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The Welcome to Country has been a long tradition among Aboriginal Australian groups to welcome peoples from other areas. [ citation needed ] Today it serves also as a symbol which signifies the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' presence in Australia before colonisation and an end to their past exclusion from ...
According to the National Museum of the American Indian, it is a traditional practice that dates back centuries in many Indigenous cultures. [2] [dubious – discuss] The modern practice of land acknowledgements began in Australia in the late 1970s, taking the form of the Welcome to Country ceremony, and was at first primarily associated with Indigenous political movements and the arts.
Drawing on this important relationship with Country, many First Nations Australians — including Aboriginal Australians across the continent and Torres Strait Islanders alike [13] [34] — identify a sense of responsibility or obligation to care for Country as a central tenet of traditional custodianship.
A welcome to country is a ritual now performed at many events held in Australia, intended to highlight the cultural significance of the surrounding area to a particular Aboriginal group. The welcome must be performed by a recognised elder of the group. The welcome ceremony is sometimes accompanied by a smoking ceremony, music or dance.
The term "on Country", or "on [a specific people] country" is often used. [6] Connection to country, "the most fundamental pillar of Indigenous identity", is a difficult concept for non-Indigenous Australians to understand, and disconnection from country has been shown to have an impact on Indigenous peoples' health and well-being. [7]
Welcome to Country smoking ceremony performed by an Aboriginal elder. Smoke and fire have been traditionally used by Indigenous Australians as a form of communication. [10] Individuals light a fire when entering another group's country, signalling their entry to the people who live there, and acting as a call for help when necessary. [10]
A British university has given back four spears taken more than 250 years ago from an aboriginal community in Australia by explorer Captain James Cook. Aboriginal spears returned to Australia ...
The term Indigenous Australians refers to Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and the term is conventionally only used when both groups are included in the topic being addressed, or by self-identification by a person as Indigenous.