Society/Culture The Welcome/Acknowledgment of Country thread

[PetterdHoisted]

I am torn on this stuff. Disclaimer: I have studied and teach indigenous history.

The irony is that if I type exactly what I think/know, I'll probably end up being censored or warned by a mod who probably knows nothing about the area, or thinks they know.

The reason I'm torn is because every country seems to inevitably benefit from myth-making, but I'll say that pre-colonisation indigenous culture was tremendously varied. Different languages, traditions etc. And most of them had no clue the others existed. At all.

Maybe it's for the best that we pretend they all felt intimate connections with 'the Land', had a 'dreamtime' and 'songlines', 'smoking ceremonies' ... and chuck in a rainbow serpent if you like, too. We all sign up to the claim that footy and marngrook are intimately linked, and perhaps it's better for the culture that we do, regardless of fact.

But I'll never lose sight of the irony that at least one of the cultural groups to which we now pay tribute before games was positively genocidal. Their word for all other indigenous groups translates as "non-human", and they considered it their primary purpose in life as to wipe them out.

THANK YOU

The myth making is so tiresome, the ‘custodian of the land’ one especially.

Before and after Cook, peeps of Australia exploited each other and exploited the environment to the ends of their respective powers.

Genocidal tribal wars and species extinction - everyone was at it !

(Would just love the Marngrook - footy one to be true though !)

 

[garlic munchers]

Thought it was good actually - knew there would be backlash from people though - some very sensitive mites out there.

My kids - who have very much grown up with grandparents and other folk who would anytime a WTC is done state ‘why should I be welcomed to my own country’ - told me after this WTC they understood better why this tradition exists. Which made them feel like ‘oh so this isn’t for grandma who hates it anyway’.

If you’re demanding to be paid to give a welcome to country is not that welcome diminished?

 

[garlic munchers]

I've always understood the theory to be that as a rule, indigenous Australians' culture was always based around the 'leave it as you found it's principle.

What we call 'advancing', they call '****ing up your environment'.

Sure, nothing says leave it as you found it when your the resident pyromaniacs.

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

Sure, nothing says leave it as you found it when your the resident pyromaniacs.

What an extraordinarily idiotic and ignorant thing to say.

 

[Rotayjay]

a reference to Captain James Cook, who made the first recorded European contact with Australian land in 1770.

It's not the most important point, but the above is not true - the first verifiable landing by Europeans in Australia was by the Dutch in 1606, a century and a half before Lieutenant (not Captain) Cook.

Are younger generations going to have an increasingly positive attitude to things like welcome to country, or are people going to get increasingly turned off by overdoing it? I think it'll be the former.

 

[Chief]

The above is not true - the first verifiable landing by Europeans in Australia was by the Dutch in 1606, a century and a half before Lieutenant (not Captain) Cook.

This blows everything wide open!

 

[Sea fog]

One thing I've learned from touring all over Australia and attending welcome to country ceremonies in a variety of states and far and wide, is that those conducting them admit they do not know how many different nations of indigenous people there were before European settlement. Its a rich culture but doubtful if there is one truth so we accept the unique welcome to country as it is. At my workplace we have acknowledgement of country before every meeting.

 

[Chief]

If you’re demanding to be paid to give a welcome to country is not that welcome diminished?

Reading this post leaves me diminished.

 

[South of the Yarra]

I am torn on this stuff. Disclaimer: I have studied and teach indigenous history.

The irony is that if I type exactly what I think/know, I'll probably end up being censored or warned by a mod who probably knows nothing about the area, or thinks they know.

The reason I'm torn is because every country seems to inevitably benefit from myth-making, but I'll say that pre-colonisation indigenous culture was tremendously varied. Different languages, traditions etc. And most of them had no clue the others existed. At all.

Maybe it's for the best that we pretend they all felt intimate connections with 'the Land', had a 'dreamtime' and 'songlines', 'smoking ceremonies' ... and chuck in a rainbow serpent if you like, too. We all sign up to the claim that footy and marngrook are intimately linked, and perhaps it's better for the culture that we do, regardless of fact.

But I'll never lose sight of the irony that at least one of the cultural groups to which we now pay tribute before games was positively genocidal. Their word for all other indigenous groups translates as "non-human", and they considered it their primary purpose in life as to wipe them out.

Many people who teach Aboriginal history also have no idea what they are talking about. Some of them are armed with a little knowledge from one perspective and that is an exceptionally dangerous tool. Studying and teaching Aboriginal history does not guarantee people have an understanding of the history of Aboriginal people. Their lack of any understanding of Stolen Generation is an example of this.

 

[South of the Yarra]

THANK YOU

The myth making is so tiresome, the ‘custodian of the land’ one especially.

Before and after Cook, peeps of Australia exploited each other and exploited the environment to the ends of their respective powers.

Genocidal tribal wars and species extinction - everyone was at it !

(Would just love the Marngrook - footy one to be true though !)

I suggest you widen your reading.

 

[PetterdHoisted]

I suggest you widen your reading.

on Margrook? I do hope the connection is there.

on mass extinctions of Australian megafauna? It's heartbreaking, the Moa birds of New Zealand nearly made it, another 400 years and some of them would live in protected national parks today. Unfortunately they were hunted to extinction in 100 years by the Maoris. All Australia's megafauna went the same way thousands of years before that.

The Dutch and the Dodos...The british and the Tassy Tiger...Humans gonna human, the only difference is the limit to their reach.

 

[Drought Break]

I think you're getting welcome to country and acknowledgement of country confused.
The first is an important part of indigenous culture. The second is meaningless performative crap by non-indigenous at the start of every bloody meeting, lecture, performance etc

Went to a RAAF graduation ceremony for a family member. Had 5 acknowledgment to countries in a row for award presentation. Every officer that read out an award started with an acknowledgement.

 

[10571z]

Just creates further divide and a us and them mentality imo. We will never be a united country when we are continually divided on racial lines.

I don’t mind them generally and some are quite interesting but the irony it’s followed by the National anthem is laughable.

 

[Cmarsh]

Just creates further divide and a us and them mentality imo. We will never be a united country when we are continually divided on racial lines.

I don’t mind them generally and some are quite interesting but the irony it’s followed by the National anthem is laughable.

Sorry for my apparent ignorance but why is that laughable?

 

[Gethelred]

Just creates further divide and a us and them mentality imo. We will never be a united country when we are continually divided on racial lines.

I don’t mind them generally and some are quite interesting but the irony it’s followed by the National anthem is laughable.

... acknowledgement of difference is not dividing the country on racial lines.

This is an exceedingly silly idea of what multiculturalism is, but it isn't really your fault. Blame the desire - formed in 90's America - for a colour-blind society, one which ignores race altogether; you don't get the benefits of having different cultures living under the same flag, and you cannot get rid of racism by treating it as though it doesn't exist.

 

[Freshwater]

I really don’t know why Caption Cook gets the criticism he does? He is one of the greatest men in history. Working class through and through, who through sheer determination, work ethic and intellect made himself the world’s greatest navigator. He made his way up through the snobbery of the British Navy, not a common thing for working class people but was too brilliant to hold back. He helped lead one of the greatest scientific expeditions ever. He was kind to his men, way ahead of his time as to how he treated them. He didn’t ’colonise’ Australia, if that is the problem some have with him? His contribution to humanity was a million times more than the small minded and small intellect people that try and criticise him.

 

[Muddiemoose]

I really don’t know why Caption Cook gets the criticism he does? He is one of the greatest men in history. Working class through and through, who through sheer determination, work ethic and intellect made himself the world’s greatest navigator. He made his way up through the snobbery of the British Navy, not a common thing for working class people but was too brilliant to hold back. He helped lead one of the greatest scientific expeditions ever. He was kind to his men, way ahead of his time as to how he treated them. He didn’t ’colonise’ Australia, if that is the problem some have with him? His contribution to humanity was a million times more than the small minded and small intellect people that try and criticise him.

I don’t think the criticism is necessarily pointed at Cook the individual but what he represents in terms of the eventual colonisation of what became Australia

It’s unfortunate his name cops the criticism to an extent but also understandable imo

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

I don’t think the criticism is necessarily pointed at Cook the individual but what he represents in terms of the eventual colonisation of what became Australia

It’s unfortunate his name cops the criticism to an extent but also understandable imo

It is Cook the Individual. He lied to a shot Indigenous people around the world.

 

[HairyO]

He debunked the idea that it is something made up purely for white people.

Why that should be a problem for some people is probably for them to work out for themselves.

How did he debunk it? He made a claim.

You could say that dot painting is an age-old tradition, or point to a white guy inventing it 50 years ago.

 

[Gavin Excell]

It's not the most important point, but the above is not true - the first verifiable landing by Europeans in Australia was by the Dutch in 1606, a century and a half before Lieutenant (not Captain) Cook.

Are younger generations going to have an increasingly positive attitude to things like welcome to country, or are people going to get increasingly turned off by overdoing it? I think it'll be the former.

You're omitting the Portuguese 1522 landings on the East Coast

 

[Bostonian]

He lied to a shot Indigenous people around the world.

What does that even mean?

 

[South of the Yarra]

I really don’t know why Caption Cook gets the criticism he does? He is one of the greatest men in history. Working class through and through, who through sheer determination, work ethic and intellect made himself the world’s greatest navigator. He made his way up through the snobbery of the British Navy, not a common thing for working class people but was too brilliant to hold back. He helped lead one of the greatest scientific expeditions ever. He was kind to his men, way ahead of his time as to how he treated them. He didn’t ’colonise’ Australia, if that is the problem some have with him? His contribution to humanity was a million times more than the small minded and small intellect people that try and criticise him.

Anyone that travelled with the power of the Doctrine of Dicovery is akin to a war criminal today invading lands.

 

[Freshwater]

Anyone that travelled with the power of the Doctrine of Dicovery is akin to a war criminal today invading lands.

What is that and what does it mean?
Are you implying Captain Cook is a war criminal?

 

[bzparkes]

.
“A Welcome to Country is not a ceremony we’ve invented to cater for white people”.

Do you understand what a welcome to country is?

 

[Jafa]

What does that even mean?

I must admit - I am intrigued.