Welcome to Country & Aboriginal Smoking Ceremonies

Welcome to Country for Your Event

A Welcome to Country welcomes visitors onto the Country of its Traditional Owners. Usually presented at the beginning of a gathering, it recognises the continuing cultural connection between Aboriginal people and their Country.

The appropriate local Traditional Owners, or Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people with their permission, determine the Welcome they deliver. It may involve spoken words, language, song, dance or other cultural elements.

Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country

These are different protocols. A Welcome requires the authority of the Traditional Owners of that Country. An Acknowledgement can be offered by anyone to recognise Traditional Owners and their continuing connection to Country.

Aboriginal Smoking Ceremonies

Smoking Ceremonies use selected native plant materials to produce smoke for cultural purposes that can include cleansing, welcoming and connection to Country. Their meaning, materials and form vary between Nations, communities and practitioners.

A ceremony is guided by the Aboriginal person conducting it. They determine the appropriate cultural practices and explain how guests may respectfully participate.

Traditional Plant Knowledge and Medicine

Aboriginal peoples hold diverse knowledge of native plants, including the traditional medicinal use of smoke from certain eucalyptus species and other plants in some communities. Plant selection, preparation and use belong to particular cultural knowledge traditions and should not be generalised across all Aboriginal peoples or ceremonies.

Country, Ceremony and The Dreaming

Country means more than a geographical location. It encompasses relationships with land, waters, family, ancestors, language, law and cultural responsibilities.

Ceremonies can express these continuing relationships. The Dreaming connects ancestral knowledge with living culture, but there is no single account that represents every Aboriginal Nation. Cultural knowledge is shared according to the authority and permissions of its custodians.

Explore our introduction to Aboriginal understandings of The Dreaming.

Combining Ceremonies With Didgeridoo and Dance

Where culturally appropriate, a Welcome to Country or Smoking Ceremony can be coordinated alongside Aboriginal song, didgeridoo and dance. Ceremony and performance are not interchangeable, and the practitioners determine the content they are authorised to share.

For solo performers, dance groups and combined presentations, explore our Aboriginal didgeridoo and cultural dance performances.

Planning a Respectful Aboriginal Ceremony

Cultural Authority and Your Event Brief

Provide the exact venue address, event purpose, preferred timing and audience size. Tell us about any existing relationships with local Traditional Owners so planning can respect those connections.

Venue Arrangements and Participation

Smoking Ceremonies require advance discussion with the practitioner and venue about permission, smoke, fire safety, access and weather arrangements. Ask about photography, filming and audience participation before the event.

School and Workplace Programs

A ceremony can form part of a wider Aboriginal school incursion or workplace cultural learning program. We can also discuss appropriate contributions for NAIDOC Week and National Reconciliation Week.

Ceremony Coordination Across Australia

We coordinate Aboriginal-led programs in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Canberra, with regional arrangements considered individually. Ceremony availability depends on the event location, appropriate local cultural authority, practitioner availability and travel.