'YAAMA' is what children say to spiritual Elder of Kamilaroi Uncle Nev when he visits schools to teach his culture.
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"Kids have gotta teach it and learn it," he said.
"Because they're the next generation that's gotta follow through, and I want to see them do the same as what I'm doing."
'Yaama', a greeting, is in the Kamilaroi dictionary he teaches to students.
It's the book he learnt from, and the one his great-great-grandmother helped write.
When Uncle Nev leaves the kids, they say 'yaluu' - meaning goodbye, or see you later.
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To celebrate Indigenous Literacy Day on Tuesday, Tamworth Family Support Services (TFSS) threw a celebration at Tamworth City Library.
The event drew attention to the need to engage with literacy connected to culture and dreaming, caseworker Sam Cook said.
"I think particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids, it's about making it culturally appropriate," she said.
"So stories that are in language and about their land - it makes more sense to teach kids in that realm rather than what is traditionally taught in schools."
TFSS and Tamworth City Library have been working together with the Dhiiyaan playgroups for five years to improve Indigenous literacy at the start.
It's a lifelong learning journey, Tamworth Library early childhood literacy officer Kelly Makepeace said.
"They begin as babies with their families and come to the programs, but we want them to continue," she said.
"And let them lead the way as their child's first teacher.
"Some of the strategies that we've worked on informally with them four years ago, we're now seeing them just do that naturally with their children."
The children were read a book by Gomeroi artist and writer Jodie Herden.
A storyegg sculpture painted by local Gomeroi artist Tess Reading decorates the library to encourage kids to read, sing and dance.
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