Porkycarp: << The greatest contributors to preserving indigenous and tribal languages are without doubt Christian missionaries.

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Christian missionary groups like Summer Institute of Linguistics/Wycliff Bible Translators/New Tribes Mission..and many independant missionaries give their LIVES just to give indigenous tribes their own language and preserve it. >>

Cheryl's correct. Many Aboriginal languages were deliberately suppressed by earlier missionaries who used to punish Aboriginal children for speaking their own languages at mission schools etc.

As for the more contemporary blundering idiots that Porky describes, I have seen them in action in PNG, where their project of translating the Bible into indigenous languages goes hand in hand with actively detroying the cultures of the peoples whom they are trying to convert.

Once upon a time missionaries used to do useful things besides blathering about their god, like run medical aid posts etc. Now it's all 'bible colleges', more often than not of the apocalyptic millenarian kind.

CJMorgan,

I remember prior to PNG independence two clans each in opposing missionary posts one catholic the other 7 day came to actual tribal war. People were killed....why? they were both accusing the other of worshiping the wrong god because of the different days of worship and the incompetence of the priests/pastors trying to stake their denominational claims. 68 men finished up in the jail run by dad.
Even the health clinics came with a sermon and bribes.

The "cargo" cults etc were devistating to them in more ways than one. Even as a liklik mongey (little boy) I could see this was wrong.
Now in many tribes the 'big man' is so because of owning a gun and enFORCES his will where as once moral authority based on elder tok tok (conference)would have been enough. That's Christian progress for you.

Hi Cheryl... I like the way you postured your post... you raised as a question rather than beating me with a chunk of 2 x 4 :)

You are totally correct in some cases. This is why it is impossible to speak of 'The Church' in a broad homogenous manner. It has many manifestations.. some good..some bad.. some Biblical some Human/traditional/political.

I cannot vouch for the 'stick' being used in relation to English but I would not doubt that it happened in some misguided attempts at 'civilizing' the Aborigines.

Ever since 1900ish the evangelical protestant missions movement gained huge momentum. It is this which has taken the initiatives more in areas of translation, literacy and reaching otherwise unreached tribes.

One such mission.. New Tribes Mission has that goal as it's primary focus. Many have died in the process.. (killed by tribes people)
http://www.ntm.org/about/

Jim Elliot, Peter Fleming, Ed McCully, Nate Saint, and Roger Youderian all died for the cause of Christ.

What kind of people are these?

[Roger Youderian came off a Montana ranch. An airborn ranger who was at the battle of the Bulge,]

All were aware of the danger. As Jim Elliot said to his Betty: “If that’s the way God wants it to be, I’m ready to die for the salvation of the Aucas.” (and he did)

A girl, Dayuma, an escapee from Waorani territory who helped Rachel Saint learn Waorani, had entrusted herself to the Lord Jesus Christ. To her amazed relatives she returned to their village safe. They assumed she had been cannibalized by the strangers. She explained that the missionaries had come peaceably.

Nine years later, the first copies of the Gospel of Mark in Waorani were dedicated at “God’s Speaking House.” Kimo prayed, “Father God, You are alive. This is Your day and all of us have come to worship You. They brought us copies of Your Carving, enough for everybody. We accept it, saying, ‘This is the truth.’ We want all of your carving.”

Christians took whole aboriginal nations and forced them onto reserves and reservations, destroyed their culture and traditions and orchestrated the ongoing tragedy of the stolen generations. Yeah great historical impact that!
The most agonising issue of course is the lack of any purely Australian language being taught. If we can teach, say for the NSW HSC, some 15 European lanuages, a similar number from Asia and dead languages like Latin and Ancient Greek, why can't we implement an Aboriginal language syllabus, why isn't it encouraged? why isn't it funded? But of couse they're black aren't they.

Yes, I agree. Latin? Ancient Greek? Get bent. I think it would be excellent to learn an Aboriginal language. Not 'excellent' like the 'soft-centre left' think it's excellent, but a good in itself because that would give you a unique entree in to their culture. To learn a language you've got to have some idea of their cultural norms. It'd be a challenge for us whites.

We're going to do another round of the Culture Wars yet the Kaurna people (in SA?) just get on with it. It seems that we get humbugged on the non-important stuff while some Aboriginal people are doing it for themselves. That's the way to go.