In Balanda communication, asking a person their name is a very common starting point. In a medical encounter this is often the first question - and the first instance of communication breakdown.
The cultural complexity related to individual identity - the significance of names in terms of connections with people and places, the use and avoidance conventions related to kinship, context, and death; the use of maalk (skin names) and gurru=u (relationship terms) rather than personal names in interaction - is generally invisible to staff although the consequences of breaking conventions may be very evident.
Asking people to state their own name, a brother to name his sister or the use of the name of someone who has died are just a few instances that can result in discomfort or even distress.
This is also an example of an area in which Yolŋu accommodate the linguistic limitations of the Balanda staff. Most Yolŋu have a minimum of three names: an English name, a 'registered' Yolngu name (recorded on their birth certificate and/ or in the community clinic records) and often numerous other Yolŋu names as well as a (patrilineal) family name.
The 'calling name' may be their registered name or one of their other given names and this 'calling name' can often change when a person of the same name dies as that name then cannot be used for a number of years.
Few Yolŋu are addressed within their own environment by their English
name although all Yolŋu do have one. With a few exceptions (e.g. when
someone with the same Yolŋu calling name dies) their English name is used
for Balanda administrative purposes only - the school roll, the hospital
records, their bank accounts- and in interactions with unfamiliar Balanda
such as health staff in Darwin or people new to the community.
In these insitutional contexts it is common for only the English name
and family name to be used - this is often a source of serious confusion
as many people may share the same English and family names.
The most important identifier - the person's Yolngu name or names - is absent in many health records even though accurate identification is crucial to avoid serious error.
Developing more appropriate 'naming' protocols is one strategy that could be easily implemented with immediate results in improving communication.