person is demonstrating respect for Creator Spirit, their country, their ancestors, for their clan group and their .....
WELCOME TO COUNTRY FOLLOWING ABORIGINAL LAW AND ABORIGINAL SPIRITUALITY PRINCIPLES (as practiced by a kabbi kabbi; Terabalang Bunda and goreng goreng family/clan group)
(By Cheri Yavu-Kama-Harathunian –May 2011 © ) INTRODUCTION To perform a Welcome to Country when requested to is a very Sacred privilege. To be honoured by Elders, clan group or as a family member to perform a Welcome is very Sacred indeed, because you, the person who will do this task is seen to be doubly blessed firstly by the people who asked and secondly by the family who ask the person to do the Welcome on behalf of their country that owns them, and their clan/family group. It is at times such as this, that an Aboriginal person can honour firstly, their own traditional owner group but they can also demonstrate honour for other Aboriginal traditional owner groups. For the author’s family, Elders, either male or female will do the Welcome. But it is not uncommon for an Elder to also choose or request that a younger family or clan member do the Welcome on their behalf. This is to ensure that the tradition of doing the Welcome is being passed on. Younger people may be asked because in our contemporary society it may be that a young Aboriginal person may be required to do the Welcome because there is no one else available. He/she may be the only Aboriginal person that is known to the people who are requesting the Welcome. Even before the Welcome to Country became recognised and was then made popular by federal, state or local governments; other organisations; agencies; companies or corporations; as an important Aboriginal protocol, many Aboriginal individuals, families, groups and communities were or had been doing Welcome to Country before and after Captain Cook arrived. Welcome to Country has always been an integral part of Aboriginal Australians cultural traditions and practices. When Welcome to Country was being practiced there was no states, there were no territories. Welcome to Country was being conducted by Aboriginal men and women who from their childhood had been taught by their old people where the boarders of their traditional lands commenced, overlapped, and ended. 1
Many traditional lands boarders have been changed today just as Welcome to Country protocols have also changed with the passing of time.
In all the states and territories
Aboriginal people have been welcoming other people from other lands onto their country and they have done so by continuing the practice of doing a Welcome to Country in their traditional owner cultural way. This ceremony, although a very ancient one, has been kept alive by many Aboriginal people across Australia even though the format may have changed to fit with contemporary Aboriginal society. When people from other tribal groups come onto the author’s family farm which is located in the heart of Goreng Goreng Sacred lands, it has been common practice that these other tribal groups have left or have bought an object that they will leave on the farm to show that they have entered and are doing business on Goreng Goreng country. Some have taught or performed ceremony, or ritual from their own group just to show appreciation. The author’s family teach our younger generations that there are factors that need to be included in the Welcome to Country so that the person who has been chosen to do the ceremony will ensure that they are maintaining the ancient cultural protocols on behalf of the people for whom they are doing it. That is, the person is showing that they are honouring their ancestors, and their people including their family. It is also important to acknowledge that the person performing the Welcome will be acknowledged by other Aboriginal peoples, and by non-Aboriginal peoples who come into their country to do their business. That means that the person has to demonstrate the value they place on performing the ceremony and also demonstrate their own respect for how the Welcome to Country that they do shows their own cultural connections to their sacred lands. A Welcome to Country is not done on behalf of a person’s own immediate family. A Welcome to Country is done on behalf of the tribal group, the clan group, or the language group to which the person belongs. So many families may be recognised or be part of a single clan group and the Welcome to Country must reflect this diverse, large, group of people. A Welcome to Country has to be planned and organised so that it honours all Aboriginal people who may be present where the ceremony is being performed.
The author’s
clan/family group follow the cultural protocols handed down to them through the practice of their Law when choosing a person to perform a Welcome to country.
2
The protocol is as follows: When an invitation to perform a Welcome to Country is received; 1. The person is to contact an older family member or an Elder and request the Elder to do the Welcome to Country or request permission for them to perform the Welcome. 2. The older family member or the Elder advises the person or young person of their decision and/or what needs to be the content of the Welcome. 3. The person or the young person prepares their Welcome and then works with the older family member or the Elder on the appropriateness of the content. A Welcome to country can include music, dance, art, a prayer, a ceremony or a ritual. For example the person who is performing the welcome may use a smoking ceremony with someone playing a didgeridoo. They may paint their hands, feet, face and arms in a design that supports their own cultural acknowledgments. They may choose to open the welcome with a corroborree or release some fauna or flora or animal species to represent some form of blessing or they may just decide to have a Welcome speech prepared. PLANNING THE CONTENT OF A WELCOME TO COUNTRY Aboriginal cultural diversity is often expressed through the variety of ways that different Aboriginal groups will perform this ceremony. When a Welcome to Country is planned the people who perform it and the people who are welcomed will see it. There are several points that have to be covered in a Welcome to Country so that people who attend can see that the person is demonstrating respect for Creator Spirit, their country, their ancestors, for their clan group and their family. The honour that has been bestowed upon a person’s family is that as a member of their family, they have been asked to perform the Welcome. There are Aboriginal groups who will perform a Welcome to Country over a day or three days or even a longer period of time. There are also Aboriginal groups who as part of the ceremony, will do a smoking ritual, a corroborree, sing sacred songs, play the didgeridoo/s, act out an event, or paint themselves and others in traditional art or they may have a combination of the above. Other clan groups will perform a speech as their Welcome to County. There will always be different ways to do this ceremony and it is the responsibility of the people and the person/s who are to do the Welcome to Country to decide and then plan it.
3
In the past the author’s peoples gave gifts and received gifts as part of the Welcome to Country. Nowadays some people who perform this ceremony will request a fee-for service, others will do the ceremony without a fee-for-service. This is one of the reasons that planning becomes an important part of the organising of the Welcome to Country. No person who is asked to do a Welcome to Country should organise an ‘ad hoc five minutes before they are called’ kind of ‘talk’. It does not maintain their own cultural integrity in the eyes of other Aboriginal people and non-Aboriginal people.
It is an insult to themselves, to their
people, their family and their community. THE CULTURAL CONTENT OF A WELCOME TO COUNTRY SPEECH The author’s clan/family group generally perform a Welcome to Country ceremony by creating a speech that will honour the purpose for which the visitors are coming into their country to do business. Sometimes the speech has followed an artistic performance by members of the clan/family group. The speech must include elements of the cultural expressions that link the ceremony back to Aboriginal Law and Aboriginal Spirituality as practiced by this clan/family group. No doubt there has been an occasion where an individual has attended a function and seen a Welcome to Country speech that seemed to be put together five minutes before the person giving the Welcome to Country was called upon to deliver it. “ Hello, my name is Jo Bloggs. I am a traditional owner from this country. I hope you have a good time and I welcome you. Thank you. “ The problem is that a speech like this does bring criticism and in some cases creates a tokenistic perspective on a culturally sacred right. It also demonstrates just how disrespectful the person is of their own Aboriginal identity. Therefore, cultural content must be clearly articulated in the speech. The author’s clan/family group tend to follow the following cultural protocols. 1. The opening words must show respect for Creator Spirit – an acknowledgment of Aboriginal Spirituality. 2. The opening words must show respect for Sacred Country – an acknowledgment of Aboriginal Law – “The land owns us” 3. The opening words must show respect for traditional owner ancestors – an acknowledgment of cultural heritage 4. The opening words must show respect for the speakers own clan group, people, family and self 4
5. The opening words must show appreciation for the honour of being chosen to do the Welcome to Country. 6. After the acknowledgments, the words must demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the organisation, the event, the service, or the people who asked for the Welcome to Country to be performed 7. The closing statements or summary must acknowledge thanks, and appreciation to the persons clan group, to other clan neighbouring clan groups and to the group who asked for the Welcome to Country to be performed 8. A final blessing in the person’s own language, a prayer, a wise quotation, a poem, a provocative thought to ponder is also appropriate. 9. A Welcome to Country is not a laughing matter although carefully screened humour can be part of the content. These are the cultural elements that a person can use to craft their speech from. The nine points does give enough scope for an individual to carefully craft and plan a Welcome to Country speech that; •
Allows their creativity in words and the flow of words to be meaningful and honouring
•
Demonstrates the persons careful planning and crafting of their speech
•
Maintains the person’s cultural integrity and the cultural integrity of the other Aboriginal people who may be present
•
Demonstrates the persons respect for Aboriginal Spirituality, Aboriginal Law, for culture, for country, for traditional owners, for clan and family.
•
Demonstrates respect for the organisation, event, service or people who requested the Welcome to Country
THE CONTENT OF GIVING AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT WHEN NOT ON COUNTRY When people go away from their own sacred country and are doing business on another clan’s country it is always important to honour Creator Spirit, honour the Sacred land that owns the people, honour the traditional owner’s ancestors, and salute in words the descendants, and that is done by giving them acknowledgment. To do this care must also be taken with how it is done. Here is an example. 5
TO GIVE AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT WHEN DOING BUSINESS THAT IS NOT ON YOUR OWN COUNTRY. Before the person begins their business this would be a culturally appropriate opening. “I thank Creator Spirit and the ancestors of the Majininga people for allowing my feet to walk in safety and for allowing my voice to be heard across their sacred lands. I respectfully thank the descendants of the Majininga people and the Elders who are here with us today for the privilege of being able to do my business on their country. I also acknowledge other Aboriginal people from other sacred lands and their ancestors who are here with us today. I further wish to acknowledge the non-Aboriginal people and their ancestors at this time. I come in peace and I pray that Creator Spirit will bless us all gathered here today and that what is shared will bring honour to all our people.” It is after the opening that the person can begin to do their business. A CONTEMPORARY WELCOME TO COUNTRY THAT IS PERFORMED THROUGH SPEECH. The most important thing to remember is that this sacred activity must be done with great respect. It is therefore important to write down the format which you will adopt on the day you present your Welcome. If you are going to give a speech only, then write it down and aim for 7 – 10 minutes. If you are given more time, then that will be a bonus which you can use to your advantage. Do not accept an invitation to do a Welcome to Country from an agency or a person who expects you do it within 3 – 5 minutes or less. That is an insult and it shows ignorance about the significance of a Welcome to Country. It also is an insult to you and your people. There are several points that must be covered in a Welcome to Country speech. If these points are not covered then the Welcome to Country speech can be seen as disrespectful. Remember, to be given the honour to perform a Welcome to Country is a very sacred gift to your family and your people. It is a sign to you that you are mature and are responsible enough to approach your Welcome to Country with the right attitude - humbleness. Below is an example of a Welcome to Country performed on the first day of students entering a university to commence studies in higher education.
6
Opening Welcome Speech By Cheri Yavu-Kama-Harathunian-Nulloo Yumbah Learning Spirituality and Research Centre OP Week Central Queensland University. February. I thank Creator Spirit for allowing my feet to walk in safety and for my voice to be heard across the Sacred country that has owned my people since time began. My name is Cheri Yavu-Kama-Harathunian. I am a Senior Elder of a Kabi Kabi clan and family group an honour bestowed upon me by my late father who was our peoples Patriarch. On my mother’s side I am also Goreng Goreng and Terabalang Bunda. So as a Senior Elder, my humble responsibility to my people is to be their Servant. In Aboriginal traditional cultural ways being a Servant is the very privileged position of a Leader and it is in this capacity and with deep humility to my people that I address you this morning. Creator Spirit took the earth from this country, the red from round Childers way, the black from round Isis and Gin Gin, the brown from the river banks of the Baffle Creek, the Burnett River and Elliott Rivers and the white sands from along the coast and created the ancestors of the Terabalang Bunda people, and several of their Elders have given me permission to welcome you onto our Sacred Lands this morning. This beautiful city of Bundaberg is built on the country that has owned the Terabalang Bunda for over 40,000 years. Their neighbours the Waka Waka, the Warlu Warlu, the Goreng, the Gurang Gurang, the Batjla, and the Kabi Kabi peoples created their Songlines for trade, for visits, for ceremonies, for warring, for cultural exchanges and for walkabout trails and these Songlines crisscross under the foundations of this city even today. These Songlines continue to dictate the cultural protocols to which Aboriginal peoples and other people from other places will recognise as a welcome when they come into Terabalang Bunda country. The honour to do this has been gifted to me. A University is a wonderful and stimulating place to do your studies because you will encounter knowledgeable, compassionate and academically inspired lectures, and staff who are committed to you and to the work they will share with you in the lecture rooms of this place. When you are thinking about what you will do after you finish your schooling, think about coming to study at university.
7
CQUniversity is a wonderful place because staff will be there to support you, to advise you, to walk along side you as you begin the next part of your journey of exploration and discovery. If you come to this university I can honestly say that the staff will always be there to assist you achieve your academic dream of gaining a degree in your chosen field of study. Coming to university is a wise decision because you will gain so much from the learning experience you will engage in because that is what university study does, it switches you onto wanting to learn. I cannot speak my mother’s traditional language which is Goreng Goreng and Terabalang Bunda, but there are those in our community who can. However, in a traditional language that this beautiful country knows and has heard Kabi Kabi people speak whilst they were on walkabout on this country let me offer this blessing to you. “Junjarin-nga dhar’guna yau’eembai’ya ngoolam’bula dhar’kun yar war gow” These are Kabi Kabi words. They are from a 40,000 year old blessing and they mean: “May the spiritual forces of Mother Earth guide and protect your inner self and truth”. I offer this blessing to you and may your time at CUQ be a time of building you into your future. I hope that you enjoy your time with us and when you leave may you be grateful that you came. I now Welcome you to do your business of learning on Terabalang and Goreng Goreng Country.”
ANALYISING THE CULTURALLY APPROPRIATE PROTOCOLS THAT ARE FOLLOWED IN A SPEECH. 1. Respect, reverence, to Creator Spirit and acknowledgment of heritage, permission, and cultural heritage 2. Demonstrate respect for other tribal groups 8
3. Show your knowledge of the different tribal groups by naming them 4. Demonstrate respect for the organisation, agency, or person who invited you 5. Concluding remarks must encapsulate thanks to Creator Spirit, family, clan, and the organisation who invited you. CULTURAL PROTOCOLS TO FOLLOW WHEN CRAFTING A WELCOME TO COUNTRY 1. Acknowledge respect and reverence to Creator Spirit Who taught the ancestors how to do peaceful entry of other people into their sacred country; acknowledge your heritage, who gave you permission to perform the Welcome, and the tribal group from where your cultural heritage comes from.
“I thank Creator Spirit for allowing my feet to walk in safety and for my voice to be heard across the sacred country that has owned my people since time began. My name is Cheri Yavu-Kama-Harathunian. I am a Senior Elder of a Kabi Kabi clan and family group an honour bestowed upon me by my late father who was our peoples Patriarch. On my mother’s side I am also Goreng Goreng and Terabalang Bunda.”
2. Show respect for and show your knowledge of your own people and the different neighbour tribes with whom the ancestors shared their country. “Creator Spirit took the earth from this country, the red from round Childers way, the black from round Isis and Gin Gin, the brown from the river banks of the Baffle Creek, the Burnett River and Elliott Rivers and the white sands from along the coast and created the ancestors of the Terabalang Bunda people, and several of their Elders have given me permission to welcome you onto our Sacred Lands this morning. This beautiful city is built on the country that has owned the Terabalang Bunda for over 40,000 years.
3. Acknowledge the different tribal groups
9
Their neighbours the Waka Waka, the Warlu Warlu, the Goreng, the Gurang Gurang, the Batjla, and the Kabi Kabi peoples created their Songlines for trade, for visits, for ceremonies, for warring, for cultural exchanges and for walkabout trails and these Songlines crisscross under the foundations of this city even today. These Songlines continue to dictate the cultural protocols to which Aboriginal peoples and other people from other places recognise as a welcome when they come into Terabalang Bunda country.”
4. Acknowledge the people, the organisation, the agency or the person that asked you to perform the Welcome.
“ A University is a wonderful and stimulating place to do your studies because you will encounter knowledgeable, compassionate and academically inspired lectures, and staff who are committed to you and to the work they will share with you in the lecture rooms of this place.”
5. Concluding remarks that show that you have been honoured to perform this Welcome on behalf of your people. “I cannot speak my mother’s traditional language which is Terabalang Bunda, but there are those in our community who can. However, in a traditional language that this beautiful country knows and has heard Kabi Kabi people speak whilst they were on walkabout on this country let me offer this blessing to you. “Junjarin-nga dhar’guna yau’eembai’ya ngoolam’bula dhar’kun yar war gow” These are Kabi Kabi words. They are from a 40,000 year old blessing and they mean: “May the spiritual forces of Mother Earth guide and protect your inner self and truth”. I offer this blessing to you and may your time at CUQ be a time of building you into your future. I hope that you enjoy your time with us and when you leave may you be grateful that you came. I now Welcome you to do your business of learning on Terabalang Bunda and Goreng Goreng Country.” CONCLUSION
10
When you perform a Welcome to Country you are the face of your people. Never lose sight of that. You represent above all else your people, the First Nations people of Australia. You do not represent you, nor do you represent your family. You are not the ‘Aboriginal face’ you are the ‘face’ of your people and the ‘face’ of your people’s ancestors. Never forget that you are performing –in a contemporary way- an ancient ritual. Never forget that in our parents’ time, those who performed a Welcome to Country would be talked about and copied, were requested to teach, were admired and were respected for doing a Welcome to Country that touched not just the minds of the listeners, but touched their hearts too. Written for cultural training of youth and others at the Easter clan/family gathering at Lonweigh Farm Via Lowmead ©.
Cheri Yavu-Kama-Harathunian (B.App.Sci. Indigenous & Community Health; Masters Criminal Justice) Coordinator Nulloo Yumbah Learning Spirituality and Research Centre CQUniversity Bundaberg 4670 Phone: 07 - 41507091 Email:
[email protected] “Junjarin-nga dhar’guna yau’eembai’ya ngoolam’bula dhar’kun yar war gow” These are Kabi Kabi words. They are from a 40,000 year old blessing and they mean: “May the spiritual forces of Mother Earth guide and protect your inner self and truth”. I offer this blessing to you.
11
