Australian Aboriginal elders are highly respected people within

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

and their respective Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia ...

communities. An Elder has been defined as "someone who has gained recognition as a custodian of knowledge and lore, and who has permission to disclose knowledge and beliefs". They may be male or female, and of any age, but must be trusted and respected by their community for their wisdom, cultural knowledge and community service. Elders provide support for their communities in the form of guidance, counselling and knowledge, which help tackle problems of health, education, unemployment and racism, particularly for younger people. They may be distinguished as one of two types: Community Elders and Traditional Elders. Elders play an important role in maintenance of culture, songs, oral histories, sacred stories, Aboriginal Australian languages, and dance, and are also

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

s who demonstrate leadership and skills in resolving conflicts. Elders also preside over

ceremonies A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin, via the Latin '' caerimonia''. Church and civil (secula ...

and other spiritual practices, and attend to the health and well-being of young people. Elders are sometimes addressed as

Uncle An uncle is usually defined as a male relative who is a sibling of a parent or married to a sibling of a parent. Uncles who are related by birth are second-degree relatives. The female counterpart of an uncle is an aunt, and the reciprocal rela ...

Aunt An aunt is a woman who is a sibling of a parent or married to a sibling of a parent. Aunts who are related by birth are second-degree relatives. Known alternate terms include auntie or aunty. Children in other cultures and families may re ...

y as a mark of respect, but only when given permission to do so, such as

Uncle Jack Charles Jack Charles (5 September 1943 – 13 September 2022), also known as Uncle Jack Charles, was an Australian stage and screen actor and activist, known for his advocacy for Aboriginal people. He was involved in establishing the first Indigenous t ...

. Self-determination advocacy organisation the

Aboriginal Provisional Government The Aboriginal Provisional Government (APG) is an Indigenous Australian independence movement. History Earlier activity The idea of an Aboriginal government was developed by some Aboriginal delegates of the Federation of Land Councils at its ...

was initially headed by a "Council of Elders" in accordance with the "traditions and beliefs of Aboriginal groups nationwide". ''The Dreaming Path'', a book written by the first Aboriginal

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of an Australian

TAFE Technical and further education or simply TAFE (), is the common name in English-speaking countries in Oceania for vocational education, as a subset of tertiary education. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational cours ...

, Paul Callaghan, in collaboration with Ngemba Elder Uncle Paul Gordon, describes the important role played by Elders in Aboriginal society. Some organisations have created formal "Elder-in-Residence" programs, such as the

University of South Australia The University of South Australia (UniSA) is a public research university in the Australian state of South Australia. It is a founding member of the Australian Technology Network of universities, and is the largest university in South Australi ...

's Elders on Campus project, which helps to support Indigenous students. The role of Aboriginal Elders has also been the subject of academic research.

References

{{Indigenous Australians Australian Aboriginal culture Titles of national or ethnic leadership

See also

References