Here you go buddy....it's 5 mins of my life I'll never get back, and I know it was wasted.
"Welcomes to Country are a form ofAboriginal ceremonypossibly dating back many thousands of years, used to welcome other peoples from other areas[6]and as a cultural exchange. TheYolngupeoples engaged in the ceremony to welcomeDutch explorers in the seventeenth century, and withMakassan trepangers from the mid-eighteenth century. It is seen as a way of making newcomers feel comfortable and connected, and may be the basis for forging important future relationships.[7]
The 1973Aquarius Festivalheld inNimbin, New South Wales, by theAustralian Union of Students(AUS) has been documented as Australia's first publicly observed Welcome to Country, although it was not called this at the time. Organisers of thealternative lifestylefestival, considered Australia's "Woodstock", were challenged by Indigenous activistGary Foleyto seek permission from traditional owners to hold the festival on their land.San peoplefrom theKalahari Desertin Southern Africa, including artist Bauxhau Stone, were sent out by AUS representatives to invite Aboriginal people to the festival and funding from theWhitlam governmentpaid for many busloads to travel to the festival. An estimated 200 to 800Indigenous Australiansattended the two-week festival, marking a significant kindling of relationships with Australia'scounterculture. A ceremony was conducted by Uncle Lyle Roberts and song man Uncle Dickee Donnelly, the last knowninitiatedmen of the area.[8]
The second recorded Welcome to Country occurred in 1976, when entertainersErnie DingoandRichard Walleydeveloped a ceremony to welcome a group ofMāoriartists who were participating in thePerth International Arts Festival. The welcome, extended on behalf of theNoongarpeople, was intended to mirror the visitors' own traditions, while incorporating elements of Aboriginal culture.[9]Walley recalled that[10]Māori performers were uncomfortable performing their cultural act without having been acknowledged or welcomed by the people of the land."
Welcome to Country - Wikipedia
