View source for Aboriginal Peoples of the Lands Now Known as Australia and Aotearoa (New Zealand)

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{| class="wikitable sortable mw-datatable" id="table"
!scope=col | '''Term''' 
!scope=col | '''Contextual note'''
!scope=col | Time/Region
!scope=col | '''References'''
|-
|'''Abo/s'''

'''Abbo/s'''
|Originally  used by Aboriginal peoples in Australia until it came to be used in a  derogatory way around the 1950s. There is no proper abbreviation for  “Aboriginal Australians”, which should not be shortened in any circumstance.

|1950-,  Australia
|Wikipedia  – List of ethnic slurs [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs]

Owl  apps – List of ethnic slurs by ethnicity [[

Nathan  Sentance

Kadir  O.
|-
|'''Aboriginal/s'''

'''aboriginal/s'''

'''The Aboriginals'''

'''The Aboriginal people'''
|Primarily  used to refer to Indigenous peoples in Australia, Canada, and Taiwan  (Taiwanese Aboriginals), although with a lowercase “a” the term can be used  to denote people, plants, or animals indigenous to any land.

Most  Aboriginal people in the lands now known as Australia do not identify as  “Australian”. If linguistic/nation identity is unknown, simply “Aboriginal”’  is preferred. Australia should be denoted as their location rather than as  their nationality. Note that the LOCSH still use the term “Aboriginal  Australians”.

In  Canada, however, there is now a preference for the use of Indigenous, with a  capital “I”. The various Indigenous communities in both Australia and Canada  prefer to emphasise other markers of their identity such as language, land,  and clan relationships.

The  term “Aboriginal” has been criticised for being homogenising. The term also  does not include the Torres Strait Islands people, who are a distinct and  separate group (made up of many distinct groups).

In  Australia, Aboriginal peoples (with a capital “A”) and Torres Strait Islander  peoples are acceptable terms if their specific linguistic or national  identity is unknown. It should be used as an adjective, not a noun.  Sometimes, “First Nations” is preferred.

The  phrasing “the Aboriginals” and “the Aboriginal people” are deemed less  appropriate, as it implies they are all the same.

'''*Reminder: capitalise “Aboriginal” in  the Australian context.*'''

|Australia,  Canada, Taiwan
|Tropenmuseum  – Words Matter

Nathan  Sentence

Kadir  O.

University  of Sydney Library – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander  Cultural Protocols

Flinders  University – Appropriate Terminology, Indigenous  Australian Peoples [https://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/10043/appropriate_indigenous_terminoloy.pdf]

|-
|'''aborigine/s'''

'''The Aborigines'''

'''aborrigine/s'''
|The  term “aborigine” was commonly used up to the 1960s, but it is now regarded as  outdated and discriminatory.
|Australia
|University  of Sydney Library – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander  Cultural Protocols

|-
|'''amalgamation'''
|In  regards to Aotearoa, the term “amalgamation” was used in British circles in  the 19th century to promote interracial mixture between white men and Māori women. The promotion of  miscegenation was rooted in problematic theories of “hybrid vigour”  and desires to exterminate Māori people  through intermarriage. This language appears, for example, in documents related  to the New Zealand Company and Scots New Zealand Land Company, as well as  missionary societies.
|Aotearoa,  mixed-race history
|Carissa  Chew - British colonial constructions of the  “half-caste” category in world-historical perspective [https://carissachew.com/2023/06/20/half-caste-category/#the-enumeration-and-education-of-half-castes-in-oceania-and-the-pacific]
|-
|'''ancient'''

'''tradition/al'''
|Terms  like “ancient” or “traditional” imply that First Nation culture belongs in  the past and is not part of the contemporary modern world. This can create a  false dichotomy between First Nations people and modernity and perpetuates a  myth that First Nations culture is stagnant and never-changing. In contrast,  Western scientific practices are rarely referred to as “traditional”.
|Australia
|
|-
|'''Aotearoa'''

'''New Zealand'''
|Aotearoa  is the preferred Māori-language name for New Zealand today, and it is  respectful to use this term, at minimum in addition to if not in lieu of “New  Zealand”.


Since  the late 1900s, the bilingual use of both “Aotearoa” and “New Zealand” became  widespread among national organisations and institutions.
|Aotearoa,  New Zealand
|Wikipedia  – Aeotearoa [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aotearoa#:~:text=Aotearoa%20(M%C4%81ori%3A%20%5Ba%C9%94%CB%88t%C9%9Ba%C9%BE%C9%94a%5D,%22)%20in%20the%20South%20Island.]
|-
|'''ATSI'''
|This  acronym for “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander” should be avoided as it  is generally considered homogenising and disrespectful.
|Australia
|
|-
|'''Ayers Rock''' 

|Uluru is the Aboriginal name for this  significant site in Central Australia which should be respected and  recognised. This recognition of Indigenous Australia is fundamental to social  justice. Ayers Rock was a European name imposed on a section of Aboriginal Country.
|Australia
|Flinders  University – Appropriate Terminology, Indigenous  Australian Peoples [https://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/10043/appropriate_indigenous_terminoloy.pdf]

|-
|'''Black'''
|Many  Māori and Pasifika people identified as Black in the 20th century, i.e. the  Polynesian Panthers Movement
|Aotearoa,  20th century
|Robbie  Shilliam, ''The Black Pacific:  Anticolonial Struggles and Oceanic Connections'' (London: Bloomsbury, 2015)
|-
|'''blacks'''
|Derogatory  term for Aboriginal peoples
|Australia
|Flinders  University – Appropriate Terminology, Indigenous  Australian Peoples [https://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/10043/appropriate_indigenous_terminoloy.pdf]
|-
|'''blackfella/s'''

'''blackfellah/s'''

'''blackfulla/s'''

'''black fella/s'''

'''black fellah/s'''
|Only  acceptable when used by Aboriginal peoples to refer to themselves.
|Australia
|
|-
|'''blood quantum'''

'''part-Aboriginal'''

'''mixed blood/s'''

'''mixed-blood/s'''

'''full blood'''

'''full-blood/s'''

'''half-caste/s'''

'''half caste/s'''

'''quarter-caste/s'''

'''quarter caste/s'''

'''octoroon/s'''

'''mulatto/s/es'''

'''hybrid/s'''
|Terms  like “part-Aboriginal”, “mixed blood”, “full blood”, “half-caste”,  “quarter-caste”, etc. are considered offensive. You should never quantify to  what degree a person is Aboriginal based on their bloodline or skin colour.  Also see “half-caste”.
|Australia,  mixed race history
|University  of Sydney Library – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander  Cultural Protocols

Carissa  Chew - British colonial constructions of the  “half-caste” category in world-historical perspective [https://carissachew.com/2023/06/20/half-caste-category/#the-enumeration-and-education-of-half-castes-in-oceania-and-the-pacific]




|-
|'''boat people'''
|The  term usually refers to the Southeast Asians who tried to migrate to Australia  by sailing in boats, especially after the Vietnam War. It is sometimes used  negatively towards Australians of Southeast Asian descent.
|Australia,  Southeast Asia
|
|-
|'''boong/s'''

'''bong/s'''

'''bung/s'''
|Pejorative  for Aboriginal people in Australia, first used in 1857 by JD Lang. “Bung” was  English slang for “dead” or “dysfunctional”, from which it originates.
|Australia
|
|-
|'''boonga/s'''

'''bunga/s'''

'''boonie'''
|Derogatory  term used in New Zealand to refer to Pacific Islanders.
|New  Zealand, Pacific Islands
|Wikipedia  – List of ethnic slurs [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs]
|-
|'''Chief/s'''

'''Kings'''

'''Queens''' 
|Aboriginal  people did not, and do not have chiefs, kings and queens. See Elders (below).


The  introduction of “kings” or “queens” was a colonial strategy to raise up  individuals for the authorities to deal with. Colonial governments had no  experience of dealing with the structures of Indigenous societies, and this  was a way of trying to make Aboriginal societies conform to English  experience of chiefs in other countries. It was a way of honouring individual  status, but there was usually an element of mockery e.g. such names as “King  Billy” or “Queen Gooseberry”.. Note however that many Aboriginal people who  are descended from colonially appointed “kings” and “queens” are proud of  this ancestry.
|Australia
|Flinders  University – Appropriate Terminology, Indigenous  Australian Peoples [https://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/10043/appropriate_indigenous_terminoloy.pdf]
|-
|'''coloured/s'''
|Derogatory  term for Aboriginal peoples
|Australia
|Flinders  University – Appropriate Terminology, Indigenous  Australian Peoples [https://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/10043/appropriate_indigenous_terminoloy.pdf]
|-
|'''coon/s'''
|As  well as being a pejorative term for people of African heritage in the USA  (and beyond), the term “coon” is a derogatory term for Aboriginal Australians
|Australia,  USA
|
|-
|'''Country'''
|The  term “Country” describes the area of land associated with an Aboriginal or  Torres Strait Islander nation, clan or culturally distinct group. In addition  to referring to a physical location, “Country” can also infer the cultural  relationship a group has with the land, and its responsibilities to care for  the land. Country when used in this context should always be capitalised. '''*Reminder: capitalise “Country” in the  Australian context*'''
|Australia
|
|-
|'''Deceased persons'''
|Material  containing the names, images, and voices of deceased people from Aboriginal  and Torres Strait Islander communities require a content warning, as may  cause sadness or distress.
|Australia
|Wikipedia  – Australian Aboriginal avoidance  practices [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Aboriginal_avoidance_practices#:~:text=Naming%20the%20dead,-Main%20article%3A%20Avoidance&text=Most%20television%20stations%20use%20a,last%20one%20or%20more%20years.]
|-
|'''discovered'''
|Do  not perpetuate the narrative that Captain Cook “discovered” Australia. He was  the first Englishman to map the east coast of “New Holland”.
|Australia
|Flinders  University – Appropriate Terminology, Indigenous  Australian Peoples [https://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/10043/appropriate_indigenous_terminoloy.pdf]
|-
|'''Dreaming'''

'''Dream Time'''

'''Creation Time'''
|“The  Dreaming” or “The Dreamings” are preferred terms. “Dream Time” is less  appropriate because it implies it is a period of time that has finished.
|Australia
|Flinders  University – Appropriate Terminology, Indigenous  Australian Peoples [https://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/10043/appropriate_indigenous_terminoloy.pdf]
|-
|'''Elder/s (of the past and present)'''
|An  Aboriginal Australian Elder is someone recognised within their community as a  custodian of cultural knowledge and law. It should be noted that age isn’t a  prerequisite and doesn’t automatically make someone an Elder. The important  thing is that the community recognises the individual as an Elder. “Elder”  used in this context should always be capitalised.


Some  Aboriginal Australians believe the elders of the past (the deceased elders)  can still offer guidance to their people, and hence it is important to  recognise both Elders of the past and present.
|Australia
|Australians  Together – Connecting Locally with Indigenous  Communities [https://australianstogether.org.au/]


Kadir  O.
|-
|'''First Australians'''
|Generally  not preferred as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples predate  “Australia” by thousands of years. Use “First Nations” instead.
|Australia
|
|-
|'''First Nation/s'''

'''First People/s''' 

|Alongside  “Aboriginal Australians” and “Indigenous Asutralians”,, “First Nations” is  sometimes a preferred term for Indigenous people in the lands now known as  Australia. It is more commonly used by Indigenous peoples in Canada, however.


The  term “First Peoples” is less commonly used in Australia. 

'''*Reminder: capitalise “First Nations”  in the Australian context*'''
|Australia,  Canada
|Kadir  O.
|-
|'''gin/s'''

'''lubra'''
|Derogatory  and racist terms for Aboriginal women in Australia.
|Australia,  women’s history
|Owl  apps – List of ethnic slurs by ethnicity [https://www.owlapps.net/owlapps_apps/articles?id=8308199&lang=en]

The  Racial Slur Database - Gin [http://www.rsdb.org/slur/gin]

|-
|'''gin jockey/s'''
|Pejorative  for a white man having a sexual relationship with an Aboriginal woman in  Australia
|Australia
|Wikipedia  – List of ethnic slurs [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs]
|-
|'''half-caste/s'''
|The  term “half-caste” was introduced to Australia and Aotearoa in the early 19th  century, with derogatory implications. Also see “amalgamation”.

Most notoriously, the construction of  the “half-caste” category played a role in the justification of the forced  removal of the Stolen Generations from their families in Australia, which  began in 1869 but continued until 1969. The Aboriginal Protection Act of 1886  in Victoria was commonly known as the “Half Caste Act”.
|Australia,  Aotearoa, mixed-race history
|Carissa  Chew - British colonial constructions of the  “half-caste” category in world-historical perspective [https://carissachew.com/2023/06/20/half-caste-category/#the-enumeration-and-education-of-half-castes-in-oceania-and-the-pacific]

|-
|'''hori'''
|Derogatory term for the Māori by  European New Zealanders
|Aotearoa
|Wikipedia  – List of ethnic slurs [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs]
|-
|'''Indigenous'''
|Similar  to the term “Aboriginal”, “Indigenous” (with a capital “I”) is still used  quite widely but is perceived by some as a homogenising term. It is inclusive  of both Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The term  “Indigenous” is still used by the Australian Commonwealth Government.
|Australia
|University  of Sydney Library – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander  Cultural Protocols

|-
|'''Knowledge/s'''
|When  discussing First Nations science or epistemology, “knowledges” should be  pluralised. This is to reflect diversity by acknowledging the existence of  more than “a single homogenous body” of Indigenous-derived information. Only  use the singular “knowledge” if you are referring to a specific element of  First Nations knowledges.
|Australia
|University  of Sydney Library – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander  Cultural Protocols

|-
|'''Muri'''

'''Goori'''

'''Koori'''

'''Palawa'''

'''Nunga'''

'''Yolngu'''

'''Anangu'''

'''Noongar'''
|These  are the preferred geographical identities of some Aboriginal peoples in  Australia. For example, an Aboriginal person from New South Wales living in  Queensland may self-identify as “Koori” rather than “Aboriginal”.

●       Murri –  Queensland, north west New South Wales

●       Noongar/Nyoongah  – south west Western Australia

●       Koori – New  South Wales • Goori – north coast New South Wales

●       Koorie –  Victoria

●       Yolngu – Arnhem  Land, Northern Territory

●       Anangu –  Central Australia

●       Palawa –  Tasmania

●       Nunga (not  always a more appropriate term* see below) – South Australia

●       Ngarrindjeri –  SA - River Murray, Lakes, Coorong people

●       Torres Strait  Island Peoples

●       Murray Island  Peoples

●      Mer Island Peoples

There  are also local names for particular Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander  language groups, for example “Gamilaroy” (NSW) or “Pitjantjatjara”  (NT/SA).

|Australia
|University  of Sydney Library – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander  Cultural Protocols

Flinders  University – Appropriate Terminology, Indigenous  Australian Peoples [https://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/10043/appropriate_indigenous_terminoloy.pdf]

|-
|'''mythology/ies'''

'''myth/s'''

'''story/ies'''

'''folklore'''

'''legend/s'''
|Terms  such as “myth”, “mythology”, or “story” give the impression that information  from Dreaming (see above) is not true or is trivial, only happened in the  distant past, or that they are fairy tales rather than creation stories.  Generally, we do not use these terms to describe the creation stories of  other religions.
|Australia
|University  of Sydney Library – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander  Cultural Protocols

|-
|'''Nation/s'''
|It  is common for Aboriginal people to introduce both their nation and their clan  group.
|Australia
|University  of Sydney Library – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander  Cultural Protocols
|-
|'''native/s'''
|Avoid  using the term “native” to describe First Nations people. It is considered  dehumanising, and only acceptable when referring to flara/fauna.
|Australia
|University  of Sydney Library – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander  Cultural Protocols

|-
|'''Nunga''' 
|Some  people use ‘Nunga’ in general reference to Indigenous peoples who reside in  and around the area of Adelaide. Many Indigenous South Australians prefer  people not to presume the right to use their word “Nunga”.
|Australia,  Adelaide
|Flinders  University – Appropriate Terminology, Indigenous  Australian Peoples [https://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/10043/appropriate_indigenous_terminoloy.pdf]

|-
|'''Our/s'''
|It  is disliked when (white) Australians refer to Aboriginal people as “ours”.  First Nations peoples do not belong to anybody.
|
|Nathan  Sentance
|-
|'''Pākehā''' 
|Māori-language  term for white New Zealanders, or to connote a “selfish person” in the  present day.
|Aotearoa
|Robbie  Shilliam, ''The Black Pacific:  Anticolonial Struggles and Oceanic Connections'' (London: Bloomsbury, 2015)
|-
|'''Pasifika'''
|Term  used in Aotearoa for migrants from the Pacific regions, i.e. non-Māori  Pacific peoples. Coined by government agencies.
|Aotearoa
|Robbie  Shilliam, ''The Black Pacific:  Anticolonial Struggles and Oceanic Connections'' (London: Bloomsbury, 2015)
|-
|'''[Paternalistic language]'''
|Avoid phrasing like “the University of  Sydney Library is preserving First Nations languages” as it dismisses the  agency and effort of the First Nations people working hard to preserve their  languages. If working on a project related to First Nations people and  culture, when communicated, the emphasis should be placed on the  collaboration between the Library and the relevant First Nations community if  it complements the work that the community is already doing.
|Australia
|University  of Sydney Library – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander  Cultural Protocols

|-
|'''petrol sniffer'''
|Derogatory term for Aboriginal people  in Australia
|Australia
|University  of Sydney Library – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander  Cultural Protocols

|-
|'''religion'''
|“Spirituality” or “spiritual beliefs”  is preferred
|Australia
|Flinders  University – Appropriate Terminology, Indigenous  Australian Peoples [https://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/10043/appropriate_indigenous_terminoloy.pdf]
|-
|'''settlement/s'''

'''encounter/s'''
|Be cautious when using these terms as  it can minimise the brutality of colonisation on First Nations peoples and  lands and can ignore that Australia was not settled peacefully and there was  continuous First Nations resistance. Preferred terms are “invasion”,  “occupation”, or “colonisation”.
|Australia
|University  of Sydney Library – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander  Cultural Protocols

|-
|'''Torres Strait Islanders''' 

'''The Torres Strait Islanders'''
|The preferred term is '''Torres Strait Islander Peoples'''.

“The Torres Strait Islanders” is deemed  less appropriate, as it implies they are all the same.

About 80% of the Torres Strait Island  population now resides outside the Torres Strait and as such, local  terminology such as Murray Island Peoples and Mer Island Peoples is also used  (see above).

'''*Reminder:  pluralise “Peoples” in this context*'''
|
|Flinders  University – Appropriate Terminology, Indigenous  Australian Peoples [https://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/10043/appropriate_indigenous_terminoloy.pdf]
|-
|'''Traditional Owner/s'''

'''Custodian'''
|It is common to hear the term  “Traditional Owner/s”  used to refer to  a First Nations person or community that is directly descended from the  original First Nations inhabitants of an area and is culturally connected to  their Country. The term “Custodian” over “Owner” is preferred by some First  Nations people as it is more reflective of their philosophy. Many First  Nations people see their connection as working conjointly with the land  rather than “owning” it in the Western sense, whereas some First Nations people  prefer “Owners” to assert sovereignty and dispel terra nullius.
|Australia
|University  of Sydney Library – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander  Cultural Protocols

|-
|'''tribe/s'''

'''clan/s'''

'''band/s'''

'''horde/s'''

'''moiety'''
|“Aboriginal peoples” or “Aboriginal  nations” would be the preferred alternatives.
|
|
|-
|'''Uncle/s'''

'''Auntie/s'''

'''Aunty''' 

|The title Uncle or Aunty is often  bestowed by a First Nations community on their Elders. Some Elders may choose  to be known by this title publicly, while others might reserve it for use in  personal settings. It is best practice to ask an Elder if they wish to be  referred to as Uncle or Aunty before adopting these titles. '''When using these terms, always capitalise  Uncle and Aunty and Aunty should always be spelt with a ‘y’ not an ‘ie’.'''
|Australia
|University  of Sydney Library – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander  Cultural Protocols
|-
|'''Uncle Tom/s'''

'''House nigger/s'''
|Terms  borrowed from the USA to refer to Māori policemen, seen as traitors to the  Māori and Pasifika Polynesian Panthers movement (which was inspired by Black  Power).
|Aotearoa,  20th century
|Robbie  Shilliam, ''The Black Pacific:  Anticolonial Struggles and Oceanic Connections'' (London: Bloomsbury,  2015), 64.

|-
|'''urban / remote'''
|There is a longstanding implication  that “urban” Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and culture are  “less Aboriginal” than “remote” people and culture. The false idea that  “real” Aboriginal people live in Arnhem Land or the Central desert, and that  only “remote” First Nations people and cultures are “really Aboriginal” is  highly problematic and harmful. Because of this, you should only use terms  such as “remote” to refer to geographical location and access to services.
|Australia
|University  of Sydney Library – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander  Cultural Protocols

|-
|'''vegemite'''
|A popular breakfast spread in  Australia. Due to its dark colour, it has been used as a slur towards  Aboriginal Australians.

Since it is made  of yeast extract, some Aboriginal Australians tried to use Vegemite to make  alcohol after the government's ban on alcohol sales in Aboriginal settlements  due to high alcohol abuse rates. The slur is, therefore, related to the  “drunk native” stereotype, too.

|Australia
|Kadir  O.
|-
|'''voyagers vs. islanders'''
|The binary of “voyagers” (i.e. European  explorers) and passive islanders erroneously suggest that Indigenous peoples  were not conducting their own voyages prior to European contact.
|
|
|-
|'''White Australia Policy'''
|This policy (effective between  1901-1950) prevented the migration of non-European peoples to Australia. The  idea was that Australia was a 'white island' in the “sea of Asians”;  therefore, if left unregulated, Australia would quickly turn into an Asian country.

|Australia,  1901-1950.
|Kadir  O.
|-
|'''wog'''
|Generally  refers to people of Mediterranean descent (Italians, Greeks, Turks, Lebanese,  etc.) who migrated to Australia. It is often used derogatorily, but some  “wogs” started to take pride in the word in recent years. (One of Australia's  most popular YouTube channels is “Superwogs”, for example, which is run by an  Egyptian and a Greek Australian)
|Australia,  Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Italy
|Kadir  O.
|-
|'''yellafella/s'''
|Derogatory  term for Aboriginal peoples
|Australia
|Flinders  University – Appropriate Terminology, Indigenous  Australian Peoples [https://www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/10043/appropriate_indigenous_terminoloy.pdf]
|-
|'''yellow peril'''
|The  fear that Australia would become an “Asian country”. See “White Australia  policy”
|
|
|}