RIC-0667 Aboriginal Cult 5-6

Cultural Identity
Different Families
(page 39)
Indicator:
Family Customs and Traditions
Teachers Notes
Identifies that the customs and traditions of families show cultural
variations.
This section is designed to make students aware of different customs within different
cultures. Each custom has its own beliefs and values, and students will be given
some examples of these.
All cultures are different with different values and beliefs. Family customs differ
across many 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 part of every culture.
In Aboriginal society, customs are still being practised today that have been practised
for many thousands of years.
The kinship system is an important way to classify and distinguish Aboriginal
families and relatives. The kinship system provides Aboriginal people with an
extended family, as the whole group is seen as family. Because of this, an Aboriginal
child may refer to several women as ‘mother’ and several men as ‘father’. In non-
Aboriginal society, usually a child refers to his/her birth parents as mother and
father. In Aboriginal societies, the siblings of their parents are referred to as ‘Mum’
or ‘Dad’.
This may seem complex to us, but to Aboriginal people it is a simple way by which
they can work out where they stand in relation to others in their group. For example,
‘Aunt’ is a term that may be used to refer to the father’s sister. Aboriginal people
believe it is the role of aunts and uncles to teach the children about rules and
punishments. It is also their responsibility to discipline the children.
Most Aboriginal families have an extended family unit. In many cases, a grandchild
may live with grandparents, aunts and uncles as well as their own immediate family.
According to the kinship system, Aboriginal people know how to talk to others
and what behaviour is expected of them. Children learn the rules of the kinship
system at an early age. It is through traditional stories and songs that the older
generation are able to teach children about important aspects of their culture such
as history, language and the laws.
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• Invite some people from other cultures into the class to talk about their
customs. (A culture day where costumes are worn and food tasting is held is
one way of doing this.)
• Talk about ‘customs’ with the class—what are they and why are they
significant?
• Encourage the class to share any customs they practise at home.
• Set up a display with various items and articles from other cultures, such as
clothing, artworks, food, tools etc.
• Use a feely bag with some of the items from other cultures. Students guess
what the items are and what culture they may be from.
• Students complete the worksheet by drawing their own family and finding
pictures in magazines of families different from theirs.
38 Australian Aboriginal Culture R.I.C. Publications www.ricgroup.com.au
ISBN 978-1-86311-807-1