It is important to acknowledge that photographing, filming and sound recording Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples, places, objects, sites and cultural activities do occur without consent. In some instances privacy, identity and cultural heritage are exploited, misrepresented and depicted in negative ways.
Only an Aboriginal artist can produce Aboriginal art
It seems obvious, but Aboriginal art is only considered Aboriginal if painted by someone who is of that origin. A non-Indigenous Australian does not have the authority to paint an Aboriginal piece of artwork.
There is a well-known myth that indigenous people are supposed to believe, when a camera takes a picture of them, it would capture a part of them, if not stealing their souls.
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage is voluntary and very personal. You don't need paperwork to identify as an Aboriginal person. However, you may be asked to provide confirmation when applying for Aboriginal-specific jobs, services or programs (for example grants).
In the 1860s, Victoria became the first state to pass laws authorising Aboriginal children to be removed from their parents. Similar policies were later adopted by other states and territories – and by the federal government when it was established in the 1900s.
Children were forced to assimilate into non-Indigenous society and culture. They were refused access to their family and were stopped from speaking their native language and using their birth name. The government didn't keep records of birth dates or place of birth of many of the children.
The NSW Minister for Education, John Perry, instructed NSW schools to remove Aboriginal children from school if non-Aboriginal parents complained. Non-Aboriginal parents frequently claimed diseases were rampant among Aboriginal students, and that they were unhygienic.
Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC)
A letter, on LALC letterhead and signed by either the LALC Chairperson or Chief Executive Officer confirming your acceptance as a member of a LALC, can be provided as proof of Aboriginality.
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.
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 Australian.
Ownership now vests in the Commonwealth
This means that the Aboriginal flag is freely available for public use and can be used on apparel such as sporting jerseys and shirts, included on websites, artworks, used digitally and in any other medium without payment, fear or permission.
You may request extra sacred smoke if you wish. You may take photos but please do not be intrusive of the TSG.
To the Anishinaabe, Mother Earth is both the physical manifestation and embodiment of creation, and the Great Spirit Manitou who created it. Walking in harmony with the world is extremely important to the Anishinaabe culture and explains, in part, why there are so many Aboriginal people in constant distress these days.
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.
Remember a non-indigenous Australian (or any non Aboriginal person around the world) can never create an Aboriginal artwork because only people from specific parts of country can tell the story of that country.
There is nothing wrong with non-Indigenous people wearing or embracing Indigenous material culture, provided that culture was made locally, and was made for sale. Wear Aboriginal iconography and jewellery, but do it with integrity.
'Aborigine' is generally perceived as insensitive, because it has racist connotations from Australia's colonial past, and lumps people with diverse backgrounds into a single group. You're more likely to make friends by saying 'Aboriginal person', 'Aboriginal' or 'Torres Strait Islander'.
Son/daughter-in-law and mother-in-law. 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.
While eye contact is preferred for those of the dominant culture, Aboriginal people do NOT make eye contact. In fact, a lack of eye contact is a mark of respect.
Mitochondrial DNA is a reliable source of genetic information about Aboriginal ancestry, but it can't help at all if your Aboriginal ancestors sit anywhere else in your family tree. That is, it's only useful to track direct from mother to grandmother to great grandmother, and so on.
native title benefits are now considered non-assessable non-exempt (NANE) income and are therefore not subject to income tax (however, income earned from investing a native title benefit is assessable as income)
1969. By 1969, all states had repealed the legislation allowing for the removal of Aboriginal children under the policy of 'protection'.
Why were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children taken from their families? The forcible removal of First Nations children from their families was based on assimilation policies, which claimed that the lives of First Nations people would be improved if they became part of white society.
In Aboriginal communities, the responsibility of raising children is often seen as the responsibility of the entire family rather than the biological parents alone, and so adoption was not necessary and an unknown practice in traditional Aboriginal culture.