Acknowledgement of the traditional owners of the land - Australian Version
I thought I might share this with you as I have been on occasion asked to begin a ceremony with an acknowledgement of the traditional owners of the land upon which we have stood.
Please note: you must only do an Acknowledgement of Country and not a Welcome to Country. A Welcome can only be done by a traditional owner.
An acknowledgement is a great way of paying respect to those who have come before us and can be done whether or not you have an indigenous background. The two examples here are from one particular area (South Australia), using specific groups, but wherever you are in the world, you can easily use similar wording to pay respect and honour the traditional owners of the land on which you stand.
It is believed that paying tribute brings good luck by ensuring that you are beginning on a positive note.
“We acknowledge and respect the traditional custodians whose ancestral lands we are meeting upon here today. We acknowledge the deep feelings of attachment and relationship of Aboriginal peoples to country. We also pay respects to the cultural authority of Aboriginal peoples visiting/attending from other areas of South Australia/Australia present here.”
OR
“We would like to acknowledge this land that we meet on today is the traditional lands of the Kaurna people and that we respect their spiritual relationship with their country. We also acknowledge the Kaurna people as the custodians of the greater
If you are thinking of adding something like this to your ceremony, or are assisting a couple who would like to have something similar included, be sure to check the details of the traditional owners of the land that you will be performing the ceremony on.
Also check out another of our rituals/traditions - a traditional smoking ceremony.
The Wedding Gurus xx
