An Australian Example: Pay Homage to Land's original owners before official meetings

On , Anders Swanson said:

Hi,

I am Winnipeg-based consultant on sustainable transportation. I work for a non-profit that has been developing internationally-focused apps. I have recently traveled to conferences all over the world and was moved by something that I noticed in Australia.

It is a simple, but powerful, gesture that Australian officials make at the start of important meetings. I have the Mayors of Sydney and Adelaide and the chairperson of various organizations/committees do this.

What they do:
The host/chair/boss gives a "welcome message" acknowledging the traditional owners of the land they are currently meeting on. They give thanks and ask for blessing. They are very specific, often mentioning multiple nations/tribes if the area has larger significance. They often use local words of welcome.

This is done by gov'ts & private business. Here is a protocol guide from a major bank, for example:
http://cr.nab.com.au/docs/npc1161_297x210-indigenous_acknowledgement-protocol_update.pdf

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