Kokatha is a language of the eastern fringe of the Western Desert cultural area. The Western Desert cultural area is a vast inland region covering approximately one-third of the continent.
Kokatha is historically associated with the north and west of South Australia. Kokatha is also one of the Far West Coast languages, along with Mirning and Wirangu. Kokatha people live in many places in South Australia, including Ceduna, Koonibba, Port Augusta, and Adelaide.
Kapi Andamookala Puyini
It’s raining in Andamooka and the kids are playing in the creek looking for opals.
Kapaṯi Palyaṉi
We used to pull up on the side of the old highway and make a cup of tea. We’d make a fire, boil a billy and sit in the shade.
Rapita Kukaku Yananyi
Brothers go hunting for rabbits around Andamooka in the troopie.
Kokatha Wangka Kulila
The Kokatha alphabet has 23 letters representing the basic sounds of the language. Some Kokatha sounds are written with one letter and some sounds are written with two.
This is a jumping off point for learning language. If you have feedback or contributions we’d love to hear it!
This language and learning resource is made available through the partnership and help of the Kokatha Aboriginal Corporation. You can find more about their work at: https://kokatha.com.au/