Who are Australia’s Indigenous Peoples?

Unlike some countries, there are different Indigenous groups within Australia. As colonisation developed, two distinct Indigenous groups were included within the Australian nation state: the Aboriginal people of mainland and also some island communities, and the Torres Strait Islander people whose traditional lands are the Islands that lie between Queensland and Papua New Guinea.

The languages, cultures and histories of Australia’s two Indigenous groups are very different; they have two distinct national flags. There are currently more than 500,000 Indigenous people living in Australia, 2.5% of the total Australian population.

In some parts of the country some Indigenous people refer to themselves with larger generic names, e.g. the Koories of Victoria, the Murries of Queensland, the Nyoongahs around the south of Western Australia. In other parts of the country people will call themselves according to their local language or tribal name e.g. Tiwi, Arrernte, Bardi or Kukatja.

When meeting Indigenous people it is respectful to discover what name they prefer to be called, and to use that name when acknowledging and showing respect to them, their elders and ancestors.

Today, the Indigenous people of Australia live in towns, remote communities and large urban centres. Some are of dark skin, others are not. Some claim mixed descent, some do not. Indigenous identity is not defined by ‘colour’ but by an historical identity as being Indigenous and also belonging to an Indigenous community.

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