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​​​​The original people of the land have their own distinct boundaries which we at Council respect. The distribution of linguistic tribes in the Sydney area in 1788 is shown in a map which also highlights the locations of Aboriginal groups in the Sydney Area. Clans or bands (called "tribes" by the Europeans) within Sydney belonged to several major language groups, often with coastal and inland dialects. They were often very distinct from one another.​

Aboriginal languages

The Daruk language was spoken between Botany Bay and Port Jackson and out West into the Blue Mountains. It also spread from the Hawkesbury River in the North West to Appin in the South.

Within this area at least two (or possibly even three) dialects were spoken, the coastal dialect sometimes referred to as 'eora' (yura), and the inland dialect. The Bediagal clan of the Canterbury Bankstown area would speak the inland dialect.

Other Aboriginal languages of the Sydney Region included Garigal (also spelt Kari, Karikal or Karr,eē) in the North and Dharawal (also spelt Tharawal, Turawal or Thurwal) in the South.

• Source: A Tourist's Guide to the Sydney Aboriginal Language by Jeremy Steele, Preseus Press, May 2003
• Source: Communicating positively, a guide to appropriate Aboriginal terminology, NSW Health, May 2004

Aboriginal street and​ place names

Canterbury-​Bankstown, like many local government areas, has a number of streets named with Aboriginal words.