Jack Butler (Jiwarli)
Encyclopedia
Jack Butler was the last native speaker of the Jiwarli language of Australia
.
As the last speaker, he was the primary source for the documentation of the language. He was the son of a white father, a shepherd
named Dick Butler, and an aboriginal Australian mother, Silver. He was raised by his mother and his mother and stepfather, Jinapuka, also aboriginal, in Ulwarra Station and Glen Florrie Station, in Australia.
In Glen Florrie Station he lived in a camp with aboriginals. He learned their languages and customs from the elders. His favorite language was Jiwarli, which he learned from a man named Wangki, known to white Australians as "Stumpy." He also learned to speak Jurruru and Thalanyji. Most of his adult life was spent in Mount Stuart Station, where he came into contact with the Western lifestyle. He married Molly Ashburton in 1927 and had four children with her. He retired in Onslow
in the 1970s and died in Carnarvon
on 10 May 1986.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
As the last speaker, he was the primary source for the documentation of the language. He was the son of a white father, a shepherd
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
named Dick Butler, and an aboriginal Australian mother, Silver. He was raised by his mother and his mother and stepfather, Jinapuka, also aboriginal, in Ulwarra Station and Glen Florrie Station, in Australia.
In Glen Florrie Station he lived in a camp with aboriginals. He learned their languages and customs from the elders. His favorite language was Jiwarli, which he learned from a man named Wangki, known to white Australians as "Stumpy." He also learned to speak Jurruru and Thalanyji. Most of his adult life was spent in Mount Stuart Station, where he came into contact with the Western lifestyle. He married Molly Ashburton in 1927 and had four children with her. He retired in Onslow
Onslow, Western Australia
Onslow is a coastal town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, north of Perth. It currently has a population of around 573 people and is in the Shire of Ashburton Local Government Area....
in the 1970s and died in Carnarvon
Carnarvon, Western Australia
Carnarvon is a coastal town situated approximately 900 kilometres north of Perth, Western Australia. It lies at the mouth of the Gascoyne River on the Indian Ocean. The popular Shark Bay world heritage area lies to the south of the town and the Ningaloo Reef lies to the north...
on 10 May 1986.