A nice thought OC and it is being done to some extent in Australia. There are many Indigenous languages - over 200 I believe according to this site:

http://www.dnathan.com/VL/austLang.htm

Sadly, some Indigenous languages have already died out.

In New Zealand Maori is taught in the schools and our family was impressed with the way the Maori language was incorporated into government signs and building names like the Library - both in English and Maori. But correct me if I am wrong, the Maori language is more uniform with less (if any) versions - StG you might be able to elaborate.

There is nothing stopping us teaching many of the Indigenous languages in those schools where the language originates and where there are larger populations of Indigenous folk. Like the US, Indigenous Australians are made up of many tribes with variations in language and culture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indigenous_Australian_group_names

I believe some Indigenous languages are still being taught in Indigenous communities as part of the school curriculum.

Australian education systems are more intent on teaching Asian languages like Japanese, Indonesian and Chinese in the mindset of close trading and geographical partners.

cont'd ...

Dear Alex, (Occidental Christian),

There are many nations with ancient languages
and dialects that are being slowly revived
and taught in local schools all over the world.
It will all add to the preservation and understanding
of the richness of the diversity of our cultural
heritages. Even in the English world the
preservation of Welsh, Gaelic, and other languages
is being revived.

So too, the North American Indian languages,
certain obscure languages in Japan, and various parts
of Asia, and in Europe - Spain, and even the small
country of Lithuania, where the "Samogitians"
(Zemaiciai) have proposed in Parliament (Seimas)
to use their ancient language in their region.

Therefore there is nothing new about the proposal
to teach and preserve Aboriginal languages in Australia.
The word "Aboriginal" means an ethnic native of the region
- which applies to all people around the world.

Pelican,

Variations in dialect IS taken into consideration in different parts of New Zealand. Ngai Tahu is pretty much the default variant for obvious reasons, but dialect varies with place names and signs etc...

Dear Suzonline

You said:

//Our Indigenous Australians were probably doing just fine with their own culture and dreamtime before they were 'civilized' and 'shown the light' by the Christian missionaries all those years ago.//

You know..I can handle the weird Christaphobic comments of people who I have no real respect for.. you know the type.. 'to a hammer everything is a nail' kind.. those who just trash something because they 'just do'...without getting down to the nitty gritty of it all.

But you? I don't sense you are like some of those bottom feeders at all.. so your comment hurts.

It hurts for a number of reasons. I was/am a Missionary. I'm married to an indigenous lady from a tribe which was on the brink of extinction, and who reached OUT to the only "missionaries" they knew.. and asked them to come and teach them about "Jesus"

Please see what one of those indigenous tribal people says about this.

http://www.lifespring-buedulun.net/view/?pageID=237582

Historical background

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lun_Bawang

A more elaborate European account of the Lun Bawang people is by Spenser St. John in 1860, where he described the impoverished condition of the Lun Bawang (then called Limbang Muruts) people under the rule of the Brunei Sultanate. He also gave account of the aborigines (Murut and Bisaya) rise to insurrection, however these rebellions were always suppressed by threat by the Brunei government to bring in Kayans to subdue the opposition.[13]

Spenser St.John also described the tyranny conducted by the Brunei aristocrats upon the Limbang Muruts, which include seizing their children to be sold as slaves if taxes were not paid, and on one occasion, when the Brunei capital were in a state of alarm by the marauding Kayan warriors, the Brunei aristocrat offered a whole Limbang Murut village to be pillaged, in return for the safety of the capital.

I'm happy to try to answer any remaining questions you might have.

Each indigenous culture has its own specific needs and abilities. To compare Australian aborigines with New Zealand maori people is comparing apples and oranges. There was never one representative group of aboriginal people, but around 800 different aboriginal nations. The traits of the maori's are much more organised and war-like, that they held One Tree Hill for a number of years by basically trench warfare many years before WW1.

Unfortunately, at the present time, aboriginal culture is eating itself. Everybody loves a dot-painting and so everybody is churning them out as fast as possible, despite them being historically done only by women in certain desert tribes. Didgeridoos are being churned out also, complete with dot paintings on them, despite historically only being played by men in certain tribes. There would be many more examples but you get the drift. As the language and culture are handed down verbally, it only takes one or two generations to miss out and its gone forever. I see poor examples now, of cultural things being rewritten and gaps filled in to suit current attitudes.

So yes, there should be good policy to try and save what is left, but no, once it has gone it shouldnt be cobbled together with bits and pieces from here and there. The languages should be taught where appropriate, but as a second language.

Suzie shows her ignorance

'Our Indigenous Australians were probably doing just fine with their own culture and dreamtime before they were 'civilized' and 'shown the light' by the Christian missionaries all those years ago.'

Do you know what the life expectancy of aboriginals were prior to the missionaries arriving. Do you know some of the perverted practices that make the paedophile priests look mild. You really are blinded by dogma.