Ecological Knowledge, Local Wisdom, Language, and Literacy in the Arnhem Land Communities of the Northern Territory, Australia

Abstract

This article examines the intricate relationship between ecological knowledge, local wisdom, indigenous language, and literacy practices in the Arnhem Land communities of the Northern Territory, Australia. Drawing on ethnographic and sociolinguistic perspectives, the study explores how Yolngu people encode environmental understanding through vernacular language, oral traditions, and place-based narratives that constitute a sophisticated ecological literacy system. The findings reveal that indigenous ecological knowledge is not merely supplementary to formal literacy but constitutes an autonomous epistemological framework deeply embedded in daily linguistic practices. The article argues that ecological sustainability in Arnhem Land is inseparable from the vitality of indigenous language and the intergenerational transmission of local wisdom. Implications for multilingual literacy education and environmental policy are discussed, with emphasis on the urgent need to integrate indigenous ecological literacies into formal schooling and land management frameworks. This work contributes to growing scholarship on biocultural diversity and the role of language in sustaining human-environment relationships in postcolonial contexts.