Aboriginality & the Land Definitions

Country

The land to which you belong

Dreaming

The experience of Aboriginal Peoples from creation to the present & into the future

Customary Lore

Law based on custom and tradition rather than written

Traditional law

Aboriginal Peoples have a complex system of ‘laws‘ that represented accepted practices, responsibilities and interactions. As there were no formal codified laws and formal courts under traditional law, problems regarding traditional law were handled by Elders - the most knowledgable people in the community.

disposession

People being taken away or forced from their land, their economic base, their way of life and cultures. Dispossession was experienced by many Aboriginal peoples.

dislocation

The forced movement of an individual, family or community from one area to another. This often occurred after people had been dispossessed of their land (see dispossession).

Colonisation

A process by which a different system of government is established by one nation over another group of peoples. It involves the colonial power asserting and enforcing its sovereignty or right to govern according to its own laws, rather than by the laws of the colonised

Invasion

The act of forcibly taking over the land.

resistance

One of the responses of Aboriginal people to invasion, including physical and/or political resistance

genocide

an attepmt to destroy all or part of the culture of which is a basis of group identity

shared histories

Recognises that Australia’s history began long before 1788 and that, since then, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians have had diverse historical experiences and have occupied the same Country. The term ‘Australian history’ is inclusive of the histories of all Australians

social justice

A principle that favours measures aimed at addressing inequities. It includes the rights of people to economic and social independence, and empowerment to determine the direction of their own lives’ futures. The processes and systems which shape the interaction between people, communities and governments determine the degree of social justice achieved

human rights

Human rights are those possessed by individuals. They are universal (possessed by all human beings) and are inalienable (they cannot be overridden by the public interest)

soveriegnty

The legal recognition of ownership of land and territory. Implicit in the concept is the right of self-government. Indigenous peoples have never ceded their sovereignty over Australia

terra nullius

A concept in international law meaning ‘a territory belonging to noone’ or ‘over which no-one claims ownership’. The concept has been used to justify the invasion and colonisation of Australia.

native title

Form of land title which recognises Aboriginal people as rightful owners of the land. Native Title (capitalised) refers to the legislation, whereas native title (lower case) refers to the concept.