Statement of Acknowledgement of Australian Indigenous Custodianship
A guideline for Lutheran Schools
Supporting Resolutions
From Lutheran Church Australia 1997 Synod:
Aboriginal Ministry (Agenda 5) 54 Land rights (Agenda 5.1.3) resolved that:
the church acknowledge the Aboriginal People as the Indigenous custodians of the
land.
In December 1997 the Lutheran Church of Australia adopted a statement on ‘The
Land’ which includes a section on ‘The Land and Aboriginal People’. The statement
acknowledges that ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders inhabited Australia long
before the arrival of the Europeans’, and that ‘their way of life has long been linked to
the land’. It also acknowledges ‘the very deep cultural, social and religious
significance land has for many Aboriginal people’.
Lutheran Schools Association of SA, NT & WA have made a commitment to promote
activities which promote Reconciliation this includes non-Indigenous people
acknowledging the local Indigenous people as the original custodians of the land.
This commitment is both political as it is part of the IESIP agreement and spiritual
based on the principles of Christ’s Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5: 14 –
20) Ownership in the sense that the land is fenced and belonging to one person is a
non-Indigenous concept, but legally Indigenous people do have ownership of land.
See quotes below from Justice Brennan
Terra nullius is a Latin term meaning 'land belonging to no one'. When colonising
Australia, the British Government used this term to justify the dispossession of
Indigenous people. The British colonists did not recognise the land was being used
as Indigenous people did not use the land in the same way as the British. The British
saw no evidence of agricultural, social or religious structure like their own, and
therefore incorrectly concluded that Indigenous people did not own the land but
simply roamed it. By using the principle of terra nullius, the British Government
claimed sovereignty over Australia, ignoring the rights of Indigenous people who had
lived there for at least 60 000 years.
The common law of this country would perpetuate injustice if it were to continue to
embrace the notion of terra nullius and persist in characterising the Indigenous
inhabitants of the Australian colonies as people too low in the scale of social
organisation to be acknowledged as possessing rights and interests in land.
Justice Brennan of the High Court of Australia.
Ruling from Mabo
On 3 June 1992 the High Court of Australia handed down its decision in Mabo vs
The State of Queensland, ruling that the treatment of Indigenous property rights
based on the principle of terra nullius was wrong and racist.
The Court ruled that Indigenous ownership of land has survived where it has not
been extinguished by a valid act of government and where Aboriginal people have
maintained traditional law and links with the land. This legal recognition of
Indigenous ownership is called Native Title. The Court ruled that in each case native
title must be determined by reference to the traditions and customary law of the
Indigenous owners of the land.
Acknowledgement of Country
An ‘Acknowledgement of Country’ is a way that all people can show respect for
Indigenous Australian culture. It recognizes the unique position of Indigenous
people in Australian culture and history. Indigenous people are the original
Custodians of the Land. It is important this unique position is recognised and
incorporated as part of official protocol and events to enable the wider community to
share in Indigenous Australian culture and heritage, facilitating better relationships
between Indigenous people and other Australians.
Statement Recommended for use:
 At significant events i.e. conferences
 Opening of School Buildings
 Commencement of Building
 Following purchase of land for school purposes
 At the beginning of specific sessions that include Australian Indigenous
Studies
Suggested process
Identify local respected Indigenous people & Elders by speaking with parents of
Indigenous students and local Indigenous organisations
With identified local Indigenous people
 check acknowledgement statement to seek their comments and input
 discuss inviting elders form local Indigenous group to formally welcome the
School community to their country
.
Statements of Acknowledgement
‘God creates the world. God creates Australia, God creates this land around
……..………… (insert name of school)
We acknowledge the Indigenous people as, the ……………….. (insert name of
Indigenous language group for that area if known) as the Indigenous custodians of
this land area.’
Or
I would like to show my respect and acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the
Land.
Or
I would like to acknowledge the ………………. (Insert name of Indigenous language
group) people who are the Traditional Custodians of this land.
Or
I would like to acknowledge the ………. (Insert name of Indigenous language group)
people who are the Traditional Custodians of the Land. I would also like to pay
respect to the Elders both past and present of the ………..(Insert name of
Indigenous language group) Nation and extend that respect to other Indigenous
Australians who are present.
Or
I/We would like to acknowledge that this meeting is being held on the traditional
lands of the ……………(Insert name of Indigenous language group) people.
Or
I/We would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land and pay my/our
respects to the Elders both past, present and future for they hold the memories, the
traditions, the culture and hopes of Indigenous Australia.
After reading the Acknowledgement Statement you can
Place Aboriginal flags and Australian Flags around a Cross or around
commemorative plague
Say ‘In Acknowledgement of this site as a shared site for all Australians’.
Acknowledgement statements can help promote greater appreciation of Indigenous
culture in the wider community, show respect for Indigenous Australian people living
in the area and can lead to better relationships to assist the reconciliation process. It
is a way the wider community can acknowledge the culture and ongoing relationship
of traditional peoples to land and sea of an area. It is a symbolic gesture as part of
the ongoing reconciliation process.
Welcome from Elder
After Acknowledgement, Local Elders from the community may respond with a
‘Welcome’ to their country.
Note: Not all Indigenous groups have formalised official welcomes. Check with local
community to see if Official Welcomes are recognised for the school area. An official
welcome may include a welcome speech in the local Indigenous language, short
welcome dance song, fire lighting ceremony, smoking ceremony.
Suggested further reading
Land Rights, Aboriginal Issues and the Church, Lutheran Church of Australia,
brochure. The brochure can be found at http://www.lea.org.au > curriculum >
Indigenous Education
LCA Statement on ‘The Land’ (1998)