RAP Working Group

GLOSSARY OF TERMINOLOGY USED IN THIS DOCUMENT

For the purpose of acknowledging and respecting the diversity of cultures across the continent we now call Australia, we have chosen to use the terminology preferred by our current students, which is Aboriginal and/ or Torres Strait Islander peoples, where appropriate; and Whadjuk/Noongar when referring to the Country on which our school sits. Whilst we recognise that some individuals may prefer terms such as Indigenous, or First Nations, this was not reflected within our current group of students at the time of writing this document.

Aboriginal

“the Federal Government defines an Aboriginal person as someone who: • is of Aboriginal descent; • identifies as an Aboriginal person; and • is accepted as an Aboriginal person by the community in which he or she lives. Aboriginal people comprise diverse Aboriginal nations, each with their own language and traditions and have historically lived on mainland Australia, Tasmania or on many of the continent’s offshore islands.” Source: Australian Human Rights Comission

Torres Strait Islander

“A Torres Strait Islander person is a descendant from one of the Torres Strait Islands located to the north of mainland Queensland. ‘Torres Strait Islander’ should be used as an adjective, not as a noun.” Source: Queensland Health

Indigenous

“…the descendants - according to a common definition - of those who inhabited a country or a geographical region at the time when people of different cultures or ethnic origins arrived… Considering the diversity of indigenous peoples, an official definition of “indigenous” has not been adopted by any UN-system body”

Source: United Nations

Elder(s)

The custodians of Aboriginal knowledge. Elders are chosen by their own communities. They are highly respected keepers of the knowledge, and pass that knowledge on to younger Aboriginal people. Source: noongarculture.org

Peoples

‘Peoples’ (plural) refers to diverse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identities/geo-cultural community groups across Australia.

Source: Narragunnawali Country is the term often used by Aboriginal peoples to describe the lands, waterways and seas to which they are connected. The term contains complex ideas about law, place, custom, language, spiritual belief, cultural practice, material sustenance, family and identity.

Source: AIATSIS

Traditional Custodian (custodial responsibility)

An obligation that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have to care for the Country/Place on which they live, even if they are not traditional owners of that Country/Place. Traditional owners have primary responsibility for Country/Place.

Source: Australian Curriculum

Welcome to Country

“Welcome to Country is delivered by Traditional Owners, or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who have been given permission from Traditional Owners, to welcome visitors to their Country…Welcome to Country occurs at the beginning of a formal event and can take many forms including singing, dancing, smoking ceremonies, and/or a speech.”

Source: Reconciliation Australia

Acknowledgment of Country

Acknowledging when you’re on the land of Traditional Owners is a sign of respect which acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ownership and custodianship of the land, their ancestors and traditions. Both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples can show this form of respect.

Only the traditional owners can speak for and welcome visitors to Country or give others the authority to do so.

Source: AIATSIS

Sovereignty

“Aboriginal people in Australia have continued to argue that, just as British sovereignty did not wipe away Aboriginal title or native title, neither did it wipe away Aboriginal jurisdiction... It is this attachment to a place through ancestors and tradition that enables those of us who can claim a kind of sovereignty that predates the colonists to have a sense of place that is, at once, deeply emotional and social and political.” Source: Marcia Langton - Agreements, Treaties and Negotiated Settlements

Noongar

The word Noongar means ‘a person of the south-west of Western Australia’, or the name for the ‘original inhabitants of the south-west of Western Australia’. While Noongar is identified as a single language, there are several ways of pronouncing it, which is reflected in the spelling: Noongar, Nyungar, Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, Yungar and Noonga.

Source: noongarculture.org NB: For continuity, we have chosen to use the spelling ‘Noongar’ within this document, as it is the most commonly agreed spelling within our current community of students who identify as Noongar.