Being Black

It is a common belief that Aboriginal people of predominantly mixed descent, living in Australian cities, country towns and Aboriginal communities, have lost their culture. Often lacking the more obvious markers of Aboriginal identity, such as ceremonies and the general use of an Indigenous language, they are regarded as not being ‘real’ Aborigines. Recent anthropological research refutes these misconceptions. Through a continuity of community, even when dispersed within large cities, Aboriginal people have maintained continuity of identity and culture quite distinct from that of Australians of European or other ethnic origin, and with many features In common with the cultures of Aborigines living In more remote areas.This volume brings together results of research by anthropologists on the social life of people who used to be labelled ‘part-Aborigines’ or ‘urban Aborigines’. Issues discussed include bases of identity, ties of family, structure of community, ways of speaking, beliefs and feelings about country, and attitudes to the past.