of high student engagement and high completion rates. In this paper we present the work conducted to create and deliver the culturally embedded and place-based language course, which was developed with, and is overseen by, Wiradyuri Elders and the GCWLCH Governance Committee (of which the first four authors are members) and offered through Charles Sturt University (CSU). The GCWLCH is framed by Wiradyuri knowledges and systems and a worldview where language and learning pedagogies are intimately connected with and to Country (place), ancestors, people, lore, and culture. This innovative, culturally centred, and self-determined approach to language learning has generated numerous success stories in terms of student retention and engagement. We report findings on the high rates of student access, progress, completions, and positive evaluations of the GCWLCH, and anecdotal evidence of how the course has led to transformative outcomes and empowering experiences among Wiradyuri students. In conclusion, the findings presented in this paper on Wiradyuri language reclamation and education demonstrate the profound implications for asserting sovereignty and exercising self-determination in a Wiradyuri nation building approach, for sustaining and centring Wiradyuri ways of culture, identity, and social and emotional wellbeing.