Blackfella
Blackfella (also blackfellah, black fella, or black fellah) is an informal term used in Australian English to refer to Indigenous Australians. It is a concatenation of the words "black" and "fellow", referring to their dark skin (colloquially called "black" worldwide, as a result of the high melanin content of their skin producing a dark hue that, in some cases, resembles the colour black) and their generally accepted status as fellows. A common misconception is that the term derives from the events that took place leading up to the decline of Indigenous Australians, or when the "blacks" literally "fell".
It is generally considered to be a neutral term, and is used by both white and black Australians.
See also
- Blackfellas, 1993 film adaptation of Archie Weller's 1981 novel The Day of the Dog
- Blackfella Films
- Koori
- Australian English