Injinoo IKC: Revival

Injinoo became the first settlement in the Northern Peninsula Area region when Anggamuthi, Atambaya, Wuthathi, Yadaigana and Gudang clans came together in peace to settle at the mouth of Cowal Creek (meaning Small River). Their descendants, the people of Injinoo, are the Traditional Owners of the land. Fittingly, Injinoo was the first community in the Northern Peninsula Area to open an IKC in 2004.

Given the rich history of Injinoo, the IKC is well placed to be a hub for Apudthama language activities.

From 2009 to 2012 language revitalisation activities flourished, including:

• recording languages and archiving the recordings
• repatriating linguistic recordings back to the community for access and archiving in the community 
• transcribing the recordings for resource development and language analysis
• developing resources to use in language programs, such as dictionaries and storybooks

Community programs brought young and old together to celebrate language with a focus on intergenerational knowledge transfer. This included the literacy through the arts program ‘Away With Words’ which culminated in a short animation created by students from Northern Peninsula Area State College called ‘Journey to Injinoo’. The video was later featured in a compilation of short stories Cape Treasures.

A 2012 school holiday program Culture Love Children’s Language Workshop was a great hit with Elders and children alike.

Sadly, the IKC closed at the end of 2012 due to flooding and structural damage to the building. But this was not to be the final tale of Injinoo IKC. In 2021, in partnership with State Library of Queensland, the Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council re-established the IKC.

In recognition of the history of the IKC at Injinoo, the new IKC officially opened on 23 April 2022 – the 18-year anniversary of the first launch in 2004.