What does an Acknowledgement of Country mean for non-Indigenous people?
Have you sat through a meeting where the presenter read out an Acknowledgement of Country from a slide? Did they read it from the heart or was it a speed read to get it out of the way so they could get on with the ‘real’ business? At the beginning of most meetings, events and assemblies in Australia there will be a Welcome to Country and an Acknowledgement of Country. The purpose is to recognise that the land was never ceded, that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a continuing connection and responsibility to the land on which we are on. They are the traditional custodians and Elders are at the heart of that custodianship. Acknowledgements of Country are not just a protocol to follow, they are not just for Aboriginal people, they are given even when no Aboriginal people are present. So what does this mean for non-Indigenous people on Aboriginal land?
When we acknowledge the sovereign nation on which we stand, meet, work and play, then we:
◆ have a responsibility to that Nation, the people and culture
◆ must privilege that Nation’s voices, knowledges and culture
◆ must tell the truth about that Nation’s history, people and culture
Acknowledgements of Country are not a statement, they are a promise. They are an important part of the healing process for all people living on this country currently called Australia. Non-Indigenous people have a responsibility to Country too. We have the power and the privilege of supporting those who know what Country needs to heal. Previous governments have feared truth-telling leaving so many non-Indigenous Australians left to find it out for themselves. This has meant haphazard knowledge across generations, but schooling gives us an opportunity to give our children the opportunity that so many of us were denied. We can teach our students the truth, we can celebrate the knowledge that Country offers and the people who know what it needs and what their communities need.
In the classroom this can include Aboriginal authored books, multimedia texts and resources. It may look like putting Aboriginal knowledges alongside western knowledge to develop a greater understanding of curriculum content and concepts. It may look like inviting members of your local Aboriginal community to participate with the school. It may look like spending more time learning local Aboriginal languages to better understand Country, culture and history. It may look like telling some of the horrendous stories of Australian history. Your students will love it, even the hard stuff, especially the hard stuff because they can feel it when they're learning the truth. Like most things, the more you do it, the easier it gets and the more creative you become.
I have created this website in the hope that I can provide teachers and educators guidance on authentic resources and meaningful teaching. I've included the fun stuff and the hard stuff. Below is an article I was involved in writing about teaching history and a few links for writing an Acknowledgement of Country.
What does this look like in the classroom?
Hayward, K., Jackson-Barrett, L., Macdonald, M.-A., & Booth, S. (2024). Teaching Indigenous histories through Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Agora, 59(1), 3–8. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.T2024030900006300068687849
How to write an Acknowledgement of Country: https://www.reconciliation.org.au/reconciliation/acknowledgement-of-country-and-welcome-to-country/
Lesson plan for writing an Acknowledgement of Country
https://www.ngarrngga.org/classroom-act/activity-5-creating-a-whole-class-acknowledgement-of-country
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