Cirrus@Austlit

Thanakupi's Guide to Language and Culture: A Thaynakwith Dictionary is the first Indigenous guide to western Cape York and is the culmination of the life's work of renowned Weipa Elder Thancoupie. It began as a collaboration with other Weipa Elders who spoke the Thaynakwith language. Now Thancoupie is the only remaining fluent speaker of the language.

The book combines Thancoupie's art with a Thaynakwith language dictionary and a cultural guide in which Thancoupie describes family customs, ceremonies and protocols, flora and fauna, and food preparation. Additionally, the book includes information on the Thaynakwith people and language by historian and community consultant Geoff Wharton and a Thaynakwith language usage and pronunciation guide by anthropologist and linguist Dr Bruce Sommer.