Acknowledging Traditional Owners
Note: ACTCOSS accepts and respects the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and has provided this information as a guide only.
Sections in this article include:
Back to
Human Rights: Human Rights Practice
What do "Welcome to Country" and "Acknowledgement of Country" Mean?
By including "Welcome to Country" and/or "Acknowledgement of Country" into your organisation's activities, you are recognising and paying respect to the Aboriginal people on whose Country or ancestral land you are meeting. Your organisation will also be promoting a mutual respect and understanding of Aboriginal people and their culture to the wider community.
A
Welcome to Country is a ceremony performed by the traditional owners and custodians of the land, to welcome visitors to Country and can also be a way of informing their ancestors of who they are, and the event taking place. This is an opportunity for you to be gain awareness and appreciation of the Aboriginal people on whose Country or ancestral land you are meeting. Some examples of Welcome to Country are a speech by the traditional owners (usually an Elder), dance, didgeridoo playing or smoking ceremonies.
Remember, it is not always possible or practical to arrange a "Welcome to Country", so as a general rule it would be appropriate to do an "Acknowledgement of Country" at the beginning of your event.
An
Acknowledgement of Country is a statement made by the speaker, usually at the beginning of proceedings, to acknowledge the traditional owners or custodians of the land on which you are meeting, for example:
"We/I/(organisation's name) wish to acknowledge the (traditional owner's name) of the land on which this (event) is taking place."
If you are not sure whose traditional land you are on, or in some areas it is not always obvious or clear whose traditional land you are on, the following statement is recommended:
"We/I/(organisation's name) wish to acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which this (event) is taking place."
Please talk to the local council, government, parks and wildlife, land council, or Aboriginal organisation to provide information on the traditional owners of the land you are visiting.
ACT and surrounding region
If you are holding an activity in the ACT and wish to acknowledge the local Ngunnawal people, you can make the following acknowledgement:
"We wish to acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as the traditional owners and custodians of land on which we meet today"
OR
"We wish to acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which we meet today"
This website does not constitute legal advice. ACTCOSS does not warrant or guarantee the currency, accuracy or completeness of information contained on this website. For further information, read our
disclaimer.
