First Nations Elders and greeting conventions
First Nations Australian communities have their own cultural knowledge and conventions. Learn from appropriate local knowledge holders or community-endorsed resources with teacher support. One account of greetings describes its named community and context; it is not a rule for all First Nations Australians.
Before a class visit, the teacher should consult the visitor and appropriate local guidance. Check the preferred form of address and what greeting guidance may be shared. Do not automatically call every Elder “Aunty” or “Uncle”. If a visitor explicitly invites a particular title or name, follow that invitation in that situation.
Model of checking, not an invented cultural greeting: What name or form of address would you like our class to use?
Then ask separately whether any part may be recorded and what may be shared. Permission to speak with a class is not automatically permission to record or publish.
Source-based classroom learning: A teacher can choose a locally endorsed account in which First Nations people describe greeting one another. Identify the people/community and source, discuss what they explain about respect, and note what the account does not tell you. Do not ask a student to speak for all First Nations Peoples, imitate cultural authority or invent traditional language.
Explore a First Nations-published account
Common Ground’s guide to communicating with Elders describes First Nations people often using Aunty or Uncle for Elders, while explaining that this is not universal and an invitation may be needed. It also describes people establishing connections at first meetings by asking about place and belonging. These examples help us notice how language can recognise relationships and build connections.
Discuss the account: What can these choices communicate? Possible answer: an invited form of address can recognise an Elder’s place in a community; questions about connection can help people understand how they are related to people and places. This is an account to learn from, not a script for students to copy. Nobody needs to disclose their identity, family or Country/Place. Keep individual preferences, local variation and teacher-supported guidance in view; do not claim every community uses the same conventions.
Quick check: Your source describes one community. Can you write “all communities do this”? Answer: no; name the source and its local scope, and seek suitable guidance for another context. If the required source is not available, record the question for later learning rather than invent an answer.