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"I am located therefore I am"

" There is no equivalent to the Cartesian notion of 'I think therefore I am' but, if there were, it would be - I am located therefore I am. " (Mary Graham).

A

Aboriginal

Aboriginal should always be spell with a capital A, many Aboriginal people prefer to be known as First Nations People, or Aboriginal people, not Indigenous people.

Aboriginal English

Aboriginal people have made the English Language into an Aboriginal language in the added Aboriginal meaning they have given to the English word, e.g. "land " for Aboriginal people has great spiritual significance and is not seen as a piece of ' real estate ' ; " family " does not just refer to immediate family or blood relatives.

Arnhem Land

Arnhem Land is one of the five regions of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around 500 km (310 mi) from the territory capital Darwin.


Assimilation

An introduced Government(s) Policy, with the stated intention that Aboriginal people, should take on the same values, and the same life style as white Australians.

Aunty

Aunt is the more formal address, and Aunty the more familiar. Female Elders in the Community are usually addressed as Aunt/Aunty, if people are unsure of how to address Elders or older people, than it is best to ask.

C

Clans

A number of clans are part of the major language groups, each with their own lands and responsibilities.

Colonialism

For Aboriginal people " colonialism " is not part of the past, but is still part of the present, and is a continuing process.

E

Elders

Are older male or female Aboriginal people who are recognised as " Elders ", by their Community, as knowledgeable people who hold a deal of respect.

F

Family

Most people understand, that Aboriginal people belong to an extended family (blood relatives), but this has to be extended again to include non-blood relatives as well, and again this needs to be extended to include the whole Aboriginal Community.

I

Ice Age

An ice age is a period of long-term reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers.

K

Koori

Is the word, that Aboriginal people, in New South Wales and Victoria use to identify themselves.


Koori Mail

This is an Aboriginal News Paper published in News South Wales.

L

Land

Land is not something that is bought and sold, it is not a piece of "real estate". Land is a sacred entity, and is the well of our Spiritual, Human and Cultural beginnings, and is key to our physical, mental, emotional , Spiritual well-being and health.

M

Macassans

The term Makassan (or Macassan) is generally used to apply to all the trepangers who came to Australia, although some were from other islands in the Indonesian Archipelago, including Timor, Rote and Aru.

Massacre

Massacre is also a verb that means to kill people in numbers, especially brutally and indiscriminately.

Megafauna

The term "megafauna" is usually applied to large animals (over 100 kg). In Australia, however, megafauna were never as large as those found on other continents, and so a more lenient criterion of over 40 kg is often applied

Murri

An Aboriginal word used in the Brisbane / South - East area of Queensland to refer to ourselves ( Aboriginal people )." Gurri " is another word used in the same manner.

Myths

a) - in the first colonial contact Aboriginal people were defined as the " natives ", which de-humanised them and made them "inferior" to white people, still today Aboriginal people are being treated as being inferior by the majority of the Australian population, based on this myth. 

b) - Aboriginal people receive "free cars", "free houses", "extra money" in their pensions and dole. 

c) - only Aboriginal people have been affected by colonialism, (the majority of white Australians do not realise to what extent they have, and are still being affected by colonialism). 

d) - it's a myth that colonialism is part of the past, it is continuing in the present, and Aboriginal people feel this is demonstrated and perpetrated by Government Policies based on the underlying premise of " assimilation ". 


Myth-making is one of the continuing patterns of colonialism, still present in Australian society today, and in the present myths are still keep being created, e.g."free houses "and " frees cars".

Many of the "myths" about Aboriginal people from the past have become the "stereotypes" that label Aboriginal people today.

N

Nations

Before the event of Colonialism, this country had over 300 different Countries, and over 700 different languages, with just as many dialects. Each of these Countries, are now becoming known as Nations. See map of Aboriginal Australia, by Norman B. Tindale.

T

The "Individual"

When talking to an Aboriginal person in regards to health matters, it's important to understand that you are speaking to a whole Family. Aboriginal People think of themselves as part of a Family, they are never alone.

U

Uncle

Older Aboriginal men are usually addressed as " Uncle " to show respect for that person, and for some to give recognition for their " Elder " status. If unsure how to address people always ask what they prefer to be called...

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