Acknowledgements of Country are a way that event creators can show respect to Australia’s First Nations Peoples, both at the start of an event or as an acknowledgement in event emails. Acknowledgements of Country are not compulsory, but they do encourage people to think about the historic and continuing connection that all First Nations Peoples have with the land.
For your email, you may wish to acknowledge the people who lived on the land where your event is being held, or you may wish to acknowledge the people from the land on which you live and work. Or both.
For the start of your event, you could consider inviting a representative of your local First Nations People to perform a Welcome to Country. This can only be done by the Traditional Custodians of the land you’re on and, depending on the local culture, can include singing, dancing, and/or a smoking ceremony, as well as a short welcoming speech. If no local person is available for a Welcome to Country, a First Nations person from a different area, or a non-Indigenous person, can do an Acknowledgement of Country instead.
Read on for our guide on why and how to put together an Acknowledgement of Country email.
Why include an Acknowledgement of Country?
The purpose is to broadcast your recognition that First Nations Peoples:
- have a deep spiritual and historical connection to the land and waters where we live and work
- are the First Peoples of the land and waters, and
- are the rightful ‘owners’ of the land and waters
However, some Indigenous and non-Indigenous people reject the terminology of ‘owning’ the land. The meaning of Country to Indigenous Australians involves more than just ownership or occupation of land. However you scope your Acknowledgement of Country, it has now become standard practice for many organisations and businesses as part of being actively inclusive.
How to include an Acknowledgement of Country
As a banner under your email signature, you can include either a general or a more specific statement. To include a specific one, you will need to know the Nation of the Traditional Owners you are referring to.
Tips:
- Elders, Country, First Peoples, and Indigenous all use a capital letter as a mark of respect.
- Traditional Custodians is now the preferred term over Traditional Owners, as it better encompasses the connection to the land and the way First Peoples care for it.
Once you have decided on your wording for your email signature (perhaps using one of our templates in the next section), it can also be used on your website, on printed materials, in your event press pack, and on signs at the venue.
What to include in an email Acknowledgement of Country
Typically, one should include the following:
- Who you’re acknowledging, and why
- Where you live and that you respect the First Peoples who have looked after that land and waters for millennia
A general example email signature is:
- We respect and honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past, present, and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions, and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on this land and commit to building a brighter future together.
A specific email signature example would be:
- I acknowledge the traditions and culture of the [Ngunnawal*] People, the First Peoples of [Canberra*], where we live and work. We respect and acknowledge their Elders, past, present, and emerging.
*Insert local information.
As these are just examples to use as a starting point, feel free to personalise your communications to include your own feelings about being grateful and respectful of being on Indigenous land.
Include an Acknowledgement of Country in your next event email
Now you have the templates you need to create an Acknowledgement of Country to use in your event emails. For your upcoming events, find everything else you’ll need for memorable, inclusive, and respectful events at Eventbrite.
