Assimilationist terms such as 'full-blood,' 'half-caste' and 'quarter-caste' are extremely offensive and should never be used when referring to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Aborigines • native/native Australians • lost (e.g. Lost language, cultures).
And if you are talking about both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, it's best to say either 'Indigenous Australians' or 'Indigenous people'. Without a capital “a”, “aboriginal” can refer to an Indigenous person from anywhere in the world. The word means “original inhabitant” in Latin.
For example, many well regarded Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, academics and organisations use the term 'Indigenous' or 'Indigenous Australians'.
Many First Nations people consider the use of the term 'Aborigine' racist. Aboriginal people are a diverse group of individuals and use of the term 'Aborigine' has negative connotations imposed during colonisation and can perpetuate prejudice and discrimination.
To make direct eye contact can be viewed as being rude, disrespectful or even aggressive.To convey polite respect, the appropriate approach would be to avert or lower your eyes in conversation. Observe the other person's body language.
In Aboriginal culture it is taboo to mention (or in some cases write) the name of a deceased person. Aboriginal people believe that if the deceased person's name is mentioned, the spirit is called back to this world.
Offensive names
However many may not be aware that shortening the term 'Aboriginal' to 'Abo' is highly offensive to Indigenous people due to historical usage and is considered a derogatory term, as 'Koon' or 'Boong' are. It's best to avoid these slurs in general.
Aboriginal people refer to an Elder as 'Aunty' or 'Uncle'. However, it is recommended that non-Aboriginal people check the appropriateness of their use of these terms as referring to an Elder or leader as Aunty or Uncle may not be appropriate for an outsider unless a strong relationship has been established.
An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander is a person of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent who identifies as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and is accepted as such by the community in which he (she) lives.
both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, use terms such as 'First Nations people', 'First Australians' or 'Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples'.
Koori (or Koorie)
Koori is a term denoting an Aboriginal person of southern New South Wales or Victoria. 'Koori' is not a synonym for 'Aboriginal'. There are many other Aboriginal groups across Australia (such as Murri, Noongar, Yolngu) with which Indigenous Australians may identify themselves.
Bunji: Means friend/mate. Cooee: Is actually a widely used Aboriginal word that is often unknowingly used by non-indigenous people.
doorie. to have sex: Let's go have a doorie.
Some common synonyms of indigenous are aboriginal, endemic, and native. While all these words mean "belonging to a locality," indigenous applies to that which is not only native but which, as far as can be determined, has never been introduced or brought from elsewhere.
Use “First Nation community” as a respectful alternative phrase. Use instead of “Indian” when referring to an individual.
AbE is the name given to complex, rule-governed varieties of English that are spoken by over 80 per cent of Indigenous peoples across Australia (Partington and Galloway, 2007). AbE is not a form of AusE, but rather both are varieties of English.
There is no one Aboriginal word that all Aborigines use for Australia; however, today they call Australia, ""Australia"" because that is what it is called today. There are more than 250 aboriginal tribes in Australia. Most of them didn't have a word for ""Australia""; they just named places around them.
Your Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage is something that is personal to you. You do not need a letter of confirmation to identify as an Indigenous person.
Elders also preside over ceremonies and other spiritual practices, and attend to the health and well-being of young people. Elders are sometimes addressed as Uncle or Aunty as a mark of respect, but only when given permission to do so, such as Uncle Jack Charles.
It may not be appropriate for non-Aboriginal people to use these terms. 'Walkabout' and 'Koori time' are other terms based on cultural practices that are often trivialised or used to mock people. Non-Aboriginal Australia has made a habit of misappropriating and trivialising culturally significant practices.
Less appropriate. The word "Dreamtime" tends to indicate a time period, which has finished. In reality, the Dreamings are ongoing all over Australia. However, many Aboriginal people do still use the word "Dreamtime", and this usage must be respected.
Contrary to some versions of both the 'baby talk' and 'proto-world' approaches, mama in Australia is mostly found as 'father', not 'mother', and papa is found as 'mother' in some areas. Mama is a possible candidate for Proto Pama-Nyungan 'father'.
In what is the strongest kinship avoidance rule, some Australian Aboriginal customs ban a person from talking directly to their mother-in-law or even seeing her. A mother-in-law also eats apart from her son-in-law or daughter-in-law and their spouse.
Showing respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can be demonstrated by seeking opinion from a wide range of Elders and other community members. Respect refers to the way an individual treats others.