Got called "sister" today...but not by my sister!

[Ms Grace]

I was involved in a work based consultation with a small group of Australian Aboriginal people today. Many Aboriginal people use terms like aunty, cousin, uncle, brother, sister, etc to refer to people who aren't directly family but seen as one of the group/mob. While it's similar (I guess??) to the usage of brother and sister among African Americans I do suspect that there is some signicant cultural uniqueness to the usage for the Aboriginal people, and the terms are sometimes used outside the racial grouping.

Anyway, before things had gotten underway and introductions made, one of the men called out to me "come over here and sit down, sister". I have to admit it took my brain a few micro seconds to register that he was talking to me.

"Sister". I have to say I felt a little giddy with.joy at that one.

Now, if only my sister would call me sister!

[stephaniec]

congrats sister

[spx_1112]

Yeah you!

[Ms Grace]

Considering my advancing years (50) I should be very grateful he didn't call me Aunty since that's reserved for older women!

[Rafaela]

 
Surprised mostly that you're surprised, you hardly look like a brother. I suppose the warm fuzzy is also due to the status upgrade to one of the fam- Sister Grace does make you sound a little stentorian tho

[barbie]

I was involved in a work based consultation with a small group of Australian Aboriginal people today. Many Aboriginal people use terms like aunty, cousin, uncle, brother, sister, etc to refer to people who aren't directly family but seen as one of the group/mob. While it's similar (I guess??) to the usage of brother and sister among African Americans I do suspect that there is some signicant cultural uniqueness to the usage for the Aboriginal people, and the terms are sometimes used outside the racial grouping.

It's common here in S. Korea, too.
In English, there are only two words for sibling relationships: brother and sister.
In Korean, there are more specific words: 'oppa' is for a woman to call her elder brother; 'eonni' is for a woman to call her elder sister; 'nuna' is for a man to call his elder sister; 'hyung' is for a man to call his elder brother, and etc. But  both men and women call their younger brother or sister by the same pronoun, 'dongsaeng'.

Many women here call me 'eonni', and even a few aged women call me 'eonni', which now nearly becomes a pronoun for a young and unmarried woman. A few of my junior colleagues also call me 'nuna'.

barbie~~

[Ms Grace]

Surprised mostly that you're surprised, you hardly look like a brother.

Oh yeah, I certainly wouldn't expect that. My surprise was more from the fact I've been called many variations on female pronouns and nouns but never that particular one.

Many women here call me 'eonni', and even a few aged women call me 'eonni', which now nearly becomes a pronoun for a young and unmarried woman. A few of my junior colleagues also call me 'nuna'.

Cool!

[V]

That sounded like a nice experience.

I don't have a sister, but I'm lucky that my brother (who's younger than me) calls me "big sis" 
And now I'm 'Aunty' to his two children 

When I was having my op, I made friends with the lady who was having her op just before me.
We both mentioned how we had wanted to be 'sisters' when we were growing up, so we decided we'd be each other's sister!
So now I can proudly say I have a sister, even if she lives far away from me (in the US), and we've not been able to meet since Thailand.

[Ms Grace]

My sister apparently always wanted to have a sister and also an aunty for her daughter...now she has both she doesn't want to know about me!

[V]

That is such a shame, and is her loss. 

[spx_1112]

I love being called ma'am or Shannon.