Aboriginal peoples are among Australia’s First Peoples, together with Torres Strait Islander peoples. They have lived in Australia for more than 65,000 years, making their cultures some of the oldest continuing cultures in the world. There were many hundreds of distinct peoples and languages. In the 2021 Census, 812,728 people identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
Aboriginal Australians quick facts
- Aboriginal people have lived in the Kakadu area for more than 65,000 years.
- Some Kakadu rock paintings are up to 20,000 years old.
- There were many hundreds of Aboriginal languages at colonisation.
- In 1967, 90.77% of Australians voted Yes in a referendum on Aboriginal people.
- National Sorry Day is held every year on 26 May.
Who are Aboriginal Australians?
Aboriginal peoples are among the First Peoples of Australia. They have lived on this land for many thousands of years.
Australia’s First Peoples are two separate groups. They are Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) counts people in the Census. In 2021, 812,728 people said they were Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or both. That is about 3 in every 100 Australians.
Most of them, about 91 in every 100, said they were Aboriginal. This guide is mainly about Aboriginal peoples and their living cultures.
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples at a glance | |
|---|---|
| People (2021 Census) | 812,728, about 3.2% of Australians |
| Time in Australia | more than 65,000 years |
| Languages when the British came | many hundreds |
| Languages spoken at home (2021) | 167 |
| Oldest Kakadu rock art | up to 20,000 years old |
| National Sorry Day | 26 May |
Many peoples, many nations
There is not just one Aboriginal people or culture. First Languages Australia says there were many hundreds of groups when the British arrived. There were about as many languages.
Each group has its own language, laws and Country. It is best to use a group’s own name when you can.
For example, the Aṉangu people are the Traditional Owners at Uluṟu. The Bininj and Mungguy people are the Traditional Owners at Kakadu.
First Peoples in other lands have their own languages and histories too. Examples include Native American nations like the Cherokee.
Torres Strait Islander peoples
Torres Strait Islander peoples come from the islands of the Torres Strait. These islands lie in the sea between the top of Queensland and Papua New Guinea.
They have their own cultures, languages and ways of life, separate from Aboriginal peoples. One group is the Meriam people of Mer island.
A very long history
Aboriginal people have lived in Australia for a very long time. Parks Australia says they have lived in the Kakadu area for more than 65,000 years.
That makes their cultures some of the oldest living cultures in the world. Many Aboriginal people say their ancestors have been on their Country since the beginning of time.
Country and the Dreaming
For Aboriginal peoples, Country means much more than land. It includes the land, the rivers and the sea. It includes every living thing, and the stories linked to them.
The Dreaming is how Aboriginal peoples explain how the world was made. It also sets the rules for how people should care for the land and for each other.
Family ties are very important. Parks Australia says people in Kakadu belong to one of two halves, called Duwa and Yirridja. Each half has smaller “skin” groups. These groups guide how people treat each other. Kakadu has about 19 clan groups.
Elders are respected older people. They hold knowledge about Country, law and stories, and they pass it on to younger people.
Uluṟu
Uluṟu is a giant red rock in the middle of Australia. Parks Australia says it has been sacred to the Aṉangu people for tens of thousands of years.
The Aṉangu follow Tjukurpa. Tjukurpa is their law, beliefs, stories and knowledge. It also guides how the park around Uluṟu is run.
On 26 October 1985, the government gave Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa back to the Aṉangu. Since then, the Aṉangu and Parks Australia have run the park together.
Aṉangu law did not allow most people to climb Uluṟu. The park’s board voted to close the climb in 2017. Parks Australia says it closed for good on 26 October 2019. Climbing Uluṟu is now against the law.
Art, music and dance
Aboriginal art is one of the oldest kinds of art on Earth. Parks Australia says some rock paintings in Kakadu are up to 20,000 years old.
Kakadu has one of the world’s biggest groups of rock art sites. Two famous ones are Ubirr and Burrungkuy. The local word for rock art is “kunbim”.
Some paintings show animals in an “x-ray” style. You can see their bones and insides.
For the Bininj and Mungguy people, the act of painting matters most. So new paintings are often painted over old ones, Parks Australia says.
Artists crushed rocks on stone and mixed the powder with water. Red paint made from a rock called haematite lasts longest. That is why most very old paintings are red.
Music, dance and stories matter too. Elders use them to pass on knowledge to young people. Kakadu and Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa are both World Heritage sites.
Languages
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages hold knowledge built up over thousands of years. They tell of places, plants, seasons, songs and stories.
Many languages are at risk. First Languages Australia says fewer than 150 of the first languages are used every day now. All of them are in danger of being lost.
But many groups are bringing their languages back to life. The ABS says 76,978 people spoke one of 167 First Nations languages at home in 2021.
The ABS has facts about these languages. AIATSIS runs a project to keep languages alive.
When the British came
In 1788, British ships arrived at Sydney Cove to start a colony. Over the next hundred years, settlers spread across the land. They took over Aboriginal lands.
This brought great suffering to Aboriginal peoples. They lost land, and many died from disease and violence. Families and groups were broken apart. You can read more about the years from 1788 to 1890.
The Stolen Generations and Sorry Day
One of the saddest parts of Australia’s history is the Stolen Generations. From the mid-1800s until the 1970s, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were taken from their families. This was part of government rules.
Many of these children never saw their families again. Many lost their languages and cultures. A report called Bringing them home told their stories in 1997. Australians Together has more about the Stolen Generations.
On 13 February 2008, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said sorry to the Stolen Generations for the whole nation. Every year, on 26 May, National Sorry Day remembers them.
Standing up for rights
Aboriginal people have fought for their rights for a long time. NAIDOC says Aboriginal groups began campaigning in 1924 and 1932.
On 26 January 1938, Aboriginal people marched in Sydney. More than 1,000 people came to a meeting called the Day of Mourning. NAIDOC says it was one of the world’s first big civil rights events.
Today, NAIDOC Week in July celebrates First Nations history and culture.
The National Indigenous Australians Agency says Aboriginal people won the right to vote in national elections in 1962.
On 27 May 1967, Australians voted on a change to the Constitution. The agency says 90.77% voted Yes. That is the highest Yes vote in the nation’s history.
The change let the national government make laws for Aboriginal people. It also removed a rule that said Aboriginal people should not be counted in the population.
The Mabo case
On 3 June 1992, Australia’s highest court made a big decision in the Mabo case. It said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had rights to their land from before the British came.
The court threw out an old idea called “terra nullius”. That idea claimed the land had belonged to no one.
Eddie Koiki Mabo, a Torres Strait Islander man, led the case for ten years. Sadly, he died a few months before the decision.
Aboriginal peoples today
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are a young group. The ABS says half are younger than 24, and a third are under 15.
Many people picture Aboriginal people living in the outback, but most do not. The ABS says more than a third live in big cities. Only about 15% live in remote areas.
The biggest numbers live in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia. In the Northern Territory, about 31% of people are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
Respectful words
Words matter. Aboriginal groups suggest saying “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples” when you mean both. They suggest “Aboriginal people” rather than old words like “Aborigines”.
They also suggest capital letters for words like Aboriginal, Country, Elders and the Dreaming. And they remind us that these are living cultures, not just part of the past.
Three things people get wrong
There is not one Aboriginal language or culture. There were many hundreds of peoples and languages.
Most Aboriginal people do not live in the outback. More than a third live in big cities.
The 1967 vote did not give Aboriginal people the vote. They won national voting rights in 1962.
Did you know? The 1938 Day of Mourning in Sydney was one of the world’s first major civil rights gatherings.
Try it
Find out whose Country your school or home is on, if you live in Australia, or learn a word from an Aboriginal language.
Knowledge check
What does Country mean to Aboriginal peoples?
Show answer
The land, rivers, sea, living things and the stories connected to them.
What is National Sorry Day?
Show answer
A day on 26 May remembering the Stolen Generations.
Frequently asked questions
How long have Aboriginal people lived in Australia?
Parks Australia says Aboriginal people have lived in the Kakadu area for more than 65,000 years, making their cultures some of the oldest in the world.
How many Aboriginal languages are there?
There were many hundreds at colonisation. Fewer than 150 are in daily use today, and 167 First Nations languages were spoken at home in 2021.
What is the Dreaming?
The Dreaming is how Aboriginal peoples describe creation. It sets the rules for how people, land and living things relate to each other.
Who were the Stolen Generations?
They were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children taken from their families, from the mid-1800s to the 1970s, as part of government policies.
What happened in the 1967 referendum?
On 27 May 1967, 90.77% of Australians voted Yes to let the national government make laws for Aboriginal people and count them in the population.
What was the Mabo decision?
In 1992, Australia’s High Court ruled that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had rights to their land from before the British arrived.
Sources
- Australian Bureau of Statistics: 2021 Census — population, identification, age, where people live and languages spoken at home; its population estimates were also used
- Parks Australia: Kakadu culture — 65,000 years, clan groups, Bininj/Mungguy and kinship; its Uluṟu pages were also used
- Parks Australia: Kakadu rock art — the age, style and paints of Kakadu rock art
- First Languages Australia: languages — the number of languages then and now, and language revival
- NAIDOC: history — early campaign groups, the 1938 Day of Mourning and NAIDOC Week
- National Indigenous Australians Agency: looking back on the 1967 referendum — the 1967 referendum, what it changed and federal voting rights
