As a teacher aide, working in a school environment, I am very fortunate each week to be an observer on parade each Friday, of our school leaders, give acknowledgment to the Traditional Owners of the land that we attend school every day. As our school is within the Brisbane area, acknowledgment is given to the Yuggera/Jagara tribe, the original Indigenous custodians of the land. Craven (2011) refers to custodians as “knowledge-keepers”, Elders who are highly regarded and respected (p.32). Like Curtin University we acknowledge that we are privileged to be located on Aboriginal land. The Acknowledgement we recite is not as detailed as the one that has been written on the blackboard. Reading the one from Curtin has made me reflect ours and
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It enables visitors to develop an understanding of the relationship and connection Indigenous people have with the land and with the country. At our school, giving acknowledgment is something new, we have incorporated into our weekly parade, we have always had signs that recognise the traditional owners, but up until last year this was not something recited. Before starting this unit, I feel I had limited knowledge of why it was so important and significant to give acknowledgment to the Traditional Custodians, but after these few short weeks I am beginning to broaden my knowledge and understanding of Indigenous cultures and their relationship and connection with the land. Elder ‘Joy Murphy Wandin’ from the Wurundjeri tribe, describes Acknowledgement of Country as being a momentous way of paying respect to the Traditional owners in a symbolic way. NSW Health (2004) describes “A ‘Traditional owner(s)’ is an Aboriginal person or group of Aboriginal people directly descended from the original Aboriginal inhabitants of a culturally defined area of land or country (p.20). Elder Joy states that “an Acknowledgment of Country is a way of giving Aboriginal People back their place in society’. An Acknowledgement of Country recognises the Indigenous people as the first and traditional owners of Australia, it assists non-indigenous people to become aware and promote the history and culture of Indigenous people (Harrison & Sellwood,
It enables visitors to develop an understanding of the relationship and connection Indigenous people have with the land and with the country. At our school, giving acknowledgment is something new, we have incorporated into our weekly parade, we have always had signs that recognise the traditional owners, but up until last year this was not something recited. Before starting this unit, I feel I had limited knowledge of why it was so important and significant to give acknowledgment to the Traditional Custodians, but after these few short weeks I am beginning to broaden my knowledge and understanding of Indigenous cultures and their relationship and connection with the land. Elder ‘Joy Murphy Wandin’ from the Wurundjeri tribe, describes Acknowledgement of Country as being a momentous way of paying respect to the Traditional owners in a symbolic way. NSW Health (2004) describes “A ‘Traditional owner(s)’ is an Aboriginal person or group of Aboriginal people directly descended from the original Aboriginal inhabitants of a culturally defined area of land or country (p.20). Elder Joy states that “an Acknowledgment of Country is a way of giving Aboriginal People back their place in society’. An Acknowledgement of Country recognises the Indigenous people as the first and traditional owners of Australia, it assists non-indigenous people to become aware and promote the history and culture of Indigenous people (Harrison & Sellwood,