Our Story

The word PULiiMA loosely translates to 'making voice, to speak once again' in the Awabakal language, the traditional language of Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Lower Hunter. A language which was one of the first in Australia to have stopped being spoken with conversation not existing for possibly 170 years.

PULiiMA Indigenous Language and Technology Conference is a biennial event aimed at bringing people together from all over Australia and internationally to explore pioneering project ideas and exciting products and equipment that can be used in community based Indigenous languages projects. The conference allows people to network with an inspirational group of people who all share a common ambition of preserving and celebrating the languages of your country.

Previously the conference has been held in Newcastle in 2007, Melbourne in 2009, Brisbane in 2011 and Melbourne in both 2013 and 2015, Cairns in 2017 then Darwin being our host city for 2019, 2023 and now 2025.

These are significant year's for the Darwin events in 2019 and 2023 as they have allowed Australia to acknowledge the International Year of Indigneous Languages as declared by the United Nations and steered through UNESCO, then we had 2023 with Australia's launch event for the then declared International Decade for Indigenous Languages 2022-2032. What an honour for the PULiiMA event in playing its part in hosting collectively as one acknowledgement for this extremely important understanding that the worlds Indigenous languages do need to be celebreated and supported but also that they are at risk with loss of languages occurring at an alarming rate globally, not just in Australia,

At the PULiiMA events we have an emphasis on keeping a relaxed community feel, with the majority of the presentations being given by Indigenous people about their own projects or concepts. PULiiMA is the largest community focused Indigenous language technology conference globally. The conference is packed with practical demonstrations and workshops facilitated by Indigenous language experts from all corners and from all ages.

The last few years have seen the forum continue to develop and expand; with numbers of 80 at the first conference in 2007 and now numbers of over 1080 registrations for PULiiMA 2023. This demonstrates how the conference continues to develop; the number of delegates continues to grow and the features of the forum continue to diversify.

Originally the conference ran over two days and has now expanded to 5 full days including two days of intensive workshops delivered by key language organisations and trainers who are supporting the revitilisation and dissemination of languages at both state and national and international level.

For 2025, PULiiMA will continue to grow and evolve so always expect the unexpected.

From our survey results, 96% of delegates rated the PULiiMA Conference as a MUST ATTEND for Indigenous people involved in the maintenance and conservation of all languages!

Tree and Artwork Symbolism

Originally introduced in 2015 and in various forms since has continued to be the consistent logo and branding for the event.

The tree is a symbol of antiquity (traditional times) and strength (empowerment of our people).

A tree stump or tree trunk may be used as a symbol of re-growth and rebirth, especially when it is shown with branches spouting new leaves (reclamation and revitalisation of traditional languages).

Trees are nature's warrior, who despite great imbalance in odds, fights to keep a foothold in the most extreme conditions (the fight to keep our traditional languages alive).

A sense of belonging is something many people strive to achieve in a community. The tree with its firm base symbolises that concept of 'roots' and an element of an ongoing relationship with our surroundings (touches on connection to country, our culture, our roots & our Aboriginal heritage).

The drive to find an historic link with our present lives is almost instinctive and propels us forward as if on a quest to attain status and find a reason for being (identity).