Outback sign painted with traditional Indigenous names sparks Aussie debate
A photo of an outback road sign has sparked debate online after an unknown graffitist scratched out the names of Alice Springs and Hermannsburg, replacing them with traditional Aboriginal names in white paint. The sign, which sits on Larapinta Drive in the Northern Territory, now reads “Mparntwe” and “Ntaria”, the traditionally recognised names of the sites to local Indigenous communities.
Sitting just underneath are the letters ‘ACAB’, which is a common acronym for “All Cops Are Bastards” used by political groups around the world.The sign’s fresh new paint job earned instant attention online after a Facebook page named Common Ground Australia uploaded it to its 11,500 followers.
“Across Australia there is a growing movement of reclaiming traditional place names in First Nations languages,” the post reads.
One question springs to mind. Aboriginals never recorded their language in written form. How do we know that Mparntwe and Ntaria are the correct spelling.
