Aboriginal culture and practice

Aboriginal cultural practices safeguard traditional knowledge, customs, and languages by passing them down from one generation to the next.

Practicing culture connects Aboriginal people to the land and is a fundamental part of their spirituality. These practices vary between different clans.

Aboriginal cultural practices and protocols emphasise sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of ecological balance. Cultural knowledge is embedded in these practices and offers valuable insights for today’s conservation efforts and a more inclusive society.

Kinship

Kinship is at the heart of Aboriginal society. This is determined by lore and cultural traditions.

Aboriginal lore is the cultural knowledge, customs and stories passed down through generations. It encompasses all aspects of life.

A person’s position in the kinship system establishes their relationship to others and everything in the natural environment.

Kinship and Country shape the way Aboriginal people interact with each other and the world around them.

Being on Country is vital for Aboriginal people to maintain connection to their culture and kinship.

Respect is a core principle entwined within kinship. Kinship connects Aboriginal people to the ancestors who created Country and their ongoing responsibility to care for Country.

Learn more about Aboriginal kinship

Deepen your understanding of Aboriginal kinship systems through the University of Sydney’s online Kinship Module

The second level of kinship is totems, which includes connection and conservation. Watch this Aboriginal kinship presentation Totems.

Language

For Aboriginal people, speaking to Country in language strengthens cultural connections and keeps Country alive.

Each Aboriginal language group has its own dialects, and each dialect has distinct grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary.

There are over 35 different language groups in NSW and more than 100 dialects. Many of these languages are endangered, but efforts are underway to revitalise or renew them.

Languages map

Learn about language groups in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory with Reconciliation NSW’s Languages Map (PDF 455KB) for schools. Note that boundaries between each language group are not fixed and Aboriginal representations of the land look different to maps you would see in an atlas.

Aboriginal place names

Place names in Aboriginal language often describe local features of the landscape. Through their interaction and understanding of the environment, Aboriginal people associate place with the given name.

For example, in traditional Aboriginal language:

• Bondi or Boondi means ‘water breaking over rocks’
• Coogee, Koojay or Koo-jay means ‘bad smell’
• Maroubra or Merro-berah means ‘like thunder’
• Parramatta or Burramattagal means ‘place where the eels lie down’
• Kogarah, Coggera or Kuggerah means ‘rushes’ or ‘place of reeds’
• Katoomba means ‘falling water tumbling over a hill’
• Woolloomooloo means ‘young kangaroo’.

Story map: Dyarubbin

This interactive story map provides valuable insights into the life and culture of the Darug and Darkinjung peoples who continue to live on Country and connect with their ancestors. It presents some of the knowledge and landscapes, including place names, of the Darug and Darkinjung people: Dyarubbin: Mapping Aboriginal history, culture and stories of the Hawkesbury River.

Dual naming

Dual place names incorporate traditional Aboriginal words for the names of places.

Learn some of the dual place names around Sydney and gain a deeper understanding of the places you visit. Start using them and listen to your conversations change. This is also a sign of acknowledgment and respect.

From Goat Island to Me-Mel

Me-Mel is an island in Sydney Harbour, which means ‘eye’ in Gadigal and is an important part of the eel creation story. Its name has officially changed to Me-Mel from Goat Island and transfer to Aboriginal ownership and management is underway. Learn more at Me-Mel (Goat Island): Transfer to Aboriginal ownership and management.

Each Aboriginal community has specific protocols, for example around entering different lands. This includes paying respect, seeking permission to enter, speaking or singing in the local language, and walking Country together.

Some commonly observed protocols in NSW include:

• respect for Elders (especially in decision making)
• the different roles of women and men
• consensus decision making
• the right to carry out cultural obligations
• burial and mourning ceremonies
• collective custodianship of Country cultural knowledge
• different roles for people on and off Country.