“You Can’t Ask That” Aboriginal Awareness & Protocols
Question
IDENTITY & CULTURE
Do Aboriginal people consider themselvesmore Australian than everyone else?

Can anyone call themselves Aboriginal?

How important is identifying yourself as
Aboriginal to your sense of belonging?

Is it appropriate or necessary to
acknowledge moiety? Men's business vswomen's business?
With the current growth in people getting
DNA testing I am aware that people are
discovering their Aboriginality in theirfamily history. How can people in thissituation link with their Aboriginaldescendants and community?

Craig’s Response
The response would vary greatly across the 500,000 Aboriginal
people who have, as we all do, varying opinions on a range ofthings. In my opinion, I am not 'more Australian' than anyone there is no definition of what is Australian - that name has only
existed since Federation. What I do possess is a sense of history
and stewardship as a descendent of the original inhabitants of thiscontinent.
No, the issue of Aboriginal identity remains contentious for some,
but the official definition used by government is based on three (3)criteria: "An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander is a person ofAboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent who identifies as an
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and is accepted as such by thecommunity in which he (she) lives." See
https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departm
ents/Parliamentary_Library/Publications_Archive/CIB/cib0203/03Ci
b10
Everyone needs to feel a sense of belonging in their life - Aboriginal
people, whatever the challenges faced, will always hold a strong
sense of belonging to country, their mob and their culture.
No, it is generally not appropriate to discuss these things,
especially for non-Aboriginal people. There may be some
exceptions in certain circumstances – always be guided by the
Aboriginal people present as to what is appropriate to discuss.
This is a very common situation for many people. If you haveresearched your ancestry and found Aboriginal heritage, there is noclear answer that will guarantee that you will connect with yourdescendant's community, or any Aboriginal community for thatmatter. It is a very human thing that relies on so many factors. It is
possible there are no people left in the community left to vouch for

Kaleana’s Response
Yes I agree.

No, of course. Agree with Craig’s statement.

It’s very important, its who we are, it’s where
we have come from and it’s our future. I’mvery proud of who I am. I have strong andcontinuous connection to my Country.
Yes, always be guided by the Aboriginal
people.

My grandmother used to tell me that thisfamily I went to school with were Aboriginaland she would explain their cultural links to
me. I would say to my friend at school “youknow you’re Aboriginal ay? Why don’t you
admit it?” And she would always deny it and“You Can’t Ask That” Aboriginal Awareness & Protocols
your connection, depending on the length of time surpassed. There
are, however, organisations that seek to assist in linking people totheir mob and Link-Up is the one I know the most who do great
work in helping people on their journey to finding themselves andtheir mob. https://www.linkupnsw.org.au/

I’ve heard that our idea of a single
Aboriginal culture is wrong because of themany and varied nations – is this true?

True, there is no single Aboriginal culture in Australia due to theover 500 nations (countries) that traditionally made up this land.
There may be commonalities across all of these, but each has its
own culture, language, way of living etc. Consider Europe - all of
the countries that make up Europe have their own language,
culture, identity and values – they are not lumped into one single"European culture" - This is no different in that respect.

Apart from Uluru, are there any other sites
or landmarks which are sacred to the
Aboriginal people?

There are millions! Physical cultural heritage exists everywhere in
the landscape, even underground and under the sea as wecurrently know it. Special places include natural features,archaeological places and ceremonial places just to name a few every aspect of traditional life has left a record on the landscape.
To give you an idea, from memory (which could be struggling as Iage!) the area around Wollombi in the Hunter has been assessed
as averaging over 14 Aboriginal sites per hectare. Having said that,
there are also special or ‘sacred’ places that have developed in a
post-settlement context, such as certain buildings or places thathave special meaning to the Aboriginal community.
There have been many challenges to face and difficult for me toprovide specific examples, but a key one that occurs a lot is people
assuming that everything 'Aboriginal' is your responsibility, whereasdelivering initiatives, services or outcomes to Aboriginal people
should be everyone's responsibility.

What challenges have you dealt with inyour career due to your Aboriginalidentity?

so did her other siblings. Years have passed
and they have children of their own and now,
all of a sudden, decided that it’s time toacknowledge their Aboriginality. I neverunderstood why and maybe I never will, but I
was always taught to be proud of myAboriginality, be proud of where you havecome from. There are always people incommunity that may know your connection.
This is a great comparison Craig - would you
call a French person European? Would they
get offended? They wouldn’t like to be put
into a box that gives them no identity on
where they are from, their language etc.
When we meet other Aboriginal people oneof the first things we ask is “Who’s yourMob?”
Not to mention Lake Mungo and theWillandra world heritage area where theoldest human remains were brought to thesurface dating back to 46,000 years old. Thisin itself is sacred for all humanity! It’s right inour own back yard! All Country is sacred –and it’s all connected.

I agree Craig, and people assume that weknow everything. Also, having your culturalsafety and cultural values being challenged
by others.

“You Can’t Ask That” Aboriginal Awareness & Protocols
Are "fair skinned" Aboriginal people as
disadvantaged as darker Aboriginal
people? Is it right for them to take up thescholarships, jobs etc. that are marked for
Aboriginal people only?

Can we ever ask someone if they are
Aboriginal or should we wait for the person
to initiate and just never bring it up?

When Aboriginal people raise an issue
which often relates to the past, society
often respond by saying 'get over it' and'its in the past' – what are your thoughts?

PROTOCOLS
Why is an Acknowledgement of Country
important to the Aboriginal people? Whatis the difference between an
Acknowledgement of Country? Whenshould we consider arranging a Welcome

Aboriginal people come in all shapes, sizes and colours. Don’t be
confused when fair skinned, blue eyed and blonde-haired people
identify as Aboriginal – the explanation is a simple case of genetics
i.e. dominant and recessive genes (just like blue eyes/brown eyes).
Think of Aboriginal identity as being like a cup of tea or coffee – nomatter how much milk you put in and change its colour, it’s still tea
or coffee! Being Aboriginal is not the colour of your skin or eyes or
how broad your nose is. It is a spiritual feeling, an identity you know
in your heart.
I think the key point here is how the question is approached, andfor what reason, and what basis you are needing an answer. For
example, to ask someone who is applying for an Aboriginalidentified job or to access specialised Health Services – Yes. To
ask someone because they have dark skin – No.
I would use an analogy with some other groups of people who haveexperienced past trauma - are the ANZAC’s or Holocaust survivors
expected to ‘get over it – it was in the past’?

Please refer to the Aboriginal Protocol Guidelines on the NSW
Landcare Program’s Gateway page at:https://landcare.nsw.gov.au/landcare-program/aboriginalcommunities-engagement-program/Yeah I agree. Fair skinned Aboriginal people
can experience different kinds of racism incertain situations because people don’t thinkthey are Aboriginal.

Yes, I agree.

The past was not that long ago! My
grandparents didn’t have the same
opportunities as non-Aboriginal people. They
weren’t allowed to finish primary school. My
grandmother had to teach herself to read andwrite. My mother wasn’t born an Australian
citizen and my mother is not that old.
Aboriginal people were not counted as
citizens until the 1967 referendum. How can
we also get over the continue loss of ournative vegetation, massive fish fills,
threatened and endangered cultural keystone
species and poor quality of our country?

“You Can’t Ask That” Aboriginal Awareness & Protocols
to Country rather than an
Acknowledgement of Country formeetings/events?
Where do we find, and how do we makecontact with, an Aboriginal Elder to carryout a Welcome to Country? Is there a
directory?

How much should you expect to pay for a
Welcome to Country?

Why do some Aboriginal people get
offended when an Acknowledgement ofCountry is accidentally missed when 99%of the time it is done?

Why is the term "Aunty" and "Uncle" used
so widely in the Aboriginal Community?
Is the better terminology 'Aboriginal' or'Indigenous'? or does it not matter?

and the Landcare NSW page at:https://landcarensw.org.au/projects/aboriginal-communitiesengagement-program/
There is no directory, you have to do some research yourself
depending on where you are located. This is also why we have
Aboriginal staff employed in our agencies - they can connect you tothe right place. In Sydney, the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land
Council has its Welcome to Country rates on their website, but you
don't get to choose which Elder: https://metrolalc.org.au/servicesresources/welcome-to-country/
It can be expected that a Welcome to Country could cost anywherefrom $150 - $400. However, these prices are provided only as a
general guide. In providing cultural services such as Welcome toCountry, artistic performances and ceremonies, Aboriginal people
are using their intellectual property. In Sydney, the Metropolitan
Local Aboriginal Land Council has its rates on their website:
https://metrolalc.org.au/services-resources/welcome-to-country/
The premise of 99% is exaggerated and inaccurate. If they did
occur 99% of the time, then there would be no need to educate
people on why it is important. But this question actually answers
itself - if you were the recipient of an experience, a welcoming
feeling, a service, a ritual, or even a product 99% of the time, andthen it didn't occur, wouldn't you feel something wasn't right or
missing?
Put simply - RESPECT! It also relates to recognition of Aboriginal
Elders, kinship and extended families.
Whilst these two terms appear interchangeable in various forums,in NSW my advice is to use the term "Aboriginal". The term
"Indigenous" appeared in the 80s and 90s at the Federal
Government level. I heard a (tall?) tale once that a 'bean-counter'(no offense intended for our very important bean counters - they doa great job!) in a Federal Government department realised that theAgree - through your Aboriginal staff, or
through other agencies such as LLS. There
may also be Aboriginal corporations,organisations, etc

I sometimes get offended being asked all thetime to do a Welcome to Country or
Acknowledgement of Country because I
might be the only Aboriginal person there.
Acknowledgement of Country should beeveryone’s responsibility.
Agree!
Other terms that are also widely used
nowadays is “First Nations” and “Traditional
Owners”.

“You Can’t Ask That” Aboriginal Awareness & Protocols

I’ve read that the word ‘Aboriginal’ is anacceptable term for our first people, but
I’ve also read that the word ‘Aborigine’ isoffensive. Why are two such similar words
received differently?
Do you have some examples of “no-nos”
or negative behaviour that non-Aboriginal
people may not be aware they’re doing in
the workplace?

How do I find out about the Aboriginal
tribal country I am on?

number of characters used for "Indigenous" was only 10
characters, yet the term "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders"
uses 38 characters, including spaces. To extrapolate this out overthousands of times the terms would be used in written form over
the years, the shorter version equates to a substantial saving ofprinting ink, time taken to type it out, space on the paper, etc. - you
get the picture.
Context and social change – it is generally perceived as insensitive.
In the past, the term “Aborigine” was used to denigrate or used in a
racist or derogatory way. Many words that were once acceptable tosociety can later become unacceptable. Without a capital "a","aboriginal" can refer to an Indigenous person from anywhere in theworld. The word means “original inhabitant” in Latin.
Please refer to the Aboriginal Protocol Guidelines on the NSW
Landcare Program’s Gateway page at:https://landcare.nsw.gov.au/landcare-program/aboriginalcommunities-engagement-program/and the Landcare NSW page at:https://landcarensw.org.au/projects/aboriginal-communitiesengagement-program/
There have been several representations of a map of AboriginalAustralia, but for many Aboriginal people they are also held with alevel of inaccuracy and contention/disagreement, mainly due to theloss of cultural knowledge being passed on by Elders for several
generations for various reasons, including direct policies by theauthorities at the time that forbade the passing on of cultural
knowledge and would result in punishment. This then leads tomultiple sources of truth. But here's some old and new map
references that can be used as a guide:
https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/articles/aiatsis-map-indigenousaustralia
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-230054338/view

Agree!

Asking an Aboriginal person if they know acertain other Aboriginal person? There areover 500,000 Aboriginal people in Australia we don’t know everyone!
Another example of a ‘no-no’ is the very
common comment “Oh, I used to have black
fellas working for me” or “I had/have a friend
who is Aboriginal”.

“You Can’t Ask That” Aboriginal Awareness & Protocols
What’s the story behind a smoking
ceremony?

How does someone become an Aboriginal
Elder?

OTHERS
What is one little thing, that could make a
big difference to make Aboriginal people
feel welcomed and included in our
Landcare activities? How can we assist
Aboriginal people in a day to day way?

https://archives.samuseum.sa.gov.au/tribalmap/
http://nationalunitygovernment.org/pdf/aboriginal-australia-map.pdf
An Aboriginal smoking ceremony is a traditional custom thatinvolves combining hot embers and the wet leaves of various nativeplants in a traditional wooden dish to produce smoke. This smoke
has cleansing properties and the ability to ward off bad spirits fromthe people and the land and make a pathway for a brighter future.
Certain traditional smoking ceremonies are also used for wellbeing
and positive therapeutic outcomes dependant on what plants areavailable from region to region. The smoking ceremony can be
conducted in conjunction with a Welcome to Country, and may
involve those present gathering around a dedicated smoking site,or be invited to walk through the smoke for an individual cleansing.
An Aboriginal Elder is someone who has gained recognition as acustodian of knowledge and lore, and who has permission todisclose knowledge and beliefs. In some instances Aboriginal
people above a certain age will refer to themselves as Elders. It is
important to understand that, in traditional Aboriginal culture, agealone doesn't necessarily mean that one is recognised as an Elderand they are not ‘self-appointed’.
Aboriginal people traditionally refer to an Elder as 'Aunty' or 'Uncle',
however, it is recommended that non-Aboriginal people check theappropriateness of their use of these terms beforehand.
Interestingly, there is no special answer - from my point of view justtreat them as you would respectfully treat anyone else, with no preconceived assumptions or expectations. It's interesting how manytimes people open up private conversations about something theysaw or heard relating to Aboriginal people or issues, and want toshare it with me with empathy. That's OK most of the time, butsometimes it feels a bit like I've got a sign on me that says "I’m
Aboriginal – please discuss!” It’s becoming known as a form ofmental fatigue in itself.

Aboriginal people also use smoking during
times of sensitive cultural business such as
repatriations, recover burials, etc. to cleanse
the spirits and not take any bad spirits withyou.

Agree!

Agree!

“You Can’t Ask That” Aboriginal Awareness & Protocols
What do you think about Australia day
being on January 26?

Is there such a thing as an Indigenous
restaurant? Any recommendations?

Why is Western Sydney’s Aboriginal
population so large?

Do you think the government at the stateand federal level have done enough torecognise Aboriginal peoples place withthe land and the displacement that
occurred throughout European
settlement?
Do you think Australia should have a
Treaty similar to the Treaty of WaitangiThis is subject to differences of opinion in both Aboriginal and nonAboriginal communities. My personal opinion on it adds no value toan already contentious and polarising national debate. Most people
who have asked me this question either seek to express theirstrong agreement or disagreement on it, depending on myresponse, so I personally prefer not to engage in the debate.
Yes, I’m sure there is! I can’t name any specifically, but there aremany restaurants and caterers using such flavours as lemon myrtle
and other native ingredients and spices featuring in the food,especially in highly populated areas! I recommend using yourfavourite internet search engine to find them. Try and choose thosethat are majority Aboriginal owned and operated if possible.
This relates to demographics as a whole. I'm sure many of those
Aboriginal people (and other disadvantaged people) in Western
Sydney would love to afford to live in Bondi or the Northern
Beaches. Fact: Aboriginal people are the most disadvantaged inAustralia in nearly all indicators (Google the Statistics if needed),
therefore have the least wealth, highest unemployment etc. Fact:
People generally try and live where they can afford, have a chanceof getting a job and providing for their families. Fact: Sydney haslots of jobs, with many for people with lower education, unskilled
labour that is low paid work. Fact: Eastern Sydney is unaffordable
for these people. Fact: Western Sydney is more affordable to live,
and still have access to job opportunities.
When asked this question I tend to reflect longingly on the status of
the Maori people of New Zealand and their experience with
European settlement which resulted in the Treaty of Waitangi. I do
carry some envy that Australian Aboriginal people are not afforded
the same status as New Zealand Maori people in our respective
societies.
It would be very welcome, but unlikely in my opinion. The vastgeography of Australia dwarfs New Zealand, who were able tomobilise the Maori leaders of each tribe to Waitangi to sign the

I agree Craig, it’s not something that I choose
to participate in either. It’s not a day I
celebrate.

Yes, I agree and these are the areas thathave a lot of Aboriginal housing.

No, there is a lot more truth to be told.

Yes I agree. For example, Victoria iscommitted to working towards a treaty, with

“You Can’t Ask That” Aboriginal Awareness & Protocols
between the New Zealand Government
and the Maori people?

document. That would have been impossible in Australia at thetime of European contact.

I know there are many, but what is thebiggest thing we could learn from
Aboriginal culture to incorporate into ourways of living these days?

Aboriginal people are 'people people', who generally consider
interpersonal relationships to be of paramount importance - this'people first' or now called 'customer-first' principle is now being
mirrored in government and corporate establishments across theworld. Having said that, I believe the biggest thing that Australia
could learn from Aboriginal people is sustainability - how to manage
scarce resources provided by the natural environment for future
generations to experience the same, or better, lives than we haveenjoyed.
As a principle I think it is a positive thing. For me, the real issue is
how it ebbs and flows in the general consciousness of people, themedia, etc. It would be a shame if it was just something we thought
about for only one week a year, or two weeks if you include
NAIDOC, or only when public protests occur, after which it isforgotten.
A sense of irony!

Do you think Reconciliation is working?

How do Aboriginal people feel when
Australians complain about immigrants
coming to Australia?
Last Christmas I had an argument with mycousin - she insisted that Aboriginal
people all get pensions from thegovernment just for being Aboriginal. Is
this true?

No, this has never been true, but is a well-worn myth that haslasted over 40 years and continues to circle around by those who
believe it. The fact is, there are Aboriginal programs that areequivalent to mainstream programs, but are branded and delivered
differently so that Aboriginal people know it is for them. In relation
to other ‘special’ benefits, all governments deliver support
programs to areas based on need and backed by data. There aresupport programs for farmers, small businesses, people with adisability, etc – why are they not subject to the same myth?

some of the mob asking for a truth
commission before progressing to a treaty.
But is this for all the mobs in Victoria? No, not
all nations want to participate in the process
as they have never, and will never, cede theirsovereignty in the first place.
Look after our land and waters and they will
look after us. It’s simple. Our resources need
to be managed holistically and not in
isolation.

Yes I agree!

Ha ha - so true!

Yes I agree. I got a free education - I went topublic school! Was that a ‘special benefit’?

“You Can’t Ask That” Aboriginal Awareness & Protocols
How can it be proven that Aboriginal
history dates back 65,000 years?

Austudy and Abstudy are identical in nature, just branded
differently.
Science & Technology.

Oral history that has been passed on throughgenerations. Aboriginal people have always
known we have always been here. We don’t
need to prove it - but yes, science andtechnology supports that for us.