Appropriate terminology

Appropriate terminology protocols The purpose of these guidelines is to suggest appropriate, accurate, and non-offensive word usage when referring to Aboriginal peoples and communities. It is also important to remember that Australia has been inhabited by two indigenous peoples that are ethnically and culturally distinct: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Understanding the impact of past practices and striving to eliminate discriminatory practices, even in language, are important factors in improving social outcomes for Aboriginal Australians. Collective terms to describe Aboriginal people: • Aboriginal person or Aborigine are both correct, but Aboriginal person is the more acceptable and preferred. Also acceptable is the use of Aboriginal Australians or First Peoples/Nations/Australians , if more appropriate to the context. • The adjective “Aboriginal” is not inclusive of Torres Strait Islanders. Therefore, when appropriate , both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be spelt out and this term should never be abbreviated. • Always capitalise the ‘A’ in Aboriginal, as you would with Australian, French, Nordic, etc. The word aboriginal with a lowercase ‘a’ refers to an indigenous (also not capitalised) person from any part of the world. Do not use the word ‘Aboriginal’ as a noun referring to an Aboriginal person. It is considered especially thoughtless. • Aboriginal people and Aboriginal peoples are acceptable according to the context. Aboriginal people as a collective name for the original people of Australia and their descendants does not emphasise the diversity of languages, cultural practices, and spiritual beliefs of these peoples. By adding the ‘s’, emphasis is placed on this diversity. Therefore, Aboriginal peoples is definitely preferable. • Because there is no one homogeneous Aboriginal culture, the term “ Aboriginal cultures “ is also preferable.

• The thousands of Aboriginal children removed by the Government’s policies are known as the “ Stolen Generations ”. ( Not singular.) • Because “Indigenous” is not specific, some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people feel that the term diminishes their Aboriginality and should be avoided. • Blak or Black or Blackfella are terms seen and hear more often. Jack Latimore [2021] writes “No problem with white people using Blak in writing but, like Black, it is more fraught in speech.” He also states quite clearly that calling Aboriginal peoples “Blacks” is not appropriate. • Country , capitalised, is a very special term to Aboriginal peoples. It refers to that complex significance and power of traditional, the philosophical, and the spiritual connections First Nations peoples have about their sense of time and place. • Goori/Koori/ Turrbal /Noongar: these terms communicate the regions from which Aboriginal peoples hail. “Broadly speaking, Murries are from Queensland; Murdies are from kind of south-west Queensland and parts of western NSW; Koories are from up there too, but carrying on down into Victoria and around southern NSW from Newcastle down. … My advice is to get to know the First Nation you have settled on and the neighbouring First Nations that surround you, and continue to work outwards. It’s also always good to ask.” (Latimore, 2021) Official historical records confirm that the Turrbal people were the only traditional owner group in Brisbane at the earliest arrival of British settlers. Reference: Communicating positively: A guide to Appropriate Aboriginal terminology . (2004). New South Wales Department of Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural protocols. (2013). Oxfam Australia Latimore, J. (2021). “Blak, Black, Blackfulla: Language is important, but it can be tricky”. The Sydney Morning Herald, August 30 https://www.smh.com.au/national/blak-black-blackfulla-language-is-important-but-it-can-be-tricky- 20210826-p58lzg.html