Algy Paterson facts for kids
Algy Paterson (who passed away on August 6, 1995) was a very important person. He was the last person who could speak the Martuthunira language fluently. This language comes from Western Australia.
Algy's father was European. Because of this, Algy could have been taken from his family by the government. This policy is now known as the Stolen Generation. But Algy's family managed to stay together. They hid in the bush and lived a traditional nomadic lifestyle. This means they moved around a lot. Algy grew up speaking Martuthunira and Kurrama. He did not learn any English until he was fifteen years old.
From 1980, Algy worked with a linguist named Alan Dench. A linguist is someone who studies languages. Together, they worked to write down and save the Martuthunira language. This was very important work to make sure the language was not lost forever.
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