Political Issues in Australian Aboriginal Toponymies ; Session Paper

Abstract

Briefly we consider some of the political issues that arise in relation to Australian Aboriginal place names. First, we look at Aboriginal place names in Land Claim and Native Title cases through which there has been a tremendous expansion in Indigenous place names documentation. However that documentation may contain significant inaccuracies and in any case is too often inaccessible. Second, we briefly examine the process of dual naming with a focus on the state of New South Wales. Among the issues that arise in this arena are: the potential for disputes within and among Aboriginal groups; the choice of spelling for the place name; a public misunderstanding of the nature of Aboriginal placenames.