‘Sorry Business’ is the time after the death of someone who is from the Community.²

As with many cultures and communities around the world, death in a community is respected in different ways.

Indigenous Australia is made up of many groups, tribes and clans that share similar protocols for the period of mourning for a deceased Aboriginal person, referred to as ‘Sorry Business’.

There may be some local and regional differences between Aboriginal communities for the period of mourning, although broadly speaking it is common courtesy and respectful to not mention the name of the deceased, to not show photographic images of a deceased person unless agreed to by the relevant family, and to vacate the place where a person has died.³
 

There is a mourning period where the deceased person’s name and image cannot be used. This period differs between communities ranging in length of time from a week, a year or indefinite. Some communities also offer a mourning name.⁴

A good resource for Indigenous Cultural Protocol is on the ABC Indigenous website.