I am a young indigenous woman. I have white skin and know almost nothing of my community of culture. I have lived across the country but have never had the opportunity to engage with my mob, only the mob of local community regional to where I reside.

I grew up in a town with a predominant indigenous populace where i was exposed to many aspects of culture. I moved while still very young and had near to no cultural connection for the next decade. Recently I have been trying to actively involve myself in any and all opportunities to engage with other indigenous peoples. In this endeavour I have found that I struggle to belong. Not necessarily because I don't feel accepted but more so I feel like I am "fake" kind of like the concept of stolen valour.

I feel like a fraud. I lack the community and experience that I feel I should have. That I am merely a white girl puppeting an insulting facade. Like a mockery of those who have come before me. While I understand that this is a flawed way of perception I cannot help but feel like I am in the wrong.

I fear that in writing this I am perpetuating false conceptions of what it is to be first nations but I hope that I might find someone with similar experiences to myself, and maybe even some sort of conclusion to my thoughts.

Also I tried to word this in the best way I know how so please forgive me if it might seem crude. 🦆

I am young and Aboriginal but i am likely being a bit rude, sorry to anyone who I might upset but I have no idea where to talk about this.

I want to start off with saying I know its wrong, I know my thought is ignorant and I feel like crap for having it but I dont know what to do about this feeling or how to stop it. This is a lot of me to ask while also writing this but please try to not be too rude in comments, I beat myself up about this for years already and I just dont know what else to do. Its a very unfair thought, I know that and still it plagues me and makes me feel really alone for not being able to do something about it.

I feels so jealous that other indigenous people are more welcomed in Australia than Native Australians, have detailed cultural regalia, able to speak their language with only a few unclear understandings, have buildings and history that isnt questioned much anymore, have celebrations that are loved without modern influence, inventions that are widely regarded to what specific tribe made them, arent feeling like they're clinging at straws in claiming their culture is here.

I know its not easy, I know it wasnt always the case and I know that there's so much hard work and I admire that about every culture that has been heavily colonised but why is it when I try to learn or see things about indigenous culture feels so intentionally ambiguous and I want to make it absolutely clear that I am so genuinely happy that other cultures are safe here and know so much about themselves, I just wish I were the same.

It sucks so much, I know its not our fault of course and that not sharing information is how especially the older generations are trying to protect whats left, it makes total sense as to why but i am struggling so hard to outwardly represent or embrace my culture without it being dot painting patterns that come from Papunya on a polyester shirt. I always admired the girls in class during highschool that had Pounamu (maori) on and felt like I was lacking that connection. I would wish that I had something so significant to wear from my culture

Maybe it's because i am white looking and always had to find a way to "prove" i love my culture but I always get so sad that I dont know much about my tribes and our practices because we always hear that Aboriginal people have such a diverse culture and while I know its true it saddens me that so much of it is being left behind or already forgotten and now for the younger generations its so damn hard to find anything especially specifics on a tribal group or for some to even trace what groups it was for them in the first place.

I live so far away from my tribe, I dont know anyone who would be willing to tell me about it and I cant find much online even after hours apon hours over the course of years about a lot of the meaningful stuff and it makes sense why but it also feels like i have this flimsy thread to my culture and that is the most i will ever get to embrace it becuase im not "in the know" if that makes sense. It probably doesn't, how can someone be envious of another culture while loving their own whole heartedly?

Anyway i am ranting, I know its annoying and I know i should've just shut up and kept it to myself but i am going to post this anyway just incase anyone relates or understands or maybe even knows how to not feel like this? Im sorry, it feels like I am behaving as a spoiled brat thats like being dragged to a cultural event instead of one that wants to know but I promise that its the ladder. I want to care and represent so much of my culture and have it involved in my life beyond retail items that have our patterns or symbols but it feels so selfish to voice because I know where I come from but I don't really know anything.

I dont want to make anyone angry but this is a disrespectful thought so I sincerely hope this isnt used maliciously towards anyone I just am struggling so much from it being stuck in my head with so much guilt because i know its not right. Im honestly really scared to press post so I am procrastining by still writing because people could rightfully be upset at me for it, I just dont want someone to take any of this as myself feeling shame towards my culture when its not what I feel.

I know the recommendations for what to do if you find an Aboriginal stone tool in the bush is to leave it where it lies, try and geolocate on a map and then inform the local indigenous group. I have found stone tools in the past on farms and national parks. I have left them there and sometimes taken photos. When trying to inform local indigenous groups nobody seems to care. I will respect the wishes of indigenous people however, it really feels sad to leave these beautiful historic relics to be lost for ever. Eventually they will be covered in grass and dirt and lost forever. This seems very sad to me. Why isn't there a national indigenous body that recorded and even collected them? I'd like to know people's thoughts on this?

Hey you mob, I'm just gonna chuck some of my thoughts on here to maybe get some feedback? Support? Criticism? I'm not sure exactly. But if you have a helpful perspective, especially if you're an elder (unlikely on here I know) would be much appreciated. It's mostly aimed at a non-indigenous audience, but I would like to get opinions from mob too.

I'm sure it's one in a big pile of perspectives on the Sorry Business happening in Alice Springs at the moment but it's mine, and I've been pushing myself to share these kinds of feelings rather than keeping them bottled up.

Here it is:

Following the tragic loss of Kumanjayi Little Baby, a sentiment has appeared in the wider public that the just response would have been to let the the Aboriginal community exact their own punishment upon the monstrous human who committed this unconscionable act.

The story purported by the mainstream media is one of chaos and unruliness. This is almost exclusively what the wider Australian public hears about Alice Springs. 

What I would ask a (non-indigenous) listener/reader is that have you ever advocated for the preference of Indigenous Law before now? If not, why only now? Is it convenient that the perpetrator was also an Aboriginal man? What would change if he was a white man, or the victim a white child? 

I ask because I am conflicted. A student and subject of many different cultures. I am a believer in the rights of Aboriginal people to self determination, and their (our) right to make decisions on our own terms, and to practice our culture in effect to bring it back from threatened extinction and allow it to thrive once more. But I am also a believer in the universal rights of human beings, one of which being that everyone has a right to fair trial and judgement. I am also generally against the idea of capital punishment altogether; which may well have been the likely outcome had the Alice Springs mob been left to their devices.

I suppose I am just curious as to why it has to take such a tragic and horrific incident to bring out feelings of solidarity with the Aboriginal community, and why only when it pertains to one of the admittedly ugly, but still important, parts of it.

Even alongside these expressions of solidarity I see judgement and condemnation of Kumanjayi's family:

"What were they doing? Getting pissed I bet."

"Look at their house! What a shithole."

This backhanded sympathy makes me sick. I rarely see a response that seeks to understand and empathise, and when I do, it is almost always from other blackfullas. I find the former kind of sentiment is often paired with the one I mentioned earlier, one of advocacy for mob justice, eye for an eye. What does this say about us as an Australian public?

Hi all,

I've applied to attend the NATSICC Spirituality Retreat in Alice Springs later this year through ACU Melbourne — I was sent the invitation by my mentor from the Indigenous Unit, Jim-Baa-Yer. Now I'm hoping to hear from anyone who's been along before.

📅 Sunday 29 November – Wednesday 2 December 2026
🕥 Starts Sun 29 Nov, 10:30 am → finishes Wed 2 Dec, 12:30 pm
📍 Mercure Alice Springs Resort, 34 Stott Terrace, Alice Springs NT 0870 (map)

If you've been to one of these before, I'd really value hearing about it:

• What was the retreat like day to day?
• What did you take away from it — spiritually, culturally, or just the connections you made?
• Anything you wish you'd known before you went (what to pack, the vibe, the country out there)?
• Any tips for making the most of the time with Elders and mob from across the continent?

I'm going in with an open heart and keen to listen and learn. Any stories, advice, or even just a "you'll love it" would mean a lot. 🖤💛❤️

Thanks for yarning with me.

Hi, sorry that this might seem silly but its really important to me and something ive been debating on for years. I am not contact with my entire family except one person on my mother's side, it wasnt always like this but I have always been involved in culture even though my situations sort of funny. I am born and raised on Noongar land but my roots are Kamilaroi, I never got taught about that countries traditions but was taught Noongar history by my Aboriginal mentors and clubs and sadly my family were not very good people, as in both parts are the type to spread rumours or break no contact and keep tabs on my life using my name so I am changing my name legally.

Because I cannot get new name from the very people I am trying to cut off permanently I was wondering if anyone could tell me what I could do to find it. I want to have my first be Aboriginal from one of the groups I'm from and I already have my other cultures for my middle name picked out. I want to add that I am very white looking but I am involved in my culture, atleast the one I grew up on just to clarify a bit more. I want to ask the elders here but I also dont know how they would react which is why im mentioning it here first to sort of see if its even acceptable to do in the first place since I know answers can vary given location and I also dont know if using a noongar name would be weird or not since I grew up here taught about this place but I'm blood related elsewhere.

Thank you to anyone who read this all the way through, I know it might seem like something extreme to do in my situation but I have been wanting to do this for so many years of my life and it feels like the option that will let me live my life comfortably since both sides of my family are pretty well known in the area and people talk. I hope that this didnt come off in a disrespectful way though, I tend to word things poorly from time to time if I'm trying to be careful about what info I share

Edit: just adding pinjarrab is what i grew up with. ngemba, Kamilaroi by blood.

I don’t know if this needs a triggering warning bc I’ve seen some Australian sources refer to avoidance topics as triggering (am a non Australian)

I saw that some mobs don’t name or show images of the deceased, but I also heard there are other people or topics you don’t refer to directly. Which topics are those? How do you discuss those topics and does it vary by sub group?

Thank you all so much, I apologize if I’m not supposed to ask this or this question is dumb !!

Hello, I’m not really sure who or how to ask for help regarding my situation, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I unfortunately was raised with no connection to the indigenous community as generations before me were white passing. My grandfather on my mother’s side was Aboriginal however we only know this from information that has been passed down orally, with the earliest being; my great-great-great grandmother was indigenous but could pass as white and did so for her own safety. My grandfather was born in the 1920’s so that gives you an indication of the culture surrounding his parents and grandparents and so on.

I want to learn more about the people I came from and reconnect to the community, as well as be in a position to stop the cycle repeating. However I have no idea who to reach out to for more information.

I think what’s preventing me from independently learning more about the community is the fear that the information passed down was just speculation or were simply rumours. I feel sick thinking about claiming a culture that is not my own, but I feel worse thinking that maybe that culture was taken away from me.

If anything I have said comes across as ignorant, I really do apologise. It is not wilful ignorance and I would never want to be disrespectful, so please know I’m coming from a good place.

What do you think is the most stupid stereotype/myth you’ve heard about Aboriginal people?

first time ever going in and they have amazing stuff in there, so glad they're advertising all that and so many tourists see all of that, that should be normalised everywhere nationally and globally.

We have to fix the education system. So folks can go to school and not experience racism. If that was set put from day one in every school instead of racism, life would be much nicer to this day. I'd hope. If the world wasn't so powered by a man and a "man's world", everyone wouldn't have to fight like this still to this day. Racists would be banished to an island or just prison, no island for them.

Thanks for reading. Just venting cos today and recently was and always has been rough.

We shouldn't have to carry around our ID just be maybe be accepted.

Australia is a racist country. This continent is racist. It starts and ends with you. Help us spread awareness and do goodness for the better future generations 🖤💛❤️

I was told in the replies to ask some elders and such for this specific issue. As it seems to be.. more complicated than I originally thought. I didn't know whether or not to put it as "triggering" in the flairs... but I did it anyway just in case.