Aboriginal or
Torres Strait
Islander
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An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person is someone who :
- is of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent,
- identifies himself or herself as an Aboriginal person or Torres Strait Islander, and
- is accepted as such by the Indigenous community in which he or she lives.
Each requirement must be satisfied. It rejects the purely racial classification of the past and includes contemporary social and cultural
factors. The term Aboriginal people is more appropriate than Aborigines; part Aboriginal or half-caste are offensive terms.
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Aboriginality
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Aboriginality includes a combination of cultural heritage, spirituality and an intrinsic link with the land.
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assimilation
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A 19 th century idea that Aboriginal people should be 'improved' by being 'civilised' and Christianised. From the 1930s
assimilation was government policy.
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colonisation
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A process by which a different system of government is established by one nation over another group of peoples. It involves the colonial
power asserting and enforcing its sovereignty, or right to govern according to its own laws, rather than by the laws of the colonised.
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community
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Important elements of a community are country, family ties and shared experience. Community is about interrelatedness and belonging, and
is central to Aboriginality. Aboriginal people may belong to more than one community. The use of community/communities in the syllabus
indicates that any one community may in fact consist of several communities.
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community-based
fieldwork
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Field visits to Aboriginal communities or organisations to further develop understanding and knowledge of culture and history of
Aboriginal peoples.
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contemporary
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Within the timeframe from the 1960s to the present.
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country/nation
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Country and nation are terms meaning the area of land, river and sea that is the traditional land of each Aboriginal language group or
community.
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criminal justice
system
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The people, processes, institutions and laws associated with the
defining, monitoring and enforcement of rules.
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cultural genocide
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An attempt to destroy all or part of the culture of a people which
is the basis of group identity.
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cultural heritage
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The continuity, from one generation to another, of a groupÕs
culture, values and attitudes, including knowledge, language,
arts, rituals, performances, sites and objects.
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culture
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The accepted and traditionally patterned ways of behaving and a
set of common understandings shared by the members of a
group or community. Includes land, language, ways of living and
working, artistic expression, relationship and identity.
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customary law
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Laws based on traditions and customs.
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discrimination
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Unfair treatment on the basis of perceived differences between
people.
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dislocation
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The forced movement of an individual, family or community from
one area to another. This often occurred after people have been
dispossessed of their land. See dispossession.
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dispossession
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People being taken away or forced from their land, their
economic base, their way of life and cultures. Dispossession
was experienced by many Aboriginal peoples.
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Dreaming
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The Dreaming has different meanings for different Aboriginal
groups. The Dreaming can be seen as the embodiment of
Aboriginal creation which gives meaning to everything; the
essence of Aboriginal beliefs about creation and spiritual and
physical existence. It establishes the rules governing
relationships between the people, the land and all things for
Aboriginal peoples. The Dreaming is linked to the past, the
present and the future. Where appropriate refer to Aboriginal
names for the Dreaming.
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Elders
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Elders are custodians of knowledge. They are chosen and
accepted by their own communities and are highly respected.
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ethnocentrism
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The uses of one's culture as the ideal standard against which all
other cultures are judged and (usually) negatively compared.
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global perspective
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A national and international perspective on issues concerning
human rights and social justice of all Indigenous peoples. This
perspective will include responses and initiatives of international
human rights organisations as well as national Indigenous
Australian communities and international Indigenous communities.
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human rights
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Human rights are those possessed by individuals. They are
universal (possessed by all human beings) and are inalienable
(they cannot be overridden by the public interest).
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Indigenous
peoples
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This term is used when referring collectively to the first peoples
of the land in international communities. The term Indigenous
Australian will be used when speaking about both Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islands peoples within Australia. The word
Aboriginal is preferred by the NSW AECG Inc. when referring to
Aboriginal people within NSW.
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invasion
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The act of forcibly taking over the land.
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kinship
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A key aspect of Aboriginal cultures and values. It includes the
importance of all relationships, and of being related to and
belonging to the land.
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land
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The term 'Land' is used by Aboriginal people to describe their
ecosystems - a sum total of spiritual beliefs, including
Dreamings, all living things including totems, all physical factors
- such as sacred sites, water, air and geographical features.
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land rights
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The evolving struggle of Aboriginal and other Indigenous peoples
for the absolute legal and moral acknowledgement of prior
ownership of their land and recognition of all accompanying
rights and obligations which flow from this association. Land
Rights (capitalised) refers to the legislation.
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language group
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Language is linked to particular geographical areas. The term
'language group' is often used in preference to the term 'tribe'.
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lore
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The learning and transmission of cultural heritage.
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missions
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Living areas established by the Aboriginal Welfare Board and
ruled under the provisions of the Aboriginal Protection Act.
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mob
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A term that some Aboriginal people use to identify their people or
communities. It is not generally acceptable for non-Aboriginal
people to automatically use this term.
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native title
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Form of land title which recognises Aboriginal people as rightful
owners of the land. Native Title (capitalised) refers to the
legislation, whereas native title (lower case) refers to the
concept.
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racism
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Discrimination on the basis of perceived racial differences.
Racism takes on many forms ? attitudinal, institutional and
cultural.
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Reconciliation
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A Commonwealth initiative to promote reconciliation between
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the wider
community and to address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
disadvantage, with the target date of 2001. A capitalised
'Reconciliation' is used to refer specifically to the process as it
applies to the Indigenous peoples and wider community in
Australia.
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reserves
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Areas of land reserved by the Crown for Aboriginal people,
established in the 19 th century.
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resistance
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One of the responses of Aboriginal people to invasion, including
physical and/or political resistance.
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self-determination
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Self-determination involves the effective participation of
Aboriginal peoples in all decision-making that affects them.
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shared history
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Recognises that Australia's history began long before 1788 and
that, since then, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians have
had diverse historical experiences and have occupied the same
country. The term 'Australian history' is inclusive of the histories
of all Australians.
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social justice
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A principle that favours measures aimed at addressing
inequities. It includes the rights of people to economic and social
independence, and empowerment to determine the direction of
their own lives futures. The processes and systems which
shape the interaction between people, communities and
governments determine the degree of social justice achieved.
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sovereignty
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The legal recognition of ownership of land and territory. Implicit in
the concept is the right of self-government. Indigenous peoples
have never ceded their sovereignty over Australia.
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stations
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Living areas established by governments for Aboriginal people
on which managers and matrons controlled (and 'cared for')
those Aboriginal people.
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technology
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That part of culture which assists people to interact with their
environment. It includes knowledge, social organisation,
systems, techniques, processes and products.
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terra nullius
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A concept in international law meaning 'a territory belonging to
no-one' or 'over which no-one claims ownership'. The concept
has been used to justify the invasion and colonisation of
Australia.
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Torres Strait
Islanders
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See definition of Aboriginal. They are the indigenous group of the
Torres Strait Islands north of Queensland.
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traditional
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A term widely used to refer to pre-invasion Aboriginal life,
culture and social organisation. The term 'traditional' must be
used with care as individuals and groups may find this term
offensive.
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tribe
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An anthropological classification of Aboriginal and other
Indigenous peoples who share a common purpose, language
and culture. The term 'tribe' must be used with care as
individuals and groups may find this term offensive. See
definition of language groups.
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