Country is multi-dimensional and interconnected for Aboriginal people. Country contains everything in the environment or landscape – living and non-living elements – such as the earth, water and sky as well as people, animals and plants and their relationship with each other. It also includes cultural, spiritual and ancestral connections.
An Aboriginal person’s connection to Country is deeply personal. It forms a crucial part of their identity and sense of belonging. Country is family.
As the oldest living culture on Earth, Aboriginal people have maintained continuous connection to Country for at least 60,000 years.
Country has specific and significant meaning for Aboriginal peoples. Country relates to the nation, cultural group and region Aboriginal people belong to, find healing from and will return to.
Clans
Australia is made up of a diverse number of Aboriginal nations, and within each nation are different clans or communities.
Many distinct Aboriginal clan groups are associated with the Sydney region, connected with a particular place. Each clan’s Country is shaped by natural features and has natural boundaries defined by rivers, mountains or coastlines.
Each clan has their own culture, customs, language practices, cultural protocols, laws and ways of doing things.
Aboriginal people often refer to their clan and family group as their mob. Family groups often share a kinship system.
Dreaming
The Dreaming or Dreamtime is the foundation of Aboriginal spirituality and culture. It’s a rich and sacred story of creation.
Aboriginal people perceive time as continuous, as a story that is being written and rewritten each day. This is usually called the Dreaming where the present, past and future or now, then and later are the same.
Through the Dreaming ancestors and creation spirits shaped land, sky, water and all living things, and embedded Lore into Country. The Dreaming is continuous, it is happening all the time, all around us.
Stories of Country and songlines
Everything on Country has a story, song and dance of how it came to be and its relationship to people and the environment.
Aboriginal cultures share knowledge of Country across generations through oral storytelling, art, songlines, ceremony and Dreamtime stories.
These stories include information about the landscape, natural resources, values, lores and spirituality. They can also contribute to land management and conservation efforts.
Eel Dreaming
The Wangal people know Sydney as the place of Eel Dreaming and the Parramatta River as Burramattagal.
Find out more about the eel totem on the Botanic Gardens of Sydney's Aboriginal totems webpage.
Also known as dreaming tracks or dreaming paths, songlines are visible and invisible paths that cross the land and record stories of the Dreamtime.
Songlines have developed over tens of thousands of years and are mapped in the landscape, waterways and stars. Songlines connect people to their ancestors and the Dreaming.
They are stories that provide maps of the land and sky that are shared or passed down through song and help understand Country. For example, a songline can describe features or landmarks for a traveller to look for to find their way to their destination and how to make their trip respectfully – this can include food safe to eat, places to avoid and the boundaries of each clan’s Country.
If you walk on Country where there is a songline, it is significant because it forms part of Aboriginal spirituality, customs and lores. Understanding these stories helps keep traditional practices alive.
There are many songlines across Sydney
Car-rang-gel (North Head)
Car-rang-gel is culturally and spiritually significant Country for the Gai-mariagal, Guringai and many other Aboriginal peoples across Sydney and other regions. It is a sacred place of ceremony, healing and sanctuary.
Car-rang-gel connects many clans through intersecting songlines and Bora sites where Aboriginal ceremonies occurred.
Custodians of Country
Custodianship of Country describes the obligation Aboriginal people have to care for Country and ensure its health and wellbeing for future generations.
A custodian is connected to the environment through ancestral bloodlines and kinship. They make sure lore, cultural responsibilities and practices are undertaken.
It encompasses all aspects of life. Another term commonly used is traditional owners because Aboriginal people were the first inhabitants of Australia.
Aboriginal people do not ‘own’ Country, rather Country owns them. They believe if they take care of Country, Country will take care of them.
How to connect with Country
To start to connect with Country you can:
- recognise that wherever you are, you are on Country
- learn about the traditional owners of the Country you are on
- get to know local Aboriginal cultures and participate in cultural activities and events
- gain a deeper understanding of the history of place and the Aboriginal people who lived, walked and cared for Country for thousands of years.
Always on Country
Whether we’re in the city, on the sea or in the bush – wherever we are we’re always on Country.
A Welcome to Country signals to visitors or guests they have been granted safe passage on that Country by the Traditional Owner.
This welcome can only be conducted by a Traditional Owner or Aboriginal Elder of that Country who has the cultural authority to welcome guests. This protocol recognises and honours the importance of the land and its spiritual significance.
You can organise a Welcome to Country from Traditional Owners. When you participate in cultural ceremonies or events, follow protocols such as appropriate dress, behaviour, and the use of traditional instruments or sacred objects. Observing these protocols is a sign of respect for the sacredness and significance of the ceremony.
For more information contact your:
An Acknowledgement of Country is a way to show respect for the Aboriginal custodians of the land, their ancestors and Elders, and recognise their ongoing connection to Country by acknowledging the land where an event is taking place.
This is conducted at the beginning of the event. Acknowledging Country also takes place when Traditional Owners are not available to provide an official welcome.
It is always important to acknowledge the Country you are on. Include clan name and nation where possible. This provides a deeper level of respect. If your meeting is online, the speaker can Acknowledge the Country they are on and extend the acknowledgement to all the Aboriginal lands of the participants.
For more information visit Reconciliation Australia’s Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country.
Acknowledging Country is also a great way to understand more about the place. Aboriginal people name their clans based on Country and features within the natural landscape. For instance, in Sydney the:
- Gadigal are people of the grass tree
- Gweagal are the traditional owners of the white clay pits on their Country in the southern areas of Sydney
- Burramattagal is associated with the place where the eels lie down to breed (within Parramatta River).
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Land, sky, water and all living things were shaped during the Dreaming -
Many songlines pass through the Blue Mountains -
Take time to sense and connect with the Country you are on
Terms
Aboriginal
The term Aboriginal acknowledges Indigenous, First Nations and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Lore
Aboriginal Lore is cultural knowledge passed from generation to generation. It describes customs, roles and responsibilities for all aspects of life including protocols and ceremony.
Get involved
- Yananurala - walk on Country across the Sydney Harbour foreshore
- Aboriginal Heritage walk, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
- Aboriginal cultural tours at The Basin, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
- Experience a cultural tour of Tallawoladah, The Rocks Aboriginal Dreaming Tour
- Take an Aboriginal cultural cruise in Sydney Harbour