The Indigenous “Welcome to Country,” ubiquitous at formal events in Australia, has become the centre of debate once again.
A Queensland Aboriginal group, the Juru people, have voted against performing the Welcome to Country ceremony—performed by Aboriginals to welcome visitors—on its ancestral land going forward.
“When I look at it from a cultural perspective, there is a social obligation and that’s to make sure people are safe on your country,” said Juru Indigenous elder Randall Ross.
“What I can see today is Welcome to Country has become a bit of, it’s a business that supports some individuals and that’s where, again, they’re losing the cultural insight of what the Welcome to Countries are about,” Ross told 4BC radio….
4 months ago
