general information folio 5: appropriate terminology, indigenous
TRANSCRIPT
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Information adapted from āUsing the right words: appropriate terminology for Indigenous Australian studiesā 1996 in Teaching the Teachers: Indigenous Australian Studies for Primary Pre-ServiceTeacher Education. School of Teacher Education, University of NewSouth Wales.
All staff and students of the University rely heavily on languageto exchange information and to communicate ideas. However,language is also a vehicle for the expression of discriminationand prejudice as our cultural values and attitudes are reflectedin the structures and meanings of the language we use. Thismeans that language cannot be regarded as a neutral orunproblematic medium, and can cause or reflect discriminationdue to its intricate links with society and culture.
This guide clarifies appropriate language use for the history,society, naming, culture and classifications of IndigenousAustralian and Torres Strait Islander people/s.
Indigenous Australian peoples are people of Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander descent, who identify as Aboriginal orTorres Strait Islander and are accepted as an Aboriginal orTorres Strait Islander person in the community in which theylive, or have lived.
Using the right namesMore appropriate
ā¢ Indigenous Australian people/sā¢ Aboriginal people/s ā¢ Aboriginal person ā¢ Torres Strait Islander people/s ā¢ Torres Strait Islander person
The āmore appropriateā terms stress the humanity of Aboriginaland Torres Strait Islander people. āAboriginalā which in Latinmeans āfrom the beginningā and other such European words areused because there is no Aboriginal word that refers to allAboriginal people in Australia.
Less appropriateā¢ Aboriginesā¢ The Aborigines ā¢ The Aboriginal people ā¢ Aboriginal, Aborigines ā¢ The Torres Strait Islanders ā¢ Blacks ā¢ Whites ā¢ Yellafellas ā¢ Coloured
Using terms such as āthe Aboriginesā, or āthe Aboriginal peopleātends to suggest that Aboriginal people/s are all the same, andthus stereotypes Indigenous Australians. The fact is thatIndigenous Australia is multicultural. Australia before the invasion was comprised of 200-300 autonomous languagegroups that were usually referred to as ātribesā, now more often
as āpeoplesā, ānationsā or ālanguage groupsā. The nations ofIndigenous Australia were, and are, as separate as the nationsof Europe or Africa.
The Aboriginal English words āblackfellaā and āwhitefellaā areused by Indigenous Australian people all over the country āsome communities also use āyellafellaā and ācolouredā. Althoughless appropriate, people should respect the acceptance and useof these terms, and consult the local Indigenous community orYunggorendi for further advice.
More appropriateā¢ Murri - Qld, north west NSWā¢ Nyoongah - WAā¢ Koori ā NSWā¢ Goori - north coast NSWā¢ Koorie - Vicā¢ Yolngu - Arnhem Landā¢ Anangu - Central Australiaā¢ Palawa - Tasmaniaā¢ Nunga (not always a more appropriate term - SA) ā¢ Ngarrindjeri ā SA - River Murray, Lakes, Coorong peopleā¢ Torres Strait Island Peoplesā¢ Murray Island Peoplesā¢ Mer Island Peoples
Aboriginal language people terms such as āKooriā, āMurriā,āNyoongahā are appropriate for the areas where they apply.About 80% of the Torres Strait Island population now residesoutside the Torres Strait and as such, local terminology such asMurray Island Peoples and Mer Island Peoples is also used.There are also local names for particular Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander language groups, for example āGamilaroyā (NSW)or āPitjantjatjaraā (NT/SA).
Some people use āNungaā in general reference to Indigenouspeoples who reside in and around the area of Adelaide. ManyIndigenous South Australians prefer people not to presume theright to use their word āNungaā. Local Indigenous Australian peo-ple (eg Yunggorendi staff at Flinders) can clarify appropriate useof this and other terms.
General Information Folio 5:
Appropriate Terminology,Indigenous Australian Peoples
www.f l inders.edu.au/CDIP
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More appropriateā¢ Uluru
Local Indigenous Australian peoples named all of Australia intheir languages before the invasion. Uluru is the Aboriginalname for this significant site in Central Australia which shouldbe respected and recognised. This recognition of IndigenousAustralia is fundamental to social justice.
Less appropriateā¢ Ayers Rock
Part of the process of colonisation has been the Europeanrenaming of places and natural features all over Australia. AyersRock was a European name imposed on a section of Aboriginalcountry.
No more classifying peopleMore appropriate
ā¢ Indigenous Australian peoples ā¢ Aboriginal peoplesā¢ āTorres Strait Islander people or peoplesā may be preferable,
depending on the context
Using the more appropriate terms helps to avoid attempting toinaccurately label, categorise and stereotype people.
Less appropriateā¢ Transitional ā¢ Traditional ā¢ Contemporary ā¢ Modern ā¢ Urban ā¢ Rural ā¢ Isolated or remote Aboriginal people/Torres Strait
Islander people
The less appropriate terms can be extremely offensive to manyIndigenous Australians as they categorise people and assumethat there are real differences between Indigenous Australianpeoples of different areas. It is critical that they are not used torefer to or to attempt to classify Indigenous peoples.
In ālong-settledā areas, the implication that āurbanā IndigenousAustralians are less Indigenous than ātraditionalā or ātransitionalāpeople and cultures is most offensive. A real issue is the āreal Aborigineā syndrome ā the idea that the ārealā Aboriginalpeople live in Arnhem Land or the Central desert, and that only ātraditionalā Aboriginal people and cultures are āreally Aboriginalā.
It is important to bear in mind that Indigenous Australians havemuch more in common than the wide use of these categorisingterms would suggest. For example, most Aboriginal people who are classified as āurbanā in fact have very close links to ātraditionalā country. Many Indigenous Australians find the termātransitionalā offensive as it implies progress upwards towardssomething better, the idea that assimilation into mainstream is better.
Caution should be used with terms such as āruralā, āisolatedā andāremoteā. These words should refer to geographical location andaccess to services only. Indigenous Australian communitieshave experienced divisiveness because these categorical termsimply that Aboriginal people living in these communities areless socialised than people living in urban communities.
More appropriateā¢ Aboriginal people/s, Indigenous people/s, and Torres
Strait Islander people/s
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people understand theirown history and identity, and recognise that physical features donot determine Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ancestry.
Less appropriateā¢ āPart-aborigineā, āfull-bloodā, āhalf-casteā, āquarter-casteā,
āoctoroonā, āmulattoā, āhybridā
In the past, governments tried to classify Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander people according to skin colour and parentageusing these less appropriate terms. Exemption certificates wereissued to Aboriginal people with lighter skin colour to allowthem the same basic freedoms that people without Indigenousheritage took for granted as citizens. The assumption was thatany Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person with anyāEuropeanā blood was more intelligent, and a fitter member ofAustralian society.
Until 1972 when the White Australia Policy was abolished, WhiteAustralia excluded Indigenous Australian people by definition.Major changes for Indigenous Australian peoples were not introduced until 1967 through the referendum, and by returningland to some groups from 1975.
No more classifying culturesMore appropriate
ā¢ Indigenous nationsā¢ Complex and diverse societiesā¢ Efficient resource managersā¢ Indigenous Australian society
The effectiveness and sophistication of Indigenous Australianresource management, and social organisation, is starting to bemore recognised.
Less appropriateā¢ Primitiveā¢ Simpleā¢ Nativeā¢ Prehistoricā¢ Stone age
The less appropriate terms are offensive in that they implyAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies are not asāadvancedā as European societies. The terms are based on theāprogressā model of history which many people now question,and on the idea of evolution from ālowerā to āhigherā (western)forms of social organisation.
More appropriateā¢ Aboriginal people/s ā¢ Aboriginal nationsā¢ Aboriginal communitiesā¢ Mob/sā¢ Language groupsā¢ Culture groups
āNationā, ācommunityā, āpeopleā, āmobā or the local language or
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culture group name is usually preferable to ātribeā. āMobā is anAboriginal English word and as such may be more appropriate,but community acceptance may be required before using thisword. Some Aboriginal people use the term ātribeā due to mainstream schooling in imposed terminology and such usageneeds to be respected.
Less appropriateā¢ Tribeā¢ Hordeā¢ Bandā¢ Clanā¢ Moiety
āTribeā is a European word that tends to impart western preconceptions developed from colonial experiences in NorthAmerica and Africa. āHordeā is a more technical word used byanthropologists, but its common usage also has derogatoryconnotations.
Anthropologists sometimes use the terms ābandā, āclanā andāmoietyā to convey certain characteristics of cultural groupings.Rather than trying to convey precise structures of IndigenousAustralian societies it may be more useful for teachers to con-vey the essence of Indigenous Australian social organisation.
More appropriateā¢ Seasonal occupation ā¢ Rotational/cyclical occupation ā¢ Looking after the country/the land
The rotational or cyclical occupation of land by Aboriginal people was inaccurately portrayed as being ānomadicā ratherthan the expression of an intimate knowledge of, and ability toharvest the land. It was and is based on not staying in one placeand exhausting all resources, but moving around the territory at particular times when food resources became available. The crucial concept is ābelonging to the landā.
Less appropriateā¢ Nomadic, nomads, nomadism
Nomadism has been associated with lack of land tenure oranchorage in land, and this has been coupled with the idea thatAboriginal people did not really occupy the land, but onlyroamed over it. The extension of the doctrine of terra nulliuswas based on this kind of distinction. Note that the 1992 MaboNative Title judgement by the High Court rejected terra nulliusas wrong both in fact and in law. For more information, seehttp://www.racismnoway.com.au/classroom/Factsheet/10.html
Dreaming and spiritualityMore appropriate
ā¢ The Dreaming ā¢ The Dreamings
āThe Dreamingā or āThe Dreamingsā are mostly more appropriateas they describe Indigenous beliefs as ongoing today. Manypeople use āDreamtimeā to refer to the period of creation.
Less appropriateā¢ Dreamtime
The word āDreamtimeā tends to indicate a time period, whichhas finished. In reality, the Dreamings are ongoing all overAustralia. However, many Aboriginal people do still use theword āDreamtimeā, and this usage must be respected.
More appropriateā¢ Spirituality
ā¢ Spiritual beliefs
In terms of Indigenous belief systems, āspiritualityā or āspiritualbeliefsā are more appropriate. Indigenous Australian spiritualityis localised by definition, it is more a way of life, of connectedness and belonging.
Less appropriateā¢ Religion
The word āreligionā tends to refer mainly to established, organised āworldā or western religions. It is important to recognise that many Indigenous people are religious in terms of mainstream religions, and often combine these beliefs withAboriginal spirituality.
More appropriateā¢ Creation/Dreaming Storiesā¢ Teachings from the Dreaming/sā¢ Legends (Torres Strait Islander people only)
It is appropriate to use āThe Legendsā when referring to TorresStrait Islander culture. āCreation Storiesā or āDreaming Storiesāconvey more respect for Aboriginal Australian peopleās beliefs.Capitalising these terms conveys more respect.
Less appropriateā¢ Mythsā¢ Folkloreā¢ Legendsā¢ Storyā¢ Stories
Using words such as āmythā or āstoryā conveys the impressionthat information from the Dreaming is not true or is trivial, oronly happened in the distant past. These words can also conveythe impression that Dreaming Stories are fairy tales rather thancreation stories.
Telling the right storiesMore appropriate
ā¢ Indigenous (Australian) history ā¢ Pre-invasion historyā¢ Invasion historyā¢ Post-invasion history
Less appropriateā¢ Pre-history
āPre-historyā is a term used by some archaeologists and historians; it was developed originally to denote the time periodbefore European history was recorded in writing. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people find the term offensive as itsuggests that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia didnot have a history before European invasion, because it is notwritten and recorded.
Use of this term denies the validity of Indigenous Australian history before what is commonly regarded as written history,and before European contact. It also denies a place forAboriginal people in history. This is still reflected in thoseschools today which begin a study of Australian history in 1770or 1788.
More appropriateā¢ āā¦ since the beginning of the Dreaming/sā
āSince the beginning of the Dreaming/sā reflects the beliefs ofmany Indigenous Australians that they have always been inAustralia, from the beginning of time, and came from the land.
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Less appropriateā¢ āAboriginal people have lived in Australia for 40,000 yearsā
Forty thousand years puts a limit on the occupation of Australiaand thus tends to lend support to migration theories and anthropological assumptions. Many Indigenous Australians seethis sort of measurement and quantifying as inappropriate.
More appropriateā¢ Captain Cook was the first Englishman to map the east
coast of āNew Hollandā
Less appropriateā¢ Captain Cook ādiscoveredā Australia
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were in Australialong before Captain Cook arrived; hence it was impossible for Cook to be the first person to ādiscoverā Australia. MostAboriginal people find the use of the word ādiscoveryā offensive.However, it can be noted that the word ādiscoveryā can meanfinding something that one as an individual did not know wasthere. This meaning should be stressed if the word is to beused. One reason why so much had to be ādiscoveredā is thefact that Indigenous knowledge was discounted and disregardedfor so long.
More appropriateā¢ Invasionā¢ Colonisationā¢ Occupation
Australia was not settled peacefully, it was invaded, occupiedand colonised. Describing the arrival of the Europeans as a āsettlementā attempts to view Australian history from the shoresof England rather than the shores of Australia.
Less appropriateā¢ Settlement
The use of the word āsettlementā ignores the reality ofIndigenous Australian peoplesā lands being stolen from them on the basis of the legal fiction of terra nullius and negates the resistance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The fact that most settlers did not see themselves as invadingthe country, and that convicts were transported against their will is beside the point. The effects were the same forIndigenous Australian peoples.
More appropriateā¢ āBlaxland, Lawson and Wentworth were the first European
men to cross the Blue Mountainsā
Aboriginal men, women and children had crossed the BlueMountains for thousands of years before European explorers.
Less appropriateā¢ āBlaxland, Lawson and Wentworth were the first men to
cross the Blue Mountainsā
Statements such as this deny the Indigenous history ofAustralia, and are examples of the White Australia frame of reference that totally excludes Indigenous Australia.
More appropriateā¢ Elders
Elders are men and women in Aboriginal communities who arerespected for their wisdom and knowledge of their culture, particularly the Law. Male and female Elders, who have higherlevels of knowledge, maintain social order according to the Law.The word āEldersā should be written with a capital letter as amark of respect.
Less appropriateā¢ Chiefsā¢ Kingsā¢ Queens
Aboriginal people did not, and do not have chiefs, kings andqueens. The introduction of ākingsā or āqueensā was a colonialstrategy to raise up individuals for the authorities to deal with.Colonial governments had no experience of dealing with thestructures of Indigenous societies, and this was a way of tryingto make Aboriginal societies conform to English experience ofchiefs in other countries. It was a way of honouring individualstatus, but there was usually an element of mockery eg suchnames as āKing Billyā or āQueen Gooseberryā.
Note however that many Aboriginal people who are descendedfrom colonially appointed ākingsā and āqueensā are proud of this ancestry.
ReferenceāUsing the right words: appropriate terminology for IndigenousAustralian studiesā 1996 in Teaching the Teachers: IndigenousAustralian Studies for Primary Pre-Service Teacher Education.School of Teacher Education, University of New South Wales.
Resource bibliography and websiteshttp://www.aiatsis.gov.au/Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait IslanderStudies ā click on the āResearchā link.Accessed March 2004
http://www.faess.jcu.edu.au/sias/research/indigenous_research_at_jcu.htmlJames Cook University: School of Indigenous Australian Studiesā provides lists and brief descriptions of research projects beingundertaken by the School.Accessed March 2004
http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/ciap/index.php?page_id=129menu=2_20Southern Cross University, Northern NSW ā IndigenousAustralian Peoples Research and Development Centreālists current research projects and provides contact details.Accessed March 2004
http://www.faira.org.au/contents.htmlThe Foundation for Aboriginal and Islander Research Action āprovides links to government policies and research projects onissues such as the Stolen Generationā click on āIssuesāAccessed March 2004
http://www.austlit.edu.au/specialistDatasets/aboriginalDatabase of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers andtheir works.Accessed March 2004
http://www.xculture.org/training/overview/cultural/assessment.htmlList of cultural competence literature
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Circle the āMore Appropriateā TerminologyDreamtime The Dreaming The Dreamings
Indigenous spirituality
Indigenous religion
Indigenous myths Aboriginal story/stories
Creation Stories Teachings from theDreamings
Indigenous legends Dreaming Stories
The Aborigines Aboriginals The Torres StraitIslanders
Indigenous andTorres StraitIslander people/s
ATSI people Aboriginal people/s
Blacks White Coloured Other Australians Non-Aboriginal/Indigenous people
Yellafellas
Uluru Ayers Rock
Nomadic Seasonal occupation
Rotational/cyclical Looking after thecountry/land
Aboriginal tribe/s Aboriginal peoples/mobs
Aboriginal communities
Language groups Hordes Indigenous nation/s
Primitive Native Aboriginalpeople
Prehistoric society IndigenousAustralian society
Complex anddiverse societies
Stone age society
Pre-history Indigenous history Pre-invasion history Post-invasion history
IndigenousAustralian history
Torres StraitIslander history
Captain Cook ādiscoveredāAustralia
Captain Cook wasthe first Englishmanto map New Holland
Chiefs Kings Queens Elders
Aboriginal peoplehave lived here:
a) For 40,000 years b) Since the beginning of theDreamings
Settlement Invasion
TraditionalAboriginal people
Isolated Aboriginalpeople
IndigenousAustralian people/s
Modern Aboriginalpeople
ContemporaryAboriginal people
Urban Aboriginalpeople
Part aborigine Half caste Full blood Aboriginal people/s Indigenous people/s Torres StraitIslander people/s
Dreaming and spirituality
Using the right names
No more classifying people
No more classifying cultures
Telling the right stories
Appropriate Terminology, Indigenous Australian Peoples
www.f l inders.edu.au/CDIP