ritual or formal ceremony performed at many events held in Australia, intended to highlight the cultural significance of the surrounding area to a particular Aboriginal clan or language group who are recognised as traditional owners of the land
Factsheet
Country Australia
Country Australia
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Welcome_to_Country
Welcome to Country - Wikipedia
2 days ago - It is intended to highlight the ... or Torres Strait Islander clan or language group who are recognised as the original human inhabitants of the area. Welcomes are performed by a member of the recognised group. They are sometimes accompanied by traditional smoking ceremonies, music or dance. An Acknowledgement of Country is a similar ...
Reconciliation Australia
reconciliation.org.au › home › acknowledgement of country and welcome to country
Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country - Reconciliation Australia
April 29, 2025 - Welcome to Country occurs at the beginning of a formal event and can take many forms including singing, dancing, smoking ceremonies, and/or a speech.
Videos
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What Welcome to Country really means - YouTube
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‘Handful of woke’: Welcome to Country ceremonies ‘conning’ ...
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Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony - YouTube
#SBSExamines finds out why Welcome to Country ...
What exactly is a Welcome to Country? After an Indigenous ...
I'm sick and tired of these tokenistic Welcome to Country ...
First Peoples Relations
firstpeoplesrelations.vic.gov.au › welcome-country
Welcome to Country | firstpeoplesrelations.vic.gov.au
A Welcome to Country ceremony is performed by Aboriginal Traditional Owners for people visiting their Country.
The Guardian
theguardian.com › australia-news › 2025 › apr › 29 › what-is-the-difference-between-welcome-to-country-ceremonies-and-acknowledgement-australia
What is the difference between a welcome to country and an acknowledgment of country? | Indigenous Australians | The Guardian
April 29, 2025 - A welcome can only be given by a traditional owner authorised to speak for the land on which the event is taking place, and can include a speech, song, dance or smoking ceremony.
Google Arts & Culture
artsandculture.google.com › story › welcome-to-country-vs-acknowledgement-of-country-welcome-to-country › wAWhEA_riZQGvA
Welcome to Country vs. Acknowledgement of Country — Google Arts & Culture
A Welcome to Country is a formal ceremony delivered by an Elder, Traditional Owner or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person who has been given permission from Traditional Owners to welcome visitors to their Country.
SBS
sbs.com.au › news › article › what-is-a-welcome-to-country-ceremony-and-why-is-it-important › 36tm9944f
What is a Welcome to Country ceremony, and why is it important? | SBS News
April 29, 2025 - Juru Elder Randall Ross said the ceremonies are part of a cultural obligation. "The main reason to do Welcome to Countries is about welcoming people so they're safely on your Country, or you're crossing your Country," he said.
Amnesty International
amnesty.org.au › home › what’s new › welcome to country: explained
Welcome to Country: Explained - Amnesty International Australia
May 1, 2025 - “A Welcome to Country is a cultural protocol that First Nations communities have been conducting for thousands of years, as an act of reciprocity when other mobs travelled to visit their homelands.
Unsw
indigenous.unsw.edu.au › micro-treaty › resources › acknowledgement-country-and-welcome-country
Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country | Indigenous Strategy, Education & Research
A Welcome to Country is different to an Acknowledgement of Country. A Welcome to Country is a ceremony performed by a local Aboriginal person of significance (usually an Elder) to acknowledge and give consent to events taking place on their traditional lands.
Ssi
ssi.org.au › wp-content › uploads › 2024 › 02 › Background-to-Acknowledgement.pdf pdf
The history and meaning of Welcome to Country and how it differs to an
A Welcome to Country is a cultural ritual and · formal ceremony performed to honour the land · upon which an event or gathering is being held · on in Australia. This practice dates back 65,000 · years. It is intended to highlight the cultural · significance of the surrounding area where ·
SBS
sbs.com.au › language › english › en › article › what-does-welcome-to-country-mean › 507t1bjk1
What does Welcome to Country mean? | SBS English
August 16, 2022 - Increasingly at public events we observe a ceremony performed by Aboriginal Traditional Custodians. This welcoming ritual is called ‘Welcome to Country’.
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Land_acknowledgement
Land acknowledgement - Wikipedia
18 hours ago - 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 Australian political movements and the arts.
Indigenous.gov.au
indigenous.gov.au › acknowledgement-country
Acknowledgement of Country | Indigenous
An Acknowledgement of Country recognises that you are meeting on the land of First Nations peoples.
Welcome To Country
welcometocountry.com › home › news & updates › news & updates
Welcome to Country vs. Acknowledgement of Country
December 5, 2024 - A Welcome to Country is done by a local Traditional Owner or Elder who holds the authority and knowledge to share a welcome from a particular local region. This can be done through speech, dance, song or ceremony.
Creative Spirits
creativespirits.info › home › aboriginal culture › spirituality › welcome to country & acknowledgement of country
Welcome to Country & Acknowledgement of Country - Creative Spirits
August 27, 2023 - Traditionally, a Welcome to Country was an invitation or permission for a person from a different area to pass through or enter. Doing so without it was unacceptable. Both ceremonies also acknowledge the land as a living entity – one reason ...
Medium
medium.com › pacificedge › indigenous-welcoming-ceremonies-fake-or-authentic-695686cb79ce
Indigenous welcoming ceremonies: fake or authentic? | by Russ Grayson | PacificEdge | Medium
March 20, 2025 - The ceremony is intended to welcome visitors to the land and offer them safe passage. Anyone, indigenous or non-indigenous, can do an Acknowledgement of Country. It simply recognises the inhabitation of the land prior to the coming of Europeans.
Taungurung
taungurung.com.au › welcome-to-country-ceremony
Welcome to Country Ceremonies – Taungurung Land & Waters Council
It is a ceremony grounded in ... Welcome to Country ceremony is a cultural practice performed by Indigenous Elders or Traditional Owners where visitors are greeted and welcomed, and traditionally offered safe passage through their lands....
SBS
sbs.com.au › nitv › article › welcome-to-country-ceremonies-are-15-year-old-inventions-says-historian › o6cakmkyc
Welcome to Country ceremonies are 15-year-old inventions, says historian | SBS NITV
March 31, 2016 - A 'Welcome to Country' is a practice where an Indigenous custodian or elder from a particular traditional area in Australia welcomes people to their land through speech, ceremony or music.
Queensland Government
qld.gov.au › firstnations › cultural-awareness-heritage-arts › welcome-to-country
Welcome to Country | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples | Queensland Government
The Welcome to Country ceremony is carried out at significant events and formal functions involving people from other parts of the country or from overseas.
Reconciliationnsw
reconciliationnsw.org.au › wp-content › uploads › 2021 › 03 › 2021-Welcome-to-country-factsheet.pdf pdf
The importance of including a Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of
A Welcome to Country is a ceremony · performed by Aboriginal or Torres Strait · Islander Elders, or Traditional Owners who have · been given permission to welcome visitors onto · their traditional land. Protocols for welcoming · visitors to Country have been part of Aboriginal ·
Reddit
reddit.com › r/australian › the welcome to country
r/australian on Reddit: The welcome to country
September 11, 2023 -
I've had the welcome to country explained to me by an indigenous person and it's different to what some think and have commented on. This was just a casual conversation so if someone knows of it differently let me know.
When they welcome you to country they're not welcoming you to Australia or are you being welcomed to your own country as I've sometimes seen written, but to their traditional tribal lands. For them 'country' has a different meaning. For example if someone was returning to their tribal land they would be 'going on country'. I suppose it's a word that doesn't translate exactly.
So when tribes meet the people whose land it is give the visitors a welcome to country as a way to say you're welcome and safe here. Especially important back when there might be warring between tribes and they wanted to talk.
But yeah I get why people get pissed off when corporations in particular seem to push it as a token gesture, but to some people it has a real and significant meaning.
If any indigenous people here have a comment on this is like to hear it, I'll remove it if wrong.
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I think most people are pissed at the ‘acknowledgement of country’ which is a white fella basically just doing some tokenism to make sure the company is hitting their ‘equality goals’
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You might be confusing welcome to country with acknowledgement of country. Corporations do the acknowledgement of country, which is fine at special events but at the start of each meeting is excessive.