At our recent Bush Tucker Workshop in Blandford in the Upper Hunter, Uncle Warren Welcomed us to Country with a smoking ceremony. He described it as a way to cleanse all the bad spirits out of you, and mother earth welcoming us to this country. A Welcome to Country is delivered by an Elder and can be a spoken Welcome to Country in traditional language.
Only Traditional Owners/ Custodians of the land on which an event takes place, can deliver a Welcome to Country.
You might have noticed at meetings or events that you go to that an Acknowledgement of Country is spoken. This can be done by anyone wishing to show their respect to the Traditional Owners.
At Hunter Region Landcare Network we like to do an Acknowledgement of Country that recognises the Traditional Owners on the land where we care for the plants and animals, and our continuing connection with First Nations Peoples that we work alongside in conservation and the protection of our natural environments.
You can read more about it here.
