"Are you my mother?"

There's a big difference between the Western culture we are used to, and the aboriginal culture we are living in now.
There is a very complex way of relating to people, and it's all in something called a "Kinship system". Within the aboriginal society, everyone knows exactly how they should relate with each other because of the kinship system. There are different "skin names" and according to what my skin name is, that will dictate how I can interact with the people around me. For example, traditionally, a son-in-law is not to talk to his mother-in-law. It's completely taboo. (Sorry, Jean!)
The way it is set up, I also found out I have a 60 year-old nephew! Simply put, everyone has a skin name that will dictate how they will relate to everyone else. In my case, I am "Balang" or "brother" to anyone who is called "balang". Cheri is "Ngarrijan" which is my perfect match for a wife!(there is also a possible second choice, but people try to marry the right skin name.) Depending on their skin name, a child could end up being an older person's grandparent, aunt or uncle (As is my case with "Barry" our neighbor). Our kids skin names are Gamman(for Alice and Bethany both) and Gamarrang (Cameron--that was easy for me to remember!!)
I don't understand all of the intricacies of the kinship system yet, but as we learn more, we'll share more! Very complex and very interesting. :)