Artist preserves Indigenous language on new Australian coins

Artist Ryhia Dank illustrated a collection of Australian coins featuring native animals and their names in the Gudanji and Wakaja languages.

Dank, a Gudanji/Wakaja and Kalkadoon artist based on the Sunshine Coast, created the artwork for the Our Animals, Our Country coins. The collection includes five $1 designs and a $2 coin featuring a Jurrgubadi, which is a type of goanna. The project was a collaboration between the Australian Mint, Australia Post, and the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

The initiative aims to keep indigenous languages alive as many are currently at risk of disappearing. First Languages Australia, a peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities, reported that fewer than 100 of the more than 700 documented unique languages are used in everyday contexts today. Dank hopes the coins will encourage children in her home community of Borroloola to connect with their heritage. Experts say that placing these languages in everyday spaces like currency increases their visibility.

Professor Felicity Meakins from the University of Queensland noted that children need to see their languages represented to feel a sense of wellbeing and cultural importance. The Indigenous Literacy Foundation, which has donated over 150,000 books to roughly 508 communities over 20 years, said the coins provide a unique platform for visual storytelling and conversation.