How to write an Acknowledgement of Country and deliver it authentically.

Commical – Episode title: How to write an Acknowledgement of Country and deliver it authentically

Published 25/01/2021 on Chasing Albert website, spotify and apple podcasts.

Marie 00:00

I’d like to start by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land. I’d also like to pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging. I’m sure you’ve heard that introduction many times, at events, school assemblies and meetings. But what if I told you it could be a lot more, should be a lot more, and at a bare minimum should be done by a lot more people?

Acknowledgements of Country are one way we can demonstrate that we recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and heritage - an important step towards reconciliation, especially if we understand it and mean it.

Today, I’m joined by Rhys Paddick, an Aboriginal educator, presenter and artist. He has a fresh perspective on how we can use Acknowledgements of Country to show our respect and appreciation for traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture authentically.

Oprah, Steve Jobs, Andrew Denton - to me, these guys are masters of communication. The rest of us - well, mainly you, because I’m a pro - fumble our way through it. Commical examines this funny little thing called communication that can either tear us down or make us soar. Join me, an amateur comedian and a communication expert, as we listen, learn and laugh through the experiences of my very talented guests.

Welcome, Rhys.

Where is here for you? Where are you recording from?

Guest 01:32

My geographical location is Perth, which is part of Western Australia. If we’re talking about the traditional country that I’m on, I’m on Whadjuk Country, which is part of the Noongar Nation. That’s where I am.

Marie 01:47

Okay, yeah. I’m in Sydney - in Sans Souci. But if I was to tell you from a traditional perspective where I am, I couldn’t, and that’s probably why I wanted to speak to you today.

Last year, when the Black Lives Matter movement started, or really came to a head after the murder of George Floyd, one of the things I became really aware of - and embarrassed about - was the fact that I knew more, and engaged more, with Black American culture than I knew about our own local Indigenous culture.

I made a promise to myself that in 2021 I was going to follow more Indigenous people on social than Black American celebrities, and I want to learn more about our own culture. And so where I wanted to start, and how I came to you, is: one, I read an interview you did that was really funny, and I thought, this guy’s perfect for Commical. And secondly, I know that you’re an educator and you teach people about Indigenous culture, yeah?

Guest 02:48

Yeah, that’s me. Perfect. What would you like to know? Give me some questions.

Marie 02:53

I thought we could start, as somebody who’s in communication, with the role of communication when it comes to reconciliation. And one of the starting points, I thought, could be learning about the Acknowledgement of Country. I’ve heard them so many times, but I don’t know what they mean and why we do them. Let’s start there. What is an Acknowledgement of Country?

Guest 03:15

I was exactly like you, and I think most people are at this stage where they go to a forum or a meeting or an assembly or something, and then you hear it, but you don’t get any context as to what it is. It happens more and more often, and you get the same thing, or slightly different, every time. And now it’s kind of become this accepted thing that people do - without context.

My first job was at a local high school. I actually used to go to this high school as a student - don’t ask me how that happened - but I was what they called an AIEO. This was an Aboriginal and Islander Education Officer. That was my role, and it was to support the Aboriginal students at the high school. It was mediating between them and the teachers and the parents, getting them to school, and providing tutoring and mentorship, and all these kinds of things.

But the other thing they asked me to do was this Acknowledgement of Country. So I became the guy. And by the way, this was in 2009 when I started that job. The first time I can remember an Acknowledgement of Country was probably in 2005, so it was kind of a new-ish thing that was being implemented, at least at my school. The only context I had up until that point was: this is something that people do at the assembly, and I think it’s something we do out of respect.

Fast-forward to when I was doing this job. They gave me this script and said, “Right, Rhys, this is part of your role as an AIEO - to read this script before the national anthem and after the VIPs come into the assembly.” I said, “Okay, that’s cool. I’ll do that.”

So you pick up the script and, of course, you go, “Good morning, parents, teachers. I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land on which we stand, the Whadjuk people of the Noongar Nation, and pay respects to Elders past, present and emerging. Thank you.” And then you walk off.

Then you do this again and again and again. I didn’t really think too much beyond, okay, well, it’s just the thing that you do.

Then I had one of those epiphany moments. They invited me to the Year 12 graduation ceremony and told me, “Rhys, you cannot spend more than one minute on this acknowledgement. The timing is so tight. I’m sorry - you can only spend a minute.” And I kind of thought, at that point, my God, the only reason they invited me was to tick this box. I felt like I was just being tokenised.

So I started asking questions. What is this? What are the rules to this? Who’s in charge of Acknowledgements of Country? What is the Welcome to Country? I’d seen Elders come in on NAIDOC Week and do a welcome, but is a welcome an acknowledgement, or is an acknowledgement a welcome? So I started asking these questions, right?

Guest 06:09

So I left that job - not right there and then, that would have been dramatic. I left later. Then I went and worked in other places, and I saw how other people were doing acknowledgements and how other people were doing welcomes, and I started to gather this understanding of what it is that we’re actually doing.

The short answer is: an Acknowledgement of Country is simply an acknowledgement of people and place, technically speaking. Without the cultural Aboriginal side of things, you could call the Australian national anthem an acknowledgement of country - that’s what you’re doing, right? It’s singing about you. So let’s just leave it there: it is an acknowledgement of people and place.

A Welcome to Country - not to be confused in the same respect - is a traditional protocol, which has been done by our Elders and people of importance over thousands and thousands of years, and it’s been adapted to a modern forum.

A traditional Welcome to Country is something that might happen when two different clans meet at a certain time of year. They might be exchanging goods, there might be marriages, and all sorts of things. These traditional welcomes might have been ceremonies that lasted for days, or even weeks. You can’t do that today in modern society, but what we do today is take elements of that. That’s when a traditional Elder comes in and does a Welcome to Country.

An Acknowledgement of Country is simply a response to, or acknowledgement of, being welcomed on that country from a traditional perspective.

The analogy I use is: if I came to your house, only you can welcome me into that space. That’s your cultural space. You’ve got your rules, your way of inviting people. You might say, “Hey Rhys, do you mind leaving your shoes at the front door?” or give me a beer and a hug. That’s your way of welcoming me. Only you can do that.

An acknowledgement is me simply coming into your space and saying, “Hey, thanks for inviting me over. You’ve got a lovely place here.” That’s how I reciprocate and articulate my appreciation for the space I’m in. That’s what an Acknowledgement of Country is.

Marie 08:34

So does the Acknowledgement of Country have to come before or after a Welcome to Country? Or can it just happen on its own?

Guest 08:44

You’re thinking in the process mind, right? Like, what are the correct rules, what’s the right wording? Everybody has their own process. Every business and organisation has its own way of doing things.

Some businesses will say, “Okay, we do Acknowledgements of Country at this meeting, in this context, at this forum, and that’s when we do it.” For me personally, I come at it from the right-brain perspective of: just do it whenever you want to do it, whenever you feel called to do it, whenever you think it’s important to you.

Because the danger of implementing an Acknowledgement of Country as something that you have to do, without context, is that it can build tokenism.

So when you say, “When should it be implemented?” it’s more like, well, everybody implements it in their own way, with their own process. But I think it’s more like, when should you acknowledge country? Well, when I walk into your house, I do it when you invite me in, and I do it in my own special sort of way, you know?

Marie 09:41

Well then let’s talk about context. Why is it even important to do?

Guest 09:47

I think it’s important because it’s a way Australians can be invited into this thing where it becomes one very small section of our story together as Australians - as Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians - where we can, on an individual level, practise what I like to think of as true reconciliation.

I say that because an Acknowledgement of Country doesn’t have to be this politically correct, tick-the-box thing that we think we have to do for Aboriginal people. It can be that, if the individual sees it that way, but I think it can also be a space where Australians are invited to take part in an exchange that is valuable to them too.

It’s not necessarily about, “I’m going to do this for Aboriginal people because it’s a respectful thing to do for Aboriginal people.” It can also be, “Here’s a space where I can talk about connection to country and land and people and place, and articulate it in a way that makes sense to me as an individual, as a member of this community, and as somebody living on this country.”

So it’s a way we can really play together in a way that’s beneficial for everyone.

Another reason it’s important is because it can really set the stage. It depends on the forum and what you’re talking about, but I think a good Acknowledgement of Country can be a kind of grounding before we get into the business. Because the business is always the business - you’re going to get in there and talk about X, Y and Z, and go through process, process, process.

An Acknowledgement of Country is a great practice where you can simply go, “Before I start today, I just want to take a moment and acknowledge you sitting there where you are now. I appreciate you. It means a lot to me that I get to exchange with you in this time and this place, because that’s what’s meaningful to me.”

It gives you an opportunity to bring people in and connect with you first, before you go through the script and talk about X, Y and Z.

Marie 11:53

It humanises the moment too. But is there a set template for how you conduct it? Are there words you must say, or can you do it in your own way? You used a great example of Zoom, which made me laugh.

Guest 12:10

I do this training online a lot of the time. It’s funny because people say, “Why do you do an Acknowledgement of Country over Zoom?” So I usually go, “Look, I’d like to acknowledge the Zoom people of the Silicon Valley Nation and pay respects to the technicians both past, present and emerging.”

I chuck a bit of humour in there because I’m obviously using the template everybody’s heard of, but I’m also putting it in the context of: don’t think about this too much, and maybe let’s use a little bit of humour.

There is sort of a structure or indication of how you can do it. I call it the template. It’s like what I mentioned before when I read out the script from the school. That’s the structure most people use. But I think the best thing you can do is move completely away from that structure eventually, if you feel comfortable doing so, because the structure can bind you to just words.

So when I do my acknowledgements, I don’t really try to think about it as, “I would like to acknowledge the X people of the X Nation” and then thank you and goodnight. I like to talk a little bit about why I’m here and why it means something to me.

But yes, the basic structure is acknowledging the traditional peoples of the country. You might say, “I’d like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land, the X people of whatever Nation.”

You mentioned that you don’t know where you are traditionally. You’re in Sydney. So in the template version, I’d say, “I’d like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation and pay respects to Elders past, present and leaders emerging.” That would be the basic version.

Marie 14:13

Where would I even go to find out where I am - what the land is that I sit on? Or if I’m travelling for business and going to a new area, how do I find that information?

Guest 14:24

Uncle Google, because he’s going to be your best friend. That’s what I do. But I also recommend people don’t just click the first link. Click a couple of links.

Marie 14:39

Get it right. Well, you’ll be cancelled quick, fast, mate.

Guest 14:43

Well, yeah, because sometimes you’ll find conflicting information. We’re lucky on Noongar Country because the 14 clans here are all very aware geographically of where they are placed. Some places are contested. I believe Melbourne, with the Kulin Nation, has some discussion about geographically what clan is part of that space, and sometimes you’ll find a bit of conflicting information.

You wouldn’t want to get it wrong by acknowledging X people of the Kulin Nation when half the people you’re talking to are the Y people of the Kulin Nation. So do a bit of research when you look it up on Google.

Marie 15:28

And are you referencing the land where you - the presenter or facilitator of a meeting or conference - currently are, or is it about where your audience is?

Let’s take an online scenario. We’re all doing stuff online now, people from everywhere. How would you conduct an Acknowledgement of Country in that scenario?

Guest 15:48

Okay, so after I go, “I’d like to acknowledge the Zoom people of the Silicon Valley Nation...”

Marie 15:53

Which only you can do. If anyone else did that, I’m sure we’d be dead meat, right?

Guest 16:02

I would usually say, look, and then bring it back to reality, because I’m trying to move away from the script. I’d say, “It is difficult doing an Acknowledgement of Country over Zoom, right? Because you are in a different place to where I am. But here’s the interesting thing: what you and I can both share is that we are sharing the same country.” Or, in Noongar, we call it boodjar - country, land.

What is connecting me and you is the fact that we are in this space together, and that’s worth celebrating. That’s worth acknowledging, because this is home to me - as an Aboriginal person and as Rhys - and this is home to you in whatever context that means to you.

So there’s actually no more or less value in the hierarchy of power of Indigenous and non-Indigenous. Some people might disagree with me there, but what the Elders have taught me is that it’s not about putting a hierarchy on the importance of the person. It’s about understanding and connecting to the country you’re on, because it’s an important part of your identity and who you are, and who I am, and what we actually share.

As Australian people living in Australia, it’s a great opportunity to acknowledge country and ask, “What does this mean to me?”

When somebody gets up and does an acknowledgement, I love it when they say, “I’m going to tell you a little story about this tree over here. I used to climb this tree,” because now you’re connecting me with this specific thing on this country right here. Or, “I grew up around the corner there, and that’s where I learned this and this and this.” That’s moving away from the script and connecting me more with you.

Marie 17:48

Okay, I get that. Is there a time when we shouldn’t do it? Like, if we’re doing it and it’s tokenistic? You, for example, had the courage to walk away - months later - from being forced to read something off a script.

Is reading straight off a script so bad? I mean, for people like me who might be nervous and feel a little uncomfortable, and certainly don’t want to get it wrong, there wouldn’t be anything necessarily wrong with doing that, no? Because I think part of what I like about Acknowledgement of Country, now that I understand it, is it’s also about making a statement that, you know what, we’re one, we’re sharing this. This is a history that we share, and it’s part of the Australian identity.

Guest 18:32

Yeah, yep. There’s nothing wrong with the script. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the script because, again, I started with the script. Everybody reads the script. The script is fine.

What I say is that we shouldn’t just settle on the script as all we can do, and put it in this box forever, because that feels like the safe zone of: these are the right words to say, nobody will get offended, and this is the right way.

I think we can have room to be a little more ambitious and a little more personal in how we articulate our genuine connection to country. That’s all it is.

So the script is fine. It’s just that, without context, it can potentially turn into tokenism, because it kind of did for me, and I know it does for a lot of other people too.

If people are going, “Well, I want to do an Acknowledgement of Country - where do I start?” it’s like, well yeah, start with the script. Start with that if that’s what you want to do. But then once you get a little more confident, I’d start adding a little bit to it and making it more personal.

Your question was what not to do, right? I always think about this thing I call domino-ing your acknowledgements. You might be at a forum where you have five speakers and you’ve had a Welcome to Country. Then the first speaker gets up and says, “I’d like to acknowledge...” and then the second speaker does it, and the third, and the fourth, and the fifth. Everybody’s doing this acknowledgement.

I’m not saying don’t do that. What I am saying is: if you’re the third speaker and you’re going to do it, ask yourself, am I doing this because I want to do it, or because I fear that I’m going to look like a bad person if I don’t? If it’s the second one, then I’d suggest don’t do it, because then you’re tokenising it. You’re making it a tick-the-box thing.

Most people are actually really good at understanding your intention. I can usually tell when I’m listening to the third speaker whether they feel like they have to do this tick-the-box thing, as opposed to the person who genuinely wants to get up and say, “Let me tell you why this country is important to me and why I want to take a small amount of this time to acknowledge and respect that.”

Marie 21:18

Yeah, it’s kind of well-intentioned, but without meaning. And what we’re striving for is the meaning.

Let me ask you this then. If I was to do an Acknowledgement of Country and I wanted to personalise it - right, so I’m Lebanese Australian - and if I was opening an event or a launch or whatever it might be, and I wanted to connect it back to my experiences on the land, say we were at Darling Harbour and I said, “I remember coming here as a kid and playing basketball on those courts,” or “climbing that tree,” is that relevant?

Guest 21:51

I think so. I’d like to know that. That’s connecting me to you. That’s you telling me who you are. Because again, it’s about acknowledging people and place, right?

If you tell me who you are, I’m going to connect with you more than if I don’t know who you are. Of course, as a speaker or presenter, I expect you to talk about whatever you’re there to talk about. But if I don’t know who you are, I’m not really going to connect with you as well as if I did.

Marie 22:26

But is it relevant to the Acknowledgement of Country? Do you know what I mean? Is it relevant to that? Right, okay.

Well, thank you so much. Is there anything else you think we should know? I don’t want to have people listening and then going out and, again, being well-intentioned but doing everything wrong.

Guest 22:44

Some people ask when to do a welcome as opposed to an acknowledgement, or whether we do both at the same time. I think it’s important to note that everyone has their own different politics and way of doing things. Every country I go to - and when I say country, I mean different Aboriginal countries - Noongar Country, Whadjuk Country, Yamatji Country, Yorta Yorta Country - everybody has their own different ways of doing things.

When you’re dealing with a Welcome to Country, you’re now in a traditional protocol area. You’ve got to seek the right people. People from those specific areas can conduct a traditional Welcome to Country - people of importance, or people with permission.

You wouldn’t ask any Aboriginal person you see, “Hey, can you do a Welcome to Country?” because the answer is probably not. You’ve got to go through the right channels to find the right Elders, the right people.

People always ask, “What do I do? Who do I ask?” What I would do is reach out to my local land council if I didn’t know any local Aboriginal Elders personally. Or, if you know Aboriginal people, they might know a local Elder, or might be related to an aunty or uncle or someone. Again, I’d do a little bit of research to find out who might be an appropriate person.

A Welcome to Country can be done in many different ways. Sometimes an Elder will come up and speak a little bit of language. Or they might do a smoking ceremony. Or come in with nephews and nieces and do a traditional dance. Or play the didgeridoo and tapping sticks. Different people have their own specific procedure for how they welcome people to country.

What I also recommend is leaving it in the Elder’s hands as to how they perform and present the Welcome to Country. A lot of people say, “Well, we’ve only got five minutes, so can we get an Elder to come in and do this for five minutes?” It’s going to be a little difficult for somebody to do that genuinely and authentically.

So what I’d do is find an Elder and say, “Hey, this is what I’ve got going on. How much time do you need to do whatever it is that you do?” Usually it might be five minutes. It might be 10 minutes. I kind of leave it in their court to see how they want to present their welcome.

Marie 25:18

When I’m asking for someone or looking for someone to do this, does the Welcome to Country differ depending on the type of event it might be? What kind of information is important to provide when you’re seeking someone to do this?

Guest 25:32

Again, I would just let that Elder know what it is that you’re doing, because they would probably judge their welcome to suit whatever it is that you’re doing.

A Welcome to Country at a NAIDOC event would be very different to a Welcome to Country at a local event with 20 people opening a shop, or whatever it is.

I’d just let them know: this is what I’m doing, this is who we are, and we’re looking for somebody to open with a Welcome to Country. We’ve got 10 minutes for this, but we’re willing to be flexible depending on what you can provide and offer.

Marie 26:10

And is there an event that’s too small to do a Welcome to Country? I’m thinking of people listening who might have a small or medium business, right? They may be opening a new shop or opening a conference. When is a Welcome to Country appropriate or necessary?

Guest 26:28

It’s always difficult to answer that question because there are so many variables. For example, in my previous job we’d get together and work with an Elders group, and every time we’d go and work with them - even if it was only 15 people - one of the Elders would simply do a quick Welcome to Country in language.

If you’re asking what the most appropriate time is to invite an Elder to do a Welcome to Country, I usually default to the importance of what it is. You don’t want to do it at every single school assembly, because then it could potentially become tokenistic.

I kind of expect welcomes to be done when important things are happening. This is being opened - okay, Welcome to Country. We’ve built this new building - okay, Welcome to Country. There’s a big event on for Reconciliation Week - Welcome to Country.

I place the welcome in situations of greater importance. Everything else can be an acknowledgement if you want it to be. That’s just my process. Some people might think differently.

Marie 27:39

And where would we check if we wanted to make sure we were doing the right things? Who would we consult? Are there other information sources, for example, that you could just go to and sense-check what you’re doing?

Guest 27:54

Again, on a surface level, you’ll find pretty much anything you need to know on Google. If you type in “What is an Acknowledgement of Country?” you’ll get a synopsis of what I’ve just said. If you type in “How to do an Acknowledgement of Country?” you’ll come across the script. So it’s all pretty readily available on the surface level.

I guess the next step - which I’m hoping a lot of people invite themselves into - is asking how we make this a little more genuine, a little more progressive, a little more authentic, and something that people can really resonate with and find importance in.

Marie 28:36

Okay, cool. Rhys, I’m going to ask you one last question, because I’m still not clear on it myself - and that could be because I’m slow.

I understood the acknowledgement to be about acknowledging our First Nations peoples. So why is my own personal take important in that scenario?

Guest 28:55

Oh yeah, that’s a good question.

At the core of what an acknowledgement is attempting to achieve here, it is acknowledging people and place within the context of Aboriginal Australia - Aboriginal people, Aboriginal place.

Of course, if you want to be safe, you can say, “I’m going to acknowledge the Aboriginal people of this Aboriginal space, acknowledge the Aboriginal Elders, and see you later.” A lot of people are comfortable doing that because it creates a sense of humility for them. They think, I don’t need to talk about myself or involve myself in this process because I’d rather just represent Aboriginal Australia.

If that’s your process and that’s what you like to do, that’s fine too. Again, what I’m encouraging is not that you have to include yourself. I’m just saying don’t feel like you can’t include yourself. Don’t feel like you have to stand outside the process entirely.

Me personally, sitting and listening to people: if you introduce yourself to me, it connects me to you before I listen to what you have to say about Aboriginal Australia. I think that’s an advantage.

So don’t think you’re not important in this, because you are. But at the same time, if you feel, “I don’t think I want to introduce myself,” or, “I’d like to take a more humble approach,” that’s also fine.

Really, there’s no one right way to do an Acknowledgement of Country. There is a process way in businesses and organisations, and in that context there are right ways. But at the core of what it is, there’s no right way. It’s just your way.

There’s no one right way for me to thank you for inviting me into your house, right? There is a general expected way, and there is a process way, but it’s your way.

Marie 31:01

Wow. Thank you so much for joining me. I’ve learned so much, and I’ve no doubt I’ll be checking in with you throughout the year. All the best.

Guest 31:08

Yeah, I hope so. Thank you for inviting me. I appreciate you.

I’d like to acknowledge you and your podcast and the people listening to you, and acknowledge and respect that this is something that we all enjoy doing together, and that we do it out of a feeling of connecting and learning together. That’s important too.

Marie 31:27

Thank you so much. Take care, Rhys. Thank you.

Marie 31:36

And that’s Commical for this week. If you’d like to join the show, suggest a topic, or ask me a question, hit me up on Instagram at marieledagle, or email me at comicalpodcast@gmail.com. Thanks so much for listening. See you.