Indigenous Lore
The History and Practice of Welcome to Country in Victoria
Welcome to Country is a ceremonial protocol performed by Indigenous custodians to acknowledge and honour sovereignty, culture, and connection to land. In Victoria, it draws on deep-time Kulin Nation protocols for movement across Country and has evolved as a modern act of recognition, resistance, and education (Barwick, 1984; Clark, 1990; Broome, 2005). This article traces its pre-colonial origins, suppression under colonisation, twentieth-century revival, contemporary uses, debates about overuse or tokenism, and parallels across Australia and internationally.
Pre-1800s
Long before colonisation, Nations across Victoria followed strict protocols to regulate movement between estates and clans. Within the Kulin Nation—including Woiwurrung (Wurundjeri), Boonwurrung, Taungurung, Dja Dja Wurrung, and Wadawurrung—law governed who could travel, hunt, or harvest on another group’s land (Barwick, 1984; Clark, 1990). Visitors sought permission from Traditional Owners through ceremonies of introduction, exchange, and performance—often remembered in Melbourne as Tanderrum, a welcome that granted safe passage and use of resources. These were not courtesies but legal-spiritual acts reaffirming kinship, obligations to Country, and ancestral authority; violating them risked conflict or sanction (Broome, 2005).
Colonisation and suppression
European invasion from 1835 severely disrupted these laws. John Batman’s 1835 “treaty” with Woiwurrung Elders is interpreted by some historians as a misunderstood attempt to seek occupation rights, quickly voided by colonial government which re-asserted terra nullius (Boyce, 2011). Ceremonies of welcome and permission were discouraged or criminalised; communities were displaced to missions and reserves such as Coranderrk, Framlingham, and Lake Tyers (Barwick, 1998). Protocols survived primarily within communities but were largely unrecognised by colonial authorities.
Revival in the twentieth century
From the late twentieth century, amid land rights and self-determination movements, Welcome to Country re-emerged as a formal public protocol asserting continuing sovereignty and custodianship (Atkinson, 2002). In Victoria, Wurundjeri Elders led metropolitan ceremonies, while Wadawurrung and other Nations revived welcomes across Geelong, Ballarat, and western Victoria. Smoking ceremonies, song, dance, and oratory were adapted to civic contexts while maintaining cultural authority.
Welcome to Country in public events
Welcome to Country now frames major public occasions. High-profile examples include the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, ongoing openings of the Victorian Parliament, and regular ceremonies hosted by local governments such as the City of Melbourne and City of Greater Geelong. The First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria incorporates Welcome to Country at truth-telling and Treaty-related forums, grounding proceedings in the authority of Traditional Owners (Broome, 2005).
Debates about overuse and tokenism
With increased visibility come concerns about routinisation. Some Indigenous leaders caution that frequent, perfunctory welcomes risk diluting cultural weight when delivered without proper context, remuneration, or engagement (Bamblett, 2013). Resistance from some non-Indigenous commentators—who label the practice repetitive or “political”—often reflects discomfort with acknowledging unceded land and histories of dispossession. Education is key: Welcome to Country is not a perfunctory preface but a legally and spiritually grounded recognition of custodianship (Atkinson, 2002). Ensuring the right custodian, appropriate ceremony, and fair treatment preserves meaning and integrity.
Practices across Australia and internationally
Protocols of welcome and permission are widespread across the continent, expressed in diverse forms—e.g., welcomes and smokings among Eora/Dharug (NSW), ceremonial song and dance among Yolŋu and Arrernte (NT), and university/state welcomes in Queensland. Internationally, analogous protocols include pōwhiri in Aotearoa New Zealand, Elder-led welcomes among First Nations in Canada, opening prayers and smudging among Native American nations, and Pacific Islander welcoming rituals. Victoria’s revival sits within a broader global movement of Indigenous cultural authority re-asserted in public space.
Distinction from Acknowledgement of Country
An Acknowledgement of Country may be delivered by anyone—Indigenous or non-Indigenous—to recognise Traditional Owners and Country. A Welcome to Country must be delivered by a Traditional Owner or Elder with cultural authority for that specific land (Broome, 2005). The distinction marks the difference between community-led cultural law and general recognition.
Contemporary significance in Victoria
In Victoria, Welcome to Country is central to reconciliation, truth-telling, and emerging Treaty processes. Registered Aboriginal Parties help ensure cultural authority, local protocols, and appropriate custodianship. For Indigenous communities, welcomes are spiritually restorative and connect people to ancestors after generations of disruption; for non-Indigenous Victorians, participating with respect is a step toward shared understanding and ethical relation to place (Broome, 2005).
Conclusion
Rooted in Kulin law and protocols of movement, Welcome to Country survived colonial suppression to become a powerful symbol of resilience, sovereignty, and education. Its prominence in parliaments, councils, and major events offers visibility—but only meaningful practice, not rote performance, honours its depth. Framed by truth-telling and consent of Traditional Owners, Welcome to Country continues to renew relationships between peoples and the lands on which we live.
References
Atkinson, W. (2002) ‘Not one Iota: The need for acknowledging Indigenous sovereignty in the treaty debate’, Indigenous Law Bulletin, 5(17), pp. 4–6.
Bamblett, L. (2013) Our Stories Are Our Survival. Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press.
Barwick, D. (1984) ‘Mapping the past: An atlas of Victorian clans, 1835–1904’, Aboriginal History, 8(2), pp. 100–131.
Barwick, D. (1998) Rebellion at Coranderrk. Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press.
Boyce, J. (2011) 1835: The Founding of Melbourne and the Conquest of Australia. Melbourne: Black Inc.
Broome, R. (2005) Aboriginal Victorians: A History Since 1800. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
Clark, I. (1990) Aboriginal Languages and Clans: An Historical Atlas of Western and Central Victoria, 1800–1900. Melbourne: Monash Publications in Geography.
Written, Researched and Directed by James Vegter and Uncle Reg Abrahams 16/09/2025
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Magic Lands Alliance acknowledge the Traditional Owners, Custodians, and First Nations communities across Australia and internationally. We honour their enduring connection to the sky, land, waters, language, and culture. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging, and to all First Peoples communities and language groups. This article draws only on publicly available information; many cultural practices remain the intellectual property of communities.