Sarah Boyne and Nicholas Cowdery explain why and how to perform a meaningful Acknowledgement of Country.
It’s becoming pleasingly common for formal gatherings around the Bays and elsewhere to open with a Welcome to Country (WtC) and/or an Acknowledgement of Country (AoC). They are, of course, two very different things. A WtC is a ritual that can only be conducted by a Traditional Aboriginal Custodian of the Country upon which the event is taking place. The Custodian must also be recognised as an Elder. A WtC is understood to be a pre- and post-colonisation tradition that formally welcomes guests to an area that is cared for by a specific Aboriginal clan group or nation.
The twin ritual of a WtC is an Acknowledgement of Country (AoC). This is where a person (Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal) who is not a member of the clan or nation group acknowledges that they are formally meeting (for whatever reason) on a site regarded as the ancestral lands, waters, and airs of the Traditional Custodians.
Many non-Aboriginal people would like to express their recognition of and respect for Aboriginal people through an AoC. And they would like to do it in an appropriate and non-tokenistic way. But non-Aboriginal people often struggle with the why, how, and when to do this. The challenges range from repetitiveness (you’re the fifth person in a row to perform an AoC and you’re concerned that it’s starting to wear thin with the audience), to not wanting to leave anyone out (do you acknowledge the Elders past and present, add in ‘emerging’, and also all the Aboriginal people who might be present that day?), to whether you’re at risk of triggering a ‘barbeque-stopper’ reaction if you mention unceded lands and co-existent sovereignty.
So, we’ve asked two experienced AoC performers – Sarah Boyne and Nicholas Cowdery – to explain why conducting an AoC is important, and provide examples of how you might perform an AoC. The most important thing, however, is that your AoC is a genuine, heartfelt demonstration of recognition, respect, and regard for the First Peoples of Australia and, in particular, an acknowledgement that you are, in fact, gathered together on unceded Aboriginal ancestral lands.
Suzanne Plater
Editor
Acknowledgement of Country – Sarah Boyne
Photo: Sarah Boyne
My name is Sarah Boyne. I am a Bundjalung woman, a direct descendant of the Widjabul tribe of Lismore from the Bundjalung Nation in Northern NSW.
This process, Acknowledgement of Country, is an important process for everyone. Traditionally, it is a protocol that has occurred in this country for thousands of years. This process gives and obtains recognition, respect, connection, permission, and invitation to perform ceremony. Without this, the presence of outsiders was unacceptable within our lore.
Therefore, as an Aboriginal woman from the Bundjalung Nation, it is still important that I show respect, give recognition to the traditional ancestors who have walked on this land for thousands and thousands of years, caring for, maintaining, learning, growing, and loving this country we call Australia.
Our ways are sacred and are best practice for maintaining and sustaining life. So, wherever I go in this country, I follow correct cultural protocol and do an Acknowledgement of Country. I always pay my respects to the Traditional Owners of the Country where I work, play, travel, and love, and ask permission to be allowed on their Country as a visiting guest. This is a cultural connection to the Traditional Owners which is not just about respect. It is also a way to keep me safe and protected while I am on someone else’s Country.
Here is an example of how I acknowledge Country:
‘Today I am on Gubbi Gubbi country in Redcliffe, the Moreton Bay area of Brisbane. I therefore acknowledge, pay my respects to, and recognise that the Gubbi Gubbi people are the Traditional Owners of the land where I live and work.
I would also like to pay my respects to our Stolen Generation survivors, who have endured so much trauma and abuse. Your resilience and strength always continue to inspire me. I say thank you to all our warriors who fought to give me a strong voice, my path to many opportunities in life, and I stand proud of who I am in culture and identity.
And finally, I ask the Traditional Owners to bless me with their spirit of learning, understanding, and healing as we move through these uncertain times.’
Sarah Boyne
Associate Director
Arrilla Indigenous Consultancy
Acknowledgement of Country – Nick Cowdery
Image courtesy of Nick Cowdery
We have all listened to Acknowledgements of Country at the start of meetings and events, and we should understand what that means. It is not tokenistic: it shows our connection to and respect for the land and the people in a meaningful way.
First a note on terminology. When foreigners (Indonesians, possibly Chinese, possibly Portuguese, certainly Dutch, French, and English) visited this island continent and its offshore islands, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were living in hundreds of nations across the land. They were and remain the First Nations peoples of this place.
‘Country’ is fundamental to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The term means the lands (including bush and rainforest), waterways and seas to which they are connected, and it contains complex ideas about law and lore, place, custom, language, spiritual belief, cultural practice, physical sustenance, family, and identity.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart (2017 and still unimplemented, although affirmed) notes that sovereignty over country has never been ceded or extinguished and co-exists with the sovereignty of the Crown over land.
So it is appropriate that when we do certain things on land that is the country of particular Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, their descendants may welcome us, and we should acknowledge them and their country.
The people of the northern beaches and surrounding areas are said to have been of the Gai-mariagal clan.
From all of that, an Acknowledgement of Country that I would be happy to make here would be along these lines:
‘We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the country on which we meet, the Gai-mariagal people. We pay respect to their elders, past and present and to those who may be with us. We acknowledge that sovereignty has never been ceded or extinguished and we commit ourselves to the protection of country for future generations.’
Nicholas Cowdery
AO QC FAAL
Credit: Feature Image of D’s hands: Suzanne Plater