Welcome to the course:

Promote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Cultural Safety

RMIT University acknowledges the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners of the land
on which the University stands. The University respectfully recognises Elders both past and present. RMIT also
acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of lands across Australia where it conducts its business, their Elders,
Ancestors, cultures and heritage.

Cultural protocols:
What are they and why do we need them?
Cultural protocols refer to principles and practices that guide the behaviour of a cultural group. For Aboriginal
people these protocols include historic and current customs, practices, traditional lore and codes that are part
of Aboriginal cultural observances. Protocols are present in all cultures and are an important part of ensuring
people interact and conduct their behaviour in an appropriate manner.
Question: What behaviour is acceptable in your culture, but not others?

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Protocols

 Welcome to Country
 Acknowledgement Traditional custodians
 Acknowledging Elders
 Acknowledging local sites of significance

“Welcome to Country” and “Acknowledgement of Country”

 Both are protocols that precede an event or activity.
 They recognise the unique position of Aboriginal people in Australian culture and history and show
respect for Aboriginal people.
 Welcome to Country, is performed by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander custodian or elder to
welcome people to their land.
 Acknowledgement of Country is usually a statement and can be made by either an Aboriginal person
or a non-Aboriginal to express respect to the traditional custodians of the land.
 Acknowledgement of Country usually commences with “I would like to acknowledge the …..”

Protocols
 Protocols for welcoming visitors to country has always been part of Aboriginal culture.
 Aboriginal tribes had designated boundaries separating the various groups. To enter another tribe, a
request had to be made for permission to enter. When permission was granted, the hosting group
would welcome the visitors and offer them safe passage.
 Everyone we meet wants to and needs to be addressed correctly, properly and appropriately,
whether you are speaking directly to the person or speaking about a person.
 Demonstrates respect and acknowledges the person.

RMIT Website Acknowledgement

This is located at the bottom of the page. https://www.rmit.edu.au/
Nomenclature
 The term ‘Aborigine’ is a Latin word meaning ‘ab’ from and ‘origine’ beginning or origin
 Aborigine is a noun. “Aborigine was a word created to pluralise us,” and on using the term has
“negative effects on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples”
 Historically, the term indigenous was a word to describe animals and fauna in Australia. It is a term
that was imposed on the first people of Australia.
(Damien O’Keefe, project officer at Reconciliation Victoria, also avoids it. “There are sensitives from
the communities about ‘indigenous’ being a scientific term that colonials have  employed  to describe
them as part of the flora and fauna.”)
 He notes that Aboriginal players in the AFL are often grouped as “indigenous players”, which is widely
accepted in the media.
 The term indigenous is an anachronism
 ‘Indigenous’ also generalises mainland and islander cultures into one.
 Both groups have very different cultures, customs and flags.
 Many Aboriginal people dislike being referred to as ‘indigenous’.
 ‘Aboriginal people’ is a collective name for the First Peoples of Australia and their descendants, and
does not emphasise the diversity of languages, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs.
 By adding an ‘s’ to ‘people’, you are emphasising this diversity.
 Always capitalise the ‘A’ in ‘Aboriginal’
 The acronym ATSI should not be used
 ATSIC is often used in written form to describe Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission
 Using ‘Aboriginal peoples’ or ‘Aboriginal person’ has been recommended by the Aboriginal Advisory
Group of Community Legal Centres NSW “more positive and empowering terms”.

Aboriginal Identity
Legal definition:
• A person who has Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent; who also
• Identifies as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person; and
• Is accepted as such by the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community in which they live (or
come from).

Identity
Tribal/community identity is very important to the Aboriginal person. An individual will state the tribe they are
part of. If they are from the Stolen Generation, they will identify the institution or mission they grew up in.

Addressing an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander

• When you refer to an individual Aboriginal person, it is appropriate to refer to them with their
language group, ‘Bundjalung woman Jane Smith’.
• When handing over to the next shift, or in front of the patient,
“Mrs Brown is an Aboriginal Australian woman from” ….
This identifies Mrs Brown correctly and also recognises she may feel isolated and lonely.
• Contact the Aboriginal liaison officer and organise a visit.
• If you want to know the correct way to address an Aboriginal person, listen to the way they identify
themselves.

Differences between an Aboriginal and a Torres Strait

Islander
 ‘Aboriginal’ is not generally inclusive of Torres
Strait Islanders.
 Reference to both should be spelt out where
necessary.
 Torres Strait Islander peoples identify strongly
with their islands.
 The Torres Strait Islands are part of
Queensland, situated between mainland
Australia and Papua New Guinea.
Torres Strait Islands
 The administrative centre for the territory is based on Thursday Island.
 The Torres Strait Islanders became citizens of Queensland in 1967 with full access to health and social
services and freedom to travel and work in Australia.
 Many thousands of Islanders live in Queensland today, where they form a strong community.

Significance of Land
Land is more than a place to live for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
Land is:
 A spiritual, physical, social and cultural connection for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
 Historical identity: their ancestors told stories of how to live with the land. Passed on their traditional
storytelling and artwork.
 Law: the ancestral stories state how they must live to preserve the land.
 Survival: they know the trees, plants, seeds, flowers, dirt and animals. This includes knowing how to
interact with the land to ensure survival.
 Food: by only taking what they need, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders preserve the resources for
future generations.
 Health: use of herbal medicines to cure illnesses.
 Jobs: land management – lighting fires to create new undergrowth and trees.
 Important: Remember this connection to land when discussing the stolen generation.

Flags
Aboriginal Flag
The Aboriginal flag is divided into 2 halves black and red. The black
stripe on the top half and red forms the bottom half. The sun sits in
the middle.
Meaning:
• Red represents the earth and the relationship to the land.
• Black represents The Aboriginal people.
• Yellow represents the sun as the giver of life.

Aboriginal Flag History

• Elder Harold Thomas, a Luritja man from Central Australia, designed the Aboriginal flag in 1971.
• The Aboriginal flag was first displayed on 12th July 1971 on National Aborigines Day, at Victoria
Square in Adelaide.
• In June 1995, the Australian Government proclaimed the Aboriginal flag as an official ‘Flag of
Australia’ under Section 5 of the Flags Act 1953 (Cth).
• Two years later Harold Thomas was recognised as the author of the artistic work under the Copyright
Act 1968 (Cth).

Torres Strait Islander Flag

Meaning
• The two green lines represent the mainland of Australia
and Papua New Guinea.
• The blue represents the waters of the Torres Strait Island.
• The black lines represent the people of the Torres Strait.
• White represents peace
• The Dhari is the headdress worn by the males in traditional
ceremonies.
• The star represents the five island groups of the Torres
Strait.
•
History of the Torres Strait Islander Flag
• The Torres Strait Islander Flag is an official flag of Australia and is the flag that represents the people
of Torres Strait Islands
• Designed in 1992 by Bernard Namok
• The Government of Australia granted Flag of Australia status, under the Flags Act 1953 (Cth), on 14
July 1995.

Discussion
Questions:
 Have you noticed the Aboriginal flag flying in many official buildings?
 Why is it important that we have the Aboriginal flag and Torres Strait Islander Flags?

History
Class Discussion
Questions:
 What do you know about the history and culture of Indigenous Australians?
 Discuss your ideas and share them with a classmate.
 What did you learn at school?
 Why is there such an emphasis on knowing and understanding the past?

Pre-Western Settlement
 Longest living culture
 Before the arrival of the First Fleet and the introduction of Western Medicine, Aboriginal peoples
enjoyed better health in 1788 than most people living in Europe.
 They did not suffer from smallpox, measles, influenza, tuberculosis, or venereal disease that were
common in 18th century Europe.

Common illnesses Pre-Western Settlement

• Common diseases included some bacterial infections, anaemia, arthritis, dental diseases, intestinal
parasites and trauma was likely to have been a major cause of death.
• The impact of these diseases at a population level was relatively small compared with the effects of
the diseases that affected 18th century Europe

Treating illness prior to Western Settlement

• The common diseases were treated using the traditional healer
• Traditional healing is healing the whole body, Connecting to spirit.
Spirit comes in through dreams, visions, signs and symbols in our daily lives,
• It’s about listening to everything, acknowledging the interconnectedness between yourself and every
living thing.”
• E.g. Traditional healers are usually elders working in their community. Traditional healers in the
Anangu Pitjintjatjara Yangkunjatjara (APY) lands in northern South Australia are called Ngangkari
(Pitjantjatjara language) whilst traditional healers working in the Flinders Rangers are called Yura
urngi (Adnyamathanha language).

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Medicine

 Aboriginal medical treatments were derived from food and plants.
 When individuals fell ill they were healed utilising plants.
 In Aboriginal traditional healing, every plant has a spiritual aspect
that must be taken into account.
 These plants contain anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial
properties.
 For example, tea tree oil was crushed and applied to wounds and
in 1920 scientific experiments proved the oil was a strong
antiseptic.
 Today, we use eucalyptus oil that has been infused in many
products and used commercially today in throat lozenges.
Bush Food
With the arrival of the settlers and the ideals of Western health, there was
dramatic shift in the way healing was perceived.

What is colonisation?
• Australia was colonised in 1788 by the British Government.
• Colonisation is the settlement by a group of people who seek to take
control of territories or countries illegally.
• The British never signed a treaty, leaving the Aboriginal culture exposed
to illegal and unlawful behaviour.

Historical Perspectives
• Between 1788 and 1900, the Aboriginal population was reduced by 90%.
During this time, saw the introduction of new diseases. The most significant and most detrimental
was the emergence of European diseases.
• Diseases such as chickenpox, smallpox, influenza and measles were common. These diseases were
infectious: They spread very quickly and killed many Aboriginal people, especially young children.
• In large Aboriginal communities, the diseases spread even more quickly.
• Another consequence of British settlement was the loss and access to land and water resources. The
settlers took the view that Aboriginal people, with a nomadic lifestyle, could easily be driven away
from their lands.
• By the 1870s, all the fertile areas of Australia had been taken from Aboriginal people and given to the
white settlers. The loss of land and other essential resources, such as food and water, posed great
danger to Aboriginal people who were left with no place to live and nowhere to hunt food.
• As a result, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ occupation of and unique connection with
the land was not recognised, and the British took the land without agreement or payment.

Effects of Colonisation
Denial of Status
• Aboriginal people took on various community roles. The status of each individual role was dependent
on gender, age and knowledge.
• This changed with colonisation and Aboriginal people were denied their status in society by the
colonising power.
Example: The role of women in society
Traditional Aboriginal society:
• Women in traditional Aboriginal culture were respected for their role as life givers.
They often carried out healing ceremonies and dances and told stories to carry on
social traditions. Women generally looked after children, cooked, and took on the
role of gatherers, collecting vegetables, eggs, shellfish, and small animals. In many
cases, they were the primary providers of food, since chances were great that men
who went hunting would be unsuccessful. Women also made hand tools and
clothing.
Western colonisation:
• The patriarchal society that Europeans brought to Australia diminished the
prominent role Aboriginal women traditionally held, and they began to lose rights as
they became second-class citizens even to Aboriginal men.
Poor Health
• With the introduction of tobacco and alcohol new diseases were introduced.
• Aboriginal people were suspicious of the new medical treatment proposed by the new settlers and
often they were denied proper care.
Loss of History and Knowledge
• Continuing the history and knowledge that had been passed down was disrupted and, in most cases,
completely lost, especially the practical application of this knowledge.
• Aboriginal people were not allowed to speak in their own language this had enormous implications
for the passing down of knowledge as Aboriginal history is verbal.
Loss of Economic Substantiality
• Due to the loss of land; and
• The removal of men and women from their own communities.
Loss of Spiritual Freedom and Identity
• Ceremonies, rituals and dance was prohibited, and Aboriginal people were forced to learn about
other religious beliefs – i.e. Christianity.
• Aboriginal cultural practices were seen as primitive and heathen.
• Were forced to live in missions that were considered civilized and follow
Christianity.
Forced Dependence and Introduction of Food
• Diet changed to include foods that were high in sugar, fats and carbohydrates.
• This lack of essential nutrients resulted in higher prevalence of health
deficiencies.
• The effects are seen today in the Aboriginal community with an increase of
diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Loss of Land and Control of Management of Land
• Aboriginal people managed the land in a sustainable way.
• They hunted for enough food needed for the tribe to survive, then moved on
from that part of the land. This strategy allowed for the land to be renewed and
restored over time.
• Land was stolen and the forcible removal of Aboriginal people from their own
land led to conflict, loss of environmental knowledge, and disruption of the
ecosystem.

Terra Nullius
• Although, Captain Cook observed that there were people on the Island, he did not seek consent for
the takeover.
• British Law became the law of the land. Consequently, all land automatically came within the
possession of the Crown.
• Historically, Australia is illegally referred to as ‘Terra Nullius’.
• Terra Nullius:
• Is a Latin term from Roman Law meaning “nobody’s land”.
• Is described under International Law as “a country or territory that nobody owns so
that the first nation to discover it is entitled to take it over, as “finders keepers”.
1788
 If uninhabited land was discovered by the British it was declared “Terra Nullius” – land belonging to
no one.
 Captain James Cook did this when he landed in Eastern Australia in 1770.
 Captain Arthur Phillip accepted the idea in 1788
Terra Nullius meant:
 No treaty had to be signed
 Natives could not claim common law rights over their land
 It legalised the steady dispossession over the next century

Mabo High Court Case

Mabo v. Queensland (No.1)
 • Terra Nullius - Latin word meaning “nobody’s land”.
• This notion was challenged by a group of Meriam men (consisting of Eddie Koiki Mabo, Reverend
David Passi, Celuia Mapoo Salee, Sam Passi and James Rice) who commenced legal proceedings on 20
May 1982, against the State of Queensland and the Commonwealth of Australia, in the High Court,
claiming 'native title' to the Murray Islands.
• The Queensland Parliament passed the Queensland Coast Islands Declaratory Act 1985 so as to
prevent the Meriam peoples’ case being successful. The goal of the legislation was to retrospectively
extinguish any rights claimed by the Meriam people to the Murray Islands.
• Consequently, the High Court of Australia had to consider if the Queensland legislation was valid and
effective. The High Court decided that the Queensland Coast Islands Declaratory Act was invalid
because it was in conflict with the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. This case became known as Mabo
v. Queensland (No. 1). This decision meant the original case was allowed to continue.
Mabo v. Queensland (No.2)
• The decision in Mabo v. Queensland (No. 1) meant that the High Court could now begin hearing the
legal issues brought forward by Eddie Mabo and the people of Mer. Their case successfully proved
that Meriam custom and laws were fundamental to their traditional system of ownership and
underpinned their traditional rights and obligations in relation to land.
• On 3 June 1992, six of the seven High Court judges upheld the claim and ruled that the lands of this
continent were not terra nullius or ‘land belonging to no-one’ when European settlement occurred,
and that the Meriam people were 'entitled as against the whole world to possession, occupation, use
and enjoyment of (most of) the lands of the Murray Islands’. This landmark case is known as Mabo v.
Queensland (No.2).
• In this case, the High Court rejected the Doctrine of Terra Nullius in favour of the common law
Doctrine of Native Title. This meant that the High Court recognised the fact that Indigenous peoples
had lived in Australia for thousands of years and enjoyed rights to their land according to their own
laws and customs. They had been dispossessed of their lands piece by piece as the colony grew and
that very dispossession underwrote the development of Australia as a nation.
• This 1992 Mabo decision led to passing of the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth). This legistation created a
framework that recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have rights to, and interests
in, certain land because of their traditional laws and customs. It allows access to land for living,
traditional purposes, hunting or fishing and/or to teach laws and customs on the land.

Effect of Mabo Decision

The Mabo decision and the legal uncertainty that followed prompted a legislative response.
By the end of 1993, the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) was passed a sought to achieve four main objectives:
1) To provide for the recognition and protection of native title.
2) To establish ways in which future dealings affecting native title may proceed and to
set standards for those dealings.
3) To establish a mechanism for determining claims to native title.
4) To provide for, or permit, the validation of past acts, and intermediate period acts,
invalidated because of the existence of native title.
Stolen Generations
• The Stolen Generations to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who were forcibly
removed from their families by Australian Federal and State government agencies and church
missions between 1910 and 1970 through a policy of assimilation.
• Under this policy, the forcible removal of First Australian children was made legal.
• Assimilation was the belief that white race was superior to black race. Also, this belief presumed that
"full-blood" Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples would naturally die out. It proposed that
children with Aboriginal and white parentage, who were termed "half-caste" (now considered an
extremely derogatory term), should be assimilated into white society. It was believed these children
would be more easily assimilated due to their lighter skin.
• Children were separated from their families and forced to adopt a white culture. They were not
allowed to speak their traditional languages or refer to themselves by the names that they were given
by their parents. Most children were placed in institutions where neglect and abuse was common,
while some children were adopted by white families throughout the country.
• Aboriginal woman Barbara Cummings, a member of the Stolen Generations says:
 “It was a presumption for many years that we girls would grow up and marry nice white boys…We
would have nice fairer children who, if they were girls, would marry white boys again and eventually
the colour would die out. That was the original plan - the whole removal policy was based on the
women because the women could breed.”
• During this time, adult Aboriginal people resisted efforts to be driven out of towns by simply coming
back. But children taken away were much easier to control.
• At the age of 18 they were ‘released’ into white society, most scarred for life by their experiences.
• These Aboriginal people are collectively referred to as the ‘Stolen Generations’ several generations
were affected.
• Many Aboriginal people are still searching for their parents and siblings.

Effects of the Stolen Generations

• Disrupted transfer in knowledge and oral culture between generations – resulting in loss of cultural
knowledge.
• Stolen children suffered extreme physical, psychological and sexual abuse living under state care.
• Stolen children were forced to reject their culture. They often felt ashamed of their Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander heritage as they were forced to adopt a new identity.
• Stolen children were told that their biological parents had given them up or died. They were unable to
find out who their families were as these children were intentionally sent far away from their
homelands.
• Medical experts have confirmed the high incidence of post traumatic stress, depression, anxiety and
suicide among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people affected by the policies of stolen
generations.
• Separation of parent and child caused many individuals to never experience healthy family situations
with the effects still being felt in current generations.

Apology
• On 13 February 2008, the then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised to the ‘Stolen Generations’
acknowledging their suffering and grief.

Apology to Australia's Indigenous peoples

“…We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted
profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.
We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their
families, their communities and their country.
For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left
behind, we say sorry.
To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and
communities, we say sorry.
And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say
sorry….”

National Sorry Day

• Apology Speech – Former Prime Minister Ken Rudd: https://youtu.be/aKWfiFp24rA

Question:
Why was Kevin Rudd's speech so important for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples?

Historical Perspectives
• Australia was colonised in the late 18th century and the Crown claimed unoccupied land.
• 200 years followed of Indigenous dispossession and dislocation.
• Laws and policies applicable to Indigenous Australians were racist and aimed at segregating,
assimilating and controlling.
• Non-human treatment in every aspect of life including family, organisation, employment, education,
recreation and religion were strictly government-controlled.

Continuing Impact…
This history has left its mark on Australian identity and attitudes towards the country’s traditional owners, as
well as the life chances of today’s Indigenous Australians.

Discussion
Many Aboriginal people have been acknowledged and have had a positive impact on society and have broken
the barriers and stereotypes of the Aboriginal person.
Activity:
Working in small groups, identify three Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait islander people that have made positive
changes in society? What positive changes have each of these individuals made?

David Unapion
• Made important contributions to science and literature,
and significant improvements in the conditions of
Aboriginal people.
• Lectured and wrote about Aboriginal legends and stories
• Amongst his many inventions - Developed a modified
headpiece for shearing
• In 1909 he patented an improved handpiece for sheep-
shearing.