Your child comes home talking about “Country”, or says the Acknowledgement of Country at assembly, and asks you what it means. Here’s caring for Country for kids, explained simply: what Country means, whose Country you live on, what caring for Country looks like, and the difference between a Welcome to Country and an Acknowledgement of Country. This knowledge belongs to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, so we stick to what they and official bodies say, and link to them.
What does “Country” mean?
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) explains: “Country is the term often used by Aboriginal peoples to describe the lands, waterways and seas to which they are connected. The term contains complex ideas about law, place, custom, language, spiritual belief, cultural practice, material sustenance, family and identity.”
Ngunnawal Elder Jude Barlow says it more simply: “Country is everything. It’s family, it’s life, it’s connection.”
The Victorian Aboriginal Education Association (VAEAI) notes that “Written with a capital ‘C’, Country refers to the traditional lands of a particular language or cultural group”. For a young child, KidStudy’s lesson starts with something they can see: Country is the land, the water and the sky, with all its plants and animals.
What does caring for Country mean?
AIATSIS says “upwards of 60,000 years is what current research reveals” for how long Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have lived on this continent, and Reconciliation Australia speaks of land “which their ancestors have cared for, and lived on, for millennia.” That care continues today, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples live in urban, regional and remote areas alike.
One example today is Indigenous rangers. The National Indigenous Australians Agency says they “use Traditional Knowledge and cultural practices, combined with Western science, to manage land, river and sea Country”. Their work includes cultural burning, looking after plants and animals, and passing knowledge to the next generation.
For children, caring for Country can start with small things. KidStudy’s lesson suggests planting native plants, keeping rivers clean, taking just enough, and leaving birds’ nests alone.
Whose Country do we live on?
AIATSIS puts it simply: “Where ever you are in Australia you are on the lands and waters of Australia’s First Peoples.” To find out whose Country you’re on:
- Start with your local council’s website. AIATSIS notes that “Many council websites include an acknowledgement of the local traditional owners”. The City of Melbourne, for example, acknowledges “the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong / Boon Wurrung peoples of the Kulin”.
- Ask your child’s school. Victorian schools, for example, are encouraged to acknowledge the Traditional Owners at assemblies.
- Contact a local Aboriginal land council or community organisation. In Victoria, there’s also a state-wide map of formally recognised Traditional Owners.
The AIATSIS Map of Indigenous Australia attempts to represent “the language, social or nation groups of Aboriginal Australia”, but AIATSIS stresses that it shows “only the general locations of larger groupings of people” and “is not intended to be exact, nor the boundaries fixed.” Our guide to Australia’s states and territories for kids explains how the curriculum compares it with the states map.
Welcome to Country vs Acknowledgement of Country: what’s the difference?
| Welcome to Country | Acknowledgement of Country | |
|---|---|---|
| Who gives it | Traditional Owners, or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people they have given permission to | Anyone, children or adults |
| When | At the beginning of a formal event | At the beginning of a meeting, speech or event, including school assemblies |
| What it looks like | Can include singing, dancing, a smoking ceremony and/or a speech | A few sincere words recognising the Traditional Owners and paying respect to Elders |
AIATSIS is clear: “Only the traditional owners can speak for and welcome visitors to Country or give others the authority to do so.” Reconciliation Australia adds that Traditional Owners “are not welcoming people to Australia, they are welcoming to the land within their cultural boundaries”. An Acknowledgement of Country, on the other hand, is “an opportunity for anyone to show respect”.
How to say an Acknowledgement of Country with kids
The Victorian Department of Education says an Acknowledgement “can be conducted by anyone (children or adults)”, and encourages schools to have students lead it. Reconciliation Australia says “There is no specific wording for an Acknowledgement of Country, just be sincere and, if possible, do some research on the Country you are acknowledging.” It suggests:
“I’d like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet today. I would also like to pay my respects to Elders past and present.”
Your child’s school may use slightly different words: the Victorian policy, for example, says “Elders past, present and emerging”. At home, be sincere, and use the Traditional Owners’ name when you know it.
Respecting special places: why visitors don’t climb Uluṟu
Parks Australia says “Uluṟu has been sacred to Aṉangu for tens of thousands of years, and climbing Uluṟu was not generally permitted under Tjukurpa (Aṉangu law and Culture).” The park was handed back to its Traditional Owners, Aṉangu, in 1985, and “The Uluṟu climb closed permanently from 26 October 2019.” As former Board of Management chairman Sammy Wilson put it, “We welcome tourists here. Closing the climb is not something to feel upset about but a cause for celebration.” Our post on Australia’s climate zones explains the arid country around it.
Ways to explore Country together
- Find out whose Country you live on, and practise saying the Traditional Owners’ name.
- Go outside and look. Find something of the land, the water and the sky near your home, and draw them together.
- Notice local place names. Some come from local Aboriginal languages. Ask your council or local library what they mean.
- Look for a seasonal calendar from your area among the Indigenous seasonal calendars shared by the Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO. Our guide to seasons in Australia for kids explains these calendars.
- Join a local NAIDOC Week event. NAIDOC Week is held each July to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
What children learn about Country at school
- In Victoria, Geography from Prep (Foundation) to Year 2 covers “the interconnections between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Country and Place, and the importance of Country and Place” (VC2HG2K03), and “how places are identified and named, including by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples” (VC2HG2K02). Examples include “discussing why and when Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country are used at ceremonies and events”.
- In the Australian Curriculum, used in most other states, Year 1 covers “how places change and how they can be cared for by different groups including First Nations Australians” (AC9HS1K04), and Year 2 includes “discussing when to use Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country” (an example under AC9HS2K04).
KidStudy’s Year 1 Geography lesson Caring for Country covers Country as land, water and sky, ways to care for it, Uluṟu as a special place for Aṉangu that visitors don’t climb, finding Melbourne on Wurundjeri and Bunurong Country on a map, and saying an Acknowledgement of Country at school. Its home activity, Whose Country?, asks your child to find out whose Country your home is on, practise the Traditional Owners’ name, then draw the land, water and sky with that name on the picture.
Questions parents ask
What does Country mean in Aboriginal culture?
AIATSIS explains that Country is the term often used by Aboriginal peoples for the lands, waterways and seas they are connected to, including ideas about law, language, family and identity.
What is the difference between a Welcome to Country and an Acknowledgement of Country?
A Welcome to Country can only be given by Traditional Owners, or people they give permission to. An Acknowledgement of Country can be given by anyone, to show respect for the Traditional Owners.
Can a child do an Acknowledgement of Country?
Yes. The Victorian Department of Education says an Acknowledgement can be conducted by anyone, children or adults.
How do I find out whose Country I live on?
Start with your local council’s website, ask your child’s school, or contact a local Aboriginal land council. The AIATSIS map shows general locations only.
What does caring for Country mean for kids?
Looking after the land, water, sky, plants and animals, and respecting Traditional Owners. Children can start by planting native plants.
Why can’t you climb Uluṟu?
Uluṟu is sacred to Aṉangu, and climbing it was not generally permitted under Tjukurpa, Aṉangu law and Culture. The climb closed permanently from 26 October 2019.
Sources
- Welcome to Country, AIATSIS
- Whose Country am I on?, AIATSIS
- Map of Indigenous Australia, AIATSIS
- First Peoples of Australia, AIATSIS
- Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country, Reconciliation Australia
- Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners and Welcome to Country in Schools, Victorian Department of Education
- Protocols for Koorie Education in Victorian Primary and Secondary Schools, VAEAI
- Indigenous Rangers Program, National Indigenous Australians Agency
- Uluṟu climb closure, Parks Australia
- About NAIDOC Week, NAIDOC
- Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0: Geography, VCAA
- Australian Curriculum v9.0: HASS F–6, curriculum content, ACARA
