Anyone in Australia can deliver an Acknowledgement of Country to pay respect to the traditional custodians of the land they’re meeting on but how can you deliver one that goes beyond a generic script? Yamatji man Rhys Paddick travels Australia delivering workshops to get Australians excited about Acknowledgement of Country.
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00:00 I would like to acknowledge the original custodians of our land, the Gadigal people of the Eora
00:07 nation and pay my respects to the elders both past and present.
00:11 There's a growing movement for us to improve the way we deliver an acknowledgement of country.
00:17 We touch the ground of the Wongol land, we reach for the sky of the Wongol land.
00:23 There's a lot of people today consider it as like housekeeping, you know, like it's
00:28 a thing that we have to do at the beginning of a thing or at the bottom of an email to
00:32 show our respect.
00:33 Rhys Paddock co-founded Acknowledge This and is travelling the country delivering
00:39 Acknowledgement of Country workshops.
00:42 Acknowledge This aspires to help people connect to the concepts that lie behind the words
00:47 when delivering an Acknowledgement of Country.
00:49 This place, this is me and you on Yaga A Toorabo country.
01:03 This place is Ngaam.
01:06 In Woiwurrung Nulu it means place.
01:10 And this place here is Galmurrgan.
01:14 It's a Larrakia word for our land.
01:16 An example of an Acknowledgement of Country I think is just moving away from what the
01:26 words is that I think I'm supposed to say and just really creating a sense of presence
01:31 and going what is it right now in this moment that is relevant to people and place because
01:35 acknowledging country at the very core is only about acknowledging people and place.
01:40 We acknowledge our ancestors.
01:42 We acknowledge our elders who have gone before us.
01:45 And those who stand for us today.
01:48 [Music]
01:48 [Music]
01:49 [Music]
01:50 [Music]
01:51 [Music]
01:51 [Music]
01:56 (whooshing)