Proof of Aboriginality

[thorson1987]

Has anyone gone through this process?

My mum told me when I was 17 (am now 31) that I was Indigenous, so since then I have identified as such, but have never gotten around to getting the correct paper work from my local land council.

Because I had never done that, I always thought that it wasn't right to mark down that me or my children are aboriginal on paperwork, as it was never on my paperwork growing up.

Found out on the weekend that at least for the purpose of school I didn't need to do it and all I had to do was let the people who work in the schools office know of my descent so my kids are eligible to participate in all the extra activities provided to aboriginal children.

So I made the decision that I will finally get around to doing it. The issue I can foresee is getting the required proof. I always knew my mum had been fostered by the people I knew as my grand parents, but only realised last time I visited her a few years back that she was in fact part of the Stolen Generation (she finally told me that she was actually taken from her family and the timing matched up with that period) and the only contact I have ever had with her biological family was when I was 20 and my sister arranged for them all to visit my mum as a surprise. Since then I have not really spoken one word to them.

 

[Eion]

Mate, if you genuinely believe you have the heritage, then I’d suggest you just go tick mad on everything...and if you’re asked to validate...you cross that hurdle if you have to.

I imagine documentation would be quite difficult for a heap of people.

 

[thorson1987]

Mate, if you genuinely believe you have the heritage, then I’d suggest you just go tick mad on everything...and if you’re asked to validate...you cross that hurdle if you have to.

I imagine documentation would be quite difficult for a heap of people.

Yeah that's going to be the plan heading forward.

Know a few elders around town so will have a word to them about it.

 

[Different kind of Rabbit]

Two ways to do it... But first you must know the area or tribe your descendants came from.

Option 1, if you had or have a prominent Aboriginal relative, basically someone that identifies / identified with tribal elders, you ask the Aboriginal land council in that area to verify your Aboriginality based on your verified relationship to that person.

Option 2, if you don’t know your relatives then you need to investigate your family history and find a verifiable link. Then you take all that information to the Aboriginal land council in that area and they will verify you based on that.

You definitely need to be able to prove your Aboriginal heritage to be verified so you will need to do some research.

 

[Different kind of Rabbit]

My brother in law has white skin and fair hair but his grandmother was 100% Aboriginal and descended of the Kamilaroi tribe. His grand mother and her ancestors were known to the tribal elders so the Kamilaroi land council verified him. All he had to do was prove the link to his grandmother.

 

[thorson1987]

Two ways to do it... But first you must know the area or tribe your descendants came from.

Option 1, if you had or have a prominent Aboriginal relative, basically someone that identifies / identified with tribal elders, you ask the Aboriginal land council in that area to verify your Aboriginality based on your verified relationship to that person.

Option 2, if you don’t know your relatives then you need to investigate your family history and find a verifiable link. Then you take all that information to the Aboriginal land council in that area and they will verify you based on that.

You definitely need to be able to prove your Aboriginal heritage to be verified so you will need to do some research.

My brother in law has white skin and fair hair but his grandmother was 100% Aboriginal and descended of the Kamilaroi tribe. His grand mother and her ancestors were known to the tribal elders so the Kamilaroi land council verified him. All he had to do was prove the link to his grandmother.

Yeah my uncle has done the family tree up until my great grandparents. Everything I can see I am descended from the Kamilaroi tribe aswell (it's a pretty big area, stretching from the Hunter up into southern QLD).

 

[Different kind of Rabbit]

Yeah my uncle has done the family tree up until my great grandparents. Everything I can see I am descended from the Kamilaroi tribe aswell (it's a pretty big area, stretching from the Hunter up into southern QLD).

Then you should be sweet m9. Google the details for the Kamilaroi land council, give them a call and go from there. If you've got your family tree, you'll just need to provide that as proof and you should be fine.

 

[Fufu Andronez]

Mate, if you genuinely believe you have the heritage, then I’d suggest you just go tick mad on everything...and if you’re asked to validate...you cross that hurdle if you have to.

I imagine documentation would be quite difficult for a heap of people.

Forgive me for any ignorance on my part, what is the outcome of selecting such boxes? The question is on almost every form you will ever fill out, do you get something out of it or is it just for statistical purposes?

 

[Eion]

Forgive me for any ignorance on my part, what is the outcome of selecting such boxes? The question is on almost every form you will ever fill out, do you get something out of it or is it just for statistical purposes?

I’m ignorant too mate. Certainly statistical, but I also imagine there are areas of preferential treatment with diversity targets etc.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

I’m ignorant too mate. Certainly statistical, but I also imagine there are areas of preferential treatment with diversity targets etc.

Yep can give you a leg up with things like getting into uni courses or some jobs. My workplace has been pretty proactive in employing indigenous people, particularly from the local mobs from around La Perouse etc.

 

[Foreign Legion]

If your not sure and want to find out try Ancestry DNA, I did it found it to be very interesting...Found out who was shagging who in my DNA.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

If your not sure and want to find out try Ancestry DNA, I did it found it to be very interesting...Found out who was shagging who in my DNA.

I’m guess that’d tell you without doubt you had indigenous heritage of some sort, but a family tree would be more useful to establish your links to a particular nation.

 

[coolsteve]

hey mate , went through all that a few years ago. My grandmother was also taken from her mother and put in a home at Cootamundra as an infant. Later on she was adopted out and took their family name. My aunties went through the birth, deaths and marriage records and sort of worked out a family tree. My brother and sister were accepted into a tribe on the mid north coast nsw after showing all said paperwork but because I moved to QLD , they would not let me be a member of that tribe unless I went down to a special meeting and blah blah , so now my brother and sister belong to a mob in NSW and me and my kids a different mob in QLD. nothing to do with where my grand mother came from in central NSW. bit confusing but that is the way of the people. I suggest you apply to your doctor for Close The Gap and identify as indigenous and see your local land council with as much info as you can, good luck

 

[Foreign Legion]

I’m guess that’d tell you without doubt you had indigenous heritage of some sort, but a family tree would be more useful to establish your links to a particular nation.

but when you do, it also tell you who carry the same dna that has also done the test(people who could be related to you) surprisingly a lot of people have done it, which helps you map out your family tree.

 

[retch]

I used Ancestry.com 5 years ago to get more info than I had in 1990's [pre computers] which I was able to do.

It was very expensive. My brother joined and we shared the cost and we both used the same log in.

I got all the info I needed in 12 months. I don't know if that would still work. Ancestry.com didn't notice.

There is free stuff out there if you work Google and libraries sometimes have information.

I found out a lot of stuff ... some ww1 relatives...and I found out from our extended family we have a tourist place in Tasmania about our family that is reasonably popular. We never knew about it. I should ask the Tasmanian government wheres my cut of the profits. [don't ask what it is other wise you might dox me]. That took months to work all that out.

You can get a free trial. I did a couple of weekend free trials before we joined. Usually Australia Day Anzac Day etc.

The other free trial is before you join.

Mal Meninga did his tree back to his grandfather but I don't know/remember where he got his info from.

Look for ''Who Do You Think You Are'' and as Mal found out his last name had different spellings.

 

[Lambretta]

Yep can give you a leg up with things like getting into uni courses or some jobs. My workplace has been pretty proactive in employing indigenous people, particularly from the local mobs from around La Perouse etc.

You'd qualify for any Australian Aboriginal Sports teams if you were say a top quality footy player

 

[Lambretta]

The other free trial is before you join.

Mal Meninga did his tree back to his grandfather but I don't know/remember where he got his info from.

Look for ''Who Do You Think You Are'' and as Mal found out his last name had different spellings.

Spelling, up until the 18th and 19th centuries were always arbitrary and continued to be into the 20th century especially if people were illiterate

In the 15th and 16th Century England, people often used different spellings seemingly on a whim
For example, there are 9 surviving examples of Shakespeare writing his own name in his own hand.

Various spellings are used and not one of them spells Shakespeare as we spell it today

My own surname is Baldry and there are 11 variants of that name alone if you don't include other similar names such as Baldwin etc.

 

[thorson1987]

Spelling, up until the 18th and 19th centuries were always arbitrary and continued to be into the 20th century especially if people were illiterate

In the 15th and 16th Century England, people often used different spellings seemingly on a whim
For example, there are 9 surviving examples of Shakespeare writing his own name in his own hand.

Various spellings are used and not one of them spells Shakespeare as we spell it today

My own surname is Baldry and there are 11 variants of that name alone if you don't include other similar names such as Baldwin etc.

My family name was changed when they arrived in Australia from Norway in the late 1800's.

Was originally Toresen and was changed to Thorson.

Always struck me as odd as when it comes to surnames generally SON is Swedish and SEN is Norwegian.

 

[Lambretta]

My family name was changed when they arrived in Australia from Norway in the late 1800's.

Was originally Toresen and was changed to Thorson.

Always struck me as odd as when it comes to surnames generally SON is Swedish and SEN is Norwegian.

Son is also an Anglo name ending as in Thomson, Thompson, Johnson, Richardson etc
It would have been done to Anglicise the name more