Who+are+Indigenous+Australians?

The word 'Indigenous' is defined as ‘belonging from the beginning' and the word 'Aboriginal' is defined as 'existing from the beginning, before earliest records". That means where the arrival of a race of people to a country precedes that country's recorded history those people are known as 'Indigenous' or 'Aboriginal'.  //"We are the Indigenous peoples of Australia, descendants of generations of people who have// //lived on this land for more than 60,000 years. Our culture is one of the world's most ancient// //and that's something all Australians can be proud of.// " Matilda House

The rights of citizenship were not extended to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Australian Constitution in 1901 even though they were considered to be British subjects.

Section 51 clause 26 read: > //The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws for the peace, order, and good government of the Commonwealth with respect to: The people of any race, other than the aboriginal race in any State, for whom it is deemed necessary to make special laws//. Section 127 read: > //In reckoning the numbers of the people of the Commonwealth, or of a State or part of the Commonwealth, aboriginal natives shall not be counted.// > Early Australian law classified Aboriginal people by the place in which they lived and gave local authorities the power to dictate every aspect of Aboriginal peoples lives. In the 1840s, the classification system became based on the extent of a person’s Aboriginal ancestry, essentially a person's skin colour.

Skin colour has nothing to do with defining whether a person is Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. Terms like 'half-caste', 'part Aboriginal' or 'mixed blood' are deeply offensive. Such terms have been used in the past and even today to control and divide Indigenous people. Through the 1960s and '70s these 'blood' definitions were abandoned. In Australia today, there are three legal 'tests' that determine whether a person is Indigenous. They must: There are many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people today who have pale skin. For a long time, governments deliberately tried to ‘breed out’ Aboriginality by dictating who Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people could and could not marry. Many also began relationships with non- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by choice. Torres Strait Islanders are the Indigenous people of the Torres Strait Islands which are part of Queensland. Their identity and culture is distinct from Aboriginal peoples on the mainland.
 * 1) be of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent,
 * 2) identify as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person, and
 * 3) be recognised as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander by other Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people.

All Indigenous people take pride in their ancestry that goes back tens of thousands of years. Indigenous cultures have evolved over time, just like all cultures, such as through contact with other people, new technologies and new ideas. Whilst Indigenous Australians move between two cultures they are still incorporating traditional practices and beliefs in their everyday life. Taken from: [|www.shareourpride.org.au]