Guide to Appropriate Use of Terminology

This is a general guideline. For specific advice please contact the Indigenous Education Unit on
your campus. Details may be found at www.acu.edu.au/indigenous
This terminology guide is provided courtesy of Ms Naomi Wolfe, Jim-baa-yer.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities across Australia are diverse
like other communities within Australia.
There is not one cultural group and not all are the same.
While communities will have similarities, there will be differences in their histories, cultural
practices, Dreaming stories and languages.
Every Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person will have their own thoughts, experiences and
opinions and should not be expected to be the voice of all Indigenous people. There are many
opinions, many stories, many voices, many understandings, many Elders and communities.
There is a shared history of power (by nonIndigenous Australians) and dispossession (of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples). Many Indigenous Australians have experienced
dispossession through policies and practices, which continue to have an effect upon all Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander communities. These include the use of racist language and inappropriate
terminology and these unfortunately continue in some sectors of the wider Australian community
today.
Using the words Indigenous, Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander
Prior to colonisation, these words were not in existence across Australia. These are not the original
names that communities used to identify themselves. These are remnants of colonisation and may
not always be used by individuals. Prior to, during and after colonisation, people identified by their
country e.g. Wurundjeri, Barkindji, and Gunai/Kurnai and so on.
The word Aborigine is not a preferred term by most Indigenous Australians. It is a term that has
been used in a negative context throughout colonisation and in some circles today and is best
avoided unless quoting from an historical source or an Indigenous Australian directly. Many people
see this word as an imposition from colonisation.
Indigenous is used often when referring to the two Indigenous Groups of Australia Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander. This word is used frequently by the Federal and State Governments in
official policies and documents. It should always be spelt with a capital I.
Aboriginal specifically refers to Aboriginal people of mainland Australia including Tasmania. It does
not necessarily include Torres Strait Islanders, the other Indigenous Australians. Many Aboriginal
people and Torres Strait Islander people find it offensive to use Aboriginal* with a footnote to say

that Aboriginal includes Torres Strait Islander peoples as well. Again, it is more appropriate to use
Indigenous Australians.
Torres Strait Islander refers specifically to the Indigenous peoples of the Torres Strait Islands who
have their own distinct cultural traditions, languages & identity. It should be noted that many Torres
Strait Islander people live in communities outside of the Torres Straits.
Please avoid using the acronym ATSI or ATSI people either in the written or spoken form. Many
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples find this very offensive, demeaning & disrespectful. It
is more appropriate to use Indigenous Australians to refer to both groups.
Always capitalise the first letters of Indigenous, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. Use of
lower case can be viewed as racist, derogatory and again disrespectful by many Aboriginal &
Torres Strait Islander peoples and can be likened to spelling your name in lower case.
Commonly used Terminology: Less
Appropriate

More Appropriate

Aborigine/s
aboriginal
aborigine
The Aborigine/s
The Torres Strait Islanders

Aboriginal person
Aboriginal people/s
Torres Strait Islander person
Torres Strait Islander people/s Indigenous
Australian/s
Murri (Qld, NW NSW)
Nyoongah (WA)
Koori (NSW) Goori (Nth Coast NSW) Koorie (VIC)
palawa / pakana(TAS)
Yolngu (Arnhem Land)
Nunga (SA)

Aboriginal person
part aborigine fullblood, halfcaste quarter Aboriginal people/s
Torres Strait Islander person Torres Strait Islander
caste octoroon mulatto hybrid
people/s Indigenous Australian/s

nomadic

Seasonal occupation Rotational/cyclical

occupation Looking after country/the land.

Captain Cook discovered Australia Settlement Captain Cook was the first Englishman to map the
east coast of New Holland

Colonisation
Invasion
Occupation

Dreamtime

Dreaming/s The Dreaming

Myths/legends

Creation Stories Dreaming stories

Tribe/Horde

Language group Aboriginal community Aboriginal

Nation