What does Acknowledgement of Country mean in Australia?

Acknowledgement of Country is a small ceremony before a public gathering, recognising the traditional owners or custodians of a certain part of Australia. It can also take written form, for examples on explanatory signs or tour company websites.

Detailed answer: Anyone who has done any web research to plan a trip to Australia will notice that a certain phrase comes up time and time again. “Acknowledgement of Country” is something that appears on Australian websites, but doesn’t tend to crop up elsewhere. But what does Acknowledgement of Country mean?

Acknowledgement of Country meaning

In short, Acknowledgement of Country is about recognising that Aboriginal Australians have lived on the continent for tens of thousands of years. When location-specific, it is about recognising the specific Indigenous group or groups that lived in the area. Hundreds of Aboriginal languages existed across Australia before European settlers burst onto the scene. Different groups had different ways of life.

Different groups inhabited different sections of land, although there was no concept of land ownership or property. “Traditional ownership”, a phrase often applied to Aboriginal-controlled land, refers to groups who were affiliated with certain areas and took primary responsibility for that land. Many Aboriginal people prefer the term ‘Traditional Custodian’.

Land and Country aren’t quite the same thing, either. The Indigenous concept of Country doesn’t have a direct translation. But it includes everything within that environment – including stories, creation spirits and seasons as well as people, animals and plants.

Traditional ownership was recognised as a concept in Australian law by the Native Title Act of 1993. It has become an integral part of Acknowledgement of Country.

An Acknowledgement of Country notice is essentially polite recognition of the traditional owners in a particular area.

Welcome to Country

It is an offshoot of the Welcome to Country ceremony, which has been a regular part of public life for a few decades. In a Welcome to Country ceremony, an elder will welcome guests on the behalf of the area’s traditional owners.

When an elder is not available, Welcome to Country is replaced by Acknowledgement of Country. Here, someone in a position of authority will start proceedings by acknowledging the traditional owners of where the event is taking place.

The National Indigenous Australians Agency has suggestions for wordings of such ceremonies. Different versions apply where the traditional owners are not known, or disputed. For example, in Adelaide, the Kaurna people would be mentioned by name. In areas where there are conflicting claims, a more generic address would be made.

Adelaide city centre, Kaurna Country — An Acknowledgement of Country in Adelaide city centre would specifically mention the Kaurna people as traditional owners or custodians. Photo by David Whitley/ Australia Travel Questions

The suggested wording is: “I would like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we <gather/meet> today, and pay my respects to their Elders past and present. I extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples here today.”

This micro-ceremony is something that has spread further afield. Now, tour guides will often begin tours with an Acknowledgement of Country as well. And tour companies will put an Acknowledgement of Country on their websites.