RIC-0667 Aboriginal Cult 5-6

Cultural Identity
Traditional
Aboriginal Family
(pages 23 – 24)
Indicator:
Aboriginal Families
Teachers Notes
Identifies that Aboriginal families have special qualities.
This section discusses the extended family in Aboriginal societies. It looks at the
closeness that Aboriginal families share and the different responsibilities each family
member has towards others.
Within Aboriginal society, there are many traditions and customs. The kinship
system is an important way to classify and distinguish Aboriginal families and
relatives. The kinship system provided Aboriginal people with an extended family,
as the whole group was seen as a family. Because of this, an Aboriginal child may
refer to several women as ‘mother’ and several men as ‘father’. In non-Aboriginal
society, a child usually refers to his/her birth parents as mother and father. In
Aboriginal societies, the siblings of their parents are referred to as ‘Mum’ and ‘Dad’.
‘Aunt’ is a term that may be used to refer to the father’s sister. This may seem
complex to us, but to Aboriginal people it was a simple way to work out where
they stood in relation to others in their group.
Most Aboriginal families have an extended family unit. In many cases, a grandchild
may live with grandparents, aunts and uncles as well as his/her own immediate
family.
By following the kinship system, Aboriginal people knew how to talk to others and
what behaviour was expected of them. Children learnt the rules of the kinship
system at an early age. It was through traditional stories and songs that the older
generation was able to teach children about important aspects of their culture,
such as its history, language and laws.
All cultures are different, with different values and beliefs. Family customs differ
across cultures and faiths. For example, Muslims pray at various times during the
day and fast at specified times of the year. Balinese people believe that offering gifts
to their gods will bring them good fortune. Customs are a part of every culture. In
Aboriginal society, customs are still being practised today that have been practised
for many, many years. For example, Aboriginal people believe it is the role of aunts
and uncles to teach the children about rules and punishments, and to discipline
the children.
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• Discuss with the class what an Aboriginal person is. Accept their suggestions.
• Encourage the class to share their experiences with Aboriginal people.
• Display pictures of Aboriginal people and point out their distinctive features.
(Try to use pictures of traditional Aboriginal people.)
• Briefly discuss what a family is and then focus on Aboriginal families. Inform
the class that many Aboriginal families may have more than just parents and
children living together. (Refer to background information.)
• Worksheets ‘Traditional Aboriginal People’ and ‘Dot-to-Dot Aboriginal
Family’ support this lesson.
Students need to cut out the pictures of a traditional Aboriginal family on
page 23 and glue them inside the humpy on page 24.
22 Australian Aboriginal Culture R.I.C. Publications www.ricgroup.com.au
ISBN 978-1-86311-807-1