[LINK] Goodbye Munnari, Hello 'manhari' or 'mandhari'

[Roger Clarke]

[ Here's a postscript to my history of the Aust Internet at:
http://www.rogerclarke.com/II/OzI04.html
(Google Scholar says that it's earned a whole 42 citations).

[ I regret to say that I failed to mention the URL of the relevant
device, writing only:  "The connection was effected on 23 June 1989 in
Robert Elz's laboratory at the Uni. of Melbourne".

[ I well remember the name, and I think I knew it even then;  but the
only occurrence on my site is in a copy of Jenny Sinclair's anniversary
article in The Age in 1999:
http://www.rogerclarke.com/II/Anniv.html

[ Anyway, the new news is that I tripped over the following, prettymuch
by chance, but only a week after its publication. ]


https://melbconnect.com.au/discovery/a-computer-server-and-indigenous-reconciliation?mc_cid=d8de06e98a&mc_eid=2ad0a5b54b

Engineering and IT Collection

25 Jan 2023

Commencing in the early 1980s, computer staff were seeking unique names
for the university’s main computer servers. This was at a time when
communication between computers required spelling out lengthy network
pathways to ensure files and mail reached the right destination.

Staff selected a series of Aboriginal names for the computer servers,
starting with ‘mu’ to denote Melbourne University (‘mulga’, ‘murdu’,
‘mullian’, etc). At the time, there was no consultation with Aboriginal
communities regarding this cultural appropriation.

[ Hmmm, I wonder if my device's name, Rincewind, isn't the 'allusion' or
'homage' I thought it was, but instead (or also) 'cultural
appropriation'.  How about Durras, an early ANU device, etc.? ]


‘Munnari’, a word meaning ‘sleepy lizard’ in the Ngarrindjeri language
of South Australia, was applied to the largest computer, the VAX 11/780.

[ Jenny says that Rob was using a Sun at the time. 780s were in use from
the late 1970s.  I'm not sure if they were still carrying the load in
1989.  But someone on link will remember! ]

‘Munnari’ became a legendary name in Australian internet history.
Australia’s connection to the Internet was achieved on 24 June 1989,
through a permanent satellite link connecting ‘munnari’ to a computer at
the University of Hawaii and hence to emerging academic computer
networks in the United States. This was the birth of the internet in
Australia, and all internet traffic would be directed through ‘munnari’.
The network would evolve into the hub of the Australian Academic and
Research Network in 1990. Given its historical significance, ‘munnari’
continued to be used for subsequent servers.

In 2020, contact was made with the Ngarrindjeri community explaining the
unauthorised past use of the name and requesting whether the community
would permit continued use of ‘munnari’, given its significance for the
University and the internet in Australia.

The Miwi-inyeri Pelepi-ambi Aboriginal Corporation (MIPAAC), which deals
with language matters for the Ngarrindjeri community, has endorsed the
use of ‘munnari’ for a new computer server. They are pleased to have
this historical association with the internet in Australia. MIPAAC has
also approved the use of the name for a multifunction space at Melbourne
Connect, using the correct orthography, ‘manhari’ or its dialect
variation ‘mandhari’. Addressing past wrongs can enable the
strengthening of connections now.


-- 
Roger Clarke                            mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au
T: +61 2 6288 6916   http://www.xamax.com.au  http://www.rogerclarke.com

Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA

Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Law            University of N.S.W.
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University