Project Overview
The palawa kani Place Names app represents a groundbreaking digital initiative that bridges cultural heritage preservation with modern technology. Designed in collaboration between Ionata Digital and the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, this interactive mobile application provides users with access to over 250 original Aboriginal place names across lutruwita/Tasmania, complete with authentic pronunciations and cultural context.
This innovative educational tool transforms how Tasmanians and visitors connect with the island's Aboriginal heritage by allowing them to explore, hear, and learn the original names of significant locations in palawa kani—the revived language of Tasmanian Aboriginal people.
Through linguistic reconstruction and rigorous historical research, each place name in the app represents years of dedicated work by the palawa kani Language Program. The app not only preserves these culturally significant names but actively returns them to daily use, creating contemporary relevance for an ancient language that faced near-extinction due to colonisation.
The interface thoughtfully balances technological accessibility with cultural respect, featuring interactive maps, audio pronunciations recorded by Aboriginal community members, historical context, and connections between related locations. The design emphasises discovery and learning through exploration, empowering users to develop genuine connections with Country through language.
By digitising this knowledge in an accessible format, the app democratises access to Tasmania's Aboriginal linguistic heritage while respecting the cultural ownership of the Aboriginal community, demonstrating how technology can serve both as an educational platform and a vehicle for cultural revitalisation.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Tim Askey - Lead Creative Developer
Jason Cornelius - Web and Graphic Designer
Ben LeFevre - App developer
Project Brief
Imagine an island where ancient voices have been silenced for generations, where original place names lie dormant in dusty archives, awaiting resurrection. This was the reality in lutruwita/Tasmania—until now. The palawa kani Place Names app represents a digital awakening of language thought lost to colonisation, transforming reconstructed Indigenous words into living speech once again.
The brief wasn't simply to build an app, but to create a digital Country—a space where Aboriginal language could breathe again in contemporary lutruwita/Tasmania. Ionata Digital was challenged to translate decades of linguistic reconstruction work by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre into an experience that would make these reclaimed voices accessible to everyone while preserving their cultural power and Aboriginal ownership.
Key requirements:
- Creating an intuitive interface allowing users to explore Aboriginal place names across lutruwita/Tasmania
- Incorporating authentic audio pronunciations recorded by Aboriginal community members
- Developing an interactive map interface that demonstrates the geographic spread of original place names
- Including historical and cultural context for each location to deepen understanding
- Building native sharing capabilities to encourage organic promotion and educational outreach
- Ensuring the design respected Aboriginal cultural protocols and ownership
The design needed to balance technological innovation with cultural sensitivity, creating an experience that welcomed users of all backgrounds while clearly communicating that these names represent ongoing Aboriginal cultural heritage. The solution had to be both educational and engaging, encouraging repeated use and deeper exploration of lutruwita’s Aboriginal linguistic landscape.
Project Innovation/Need
The palawa kani Place Names app addresses several critical needs at the intersection of cultural preservation, public education, and technological innovation.
For Tasmanian Aboriginal people, place names represent connections to Country that have endured for thousands of years. Colonisation nearly erased these names from daily use, and this app provides a platform for returning them to active speech and recognition, supporting cultural healing and continuity for the community.
Many locations in lutruwita/Tasmania currently display names that appear Aboriginal but were actually inappropriately selected from wordlists by colonial authorities with no connection to the original names of these places. This app corrects historical misappropriations by providing the authentic names with their proper pronunciations and contexts.
lutruwita/Tasmania's education system and broader public have limited access to accurate information about Aboriginal languages. This app fills this gap by providing a research-backed, Aboriginal-led resource that schools, tourism operators, and the general public can use to develop a deeper understanding of the island's first languages.
By digitising this knowledge, the app ensures these names are preserved in a format accessible to future generations, particularly younger Aboriginal people connecting with their heritage.
There is significant public interest in engaging respectfully with Aboriginal culture, but few accessible resources that have Aboriginal community endorsement. This app creates a trusted pathway for this engagement while ensuring the cultural knowledge remains under Aboriginal ownership and control.
This app represents a valuable resource for both the Aboriginal community and the wider public.
Design Challenge
Upon opening the app, users are welcomed with "pulungina" (welcome) in palawa kani, immediately establishing the cultural context and setting the tone for respectful engagement. The introduction provides essential background on the palawa kani language program and the significance of place names in Aboriginal culture.
The core experience revolves around an interactive map interface that displays place markers across lutruwita/Tasmania, with each marker representing a location with its original Aboriginal name. This spatial approach allows users to discover names in their geographic context, supporting connection to Country and place-based learning.
When users tap on a place marker, a drawer slides up containing the palawa kani name, its English location reference, pronunciation guidance, and historical background. A prominent audio button allows users to hear the authentic pronunciation recorded by Aboriginal community members—a crucial feature, as many sounds in palawa kani differ from English phonetics.
The search function provides multiple pathways to discovery: users can search alphabetically, by English place name, or by palawa kani name.
Thoughtfully designed sharing capabilities allow users to send place names and pronunciations to friends via messaging apps, expanding the educational reach organically and encouraging conversation about Aboriginal languages.
The interface maintains a consistent visual language throughout, using a clean design that keeps the focus on the content while integrating subtle design elements that reflect Aboriginal connection to Country. Navigation is streamlined to three primary tabs (map, search, and additional information), ensuring the experience remains accessible across technical abilities.
Future Impact
The marketing strategy for the palawa kani Place Names app leverages the power of cultural connection and community engagement to create awareness and adoption without relying on traditional advertising channels:
The app's built-in sharing functionality serves as its primary marketing engine. When users discover place names that resonate with them, they can share these directly from the app to social media or messaging platforms, creating organic peer-to-peer promotion. Each share includes the palawa kani name, pronunciation, and a link to download the app, turning every user into a potential ambassador.
Launch events were strategically coordinated with the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre across multiple communities, creating localised media opportunities that highlighted the app's importance to both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Tasmanians. These events positioned the app as a gift from the Aboriginal community to all residents of lutruwita/Tasmania, fostering goodwill and cultural appreciation.
Educational outreach has been crucial, with direct engagement with schools, tourism operators, and government departments. Tailored presentations demonstrate how the app can enhance educational curricula, tourism experiences, and public communications, creating institutional adoption that drives individual downloads.
This community-centred marketing approach has resulted in sustained adoption, meaningful engagement, and a sense of shared ownership that extends beyond the Aboriginal community to encompass all Tasmanians who care about the island's linguistic heritage.
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