"as it was not that long back YOU were claiming he also "invented" the Aboriginal Smoking Ceremony."

Never said it, never thought, never considered it. Just more of the lies Paul makes up. Its a measure of how wrong he is that even he knows he has to lie to try to make points.

"it was designed to mirror traditional protocols of welcoming visitors to land."

That was the claim made up after people started mocking the made-up 'Welcome to Country'. But there's no evidence that such a thing existed prior to 1976. Go through the chronicles of the 19th century explorers and those who lived with the aboriginal tribes and you won't find any mention of any such ceremony.

Mhaze I wish you would get your head out of your arse and acknowledge some facts. The tradition of asking permission to enter another group's lands and being welcomed is widely acknowledged to be centuries old. The modern version of this ceremony was first performed in 1973 at the Aquarius Festival here in Nimbin. Your story about Ernie Dingo occurred years latter in 1978. It was in the 1980's that the wonderful Rhoda Roberts coined the phrase "Welcome to Country". So your snide retelling of the "facts" is totally inaccurate. It would be generous of you to acknowledge that, but I won't hold my breath.

Quoting who supported the military intervention in 2007 does not expunge the trauma it caused indigenous people.

I'm horrified to hear so many claim that indigenous people 'should' be happy that it was the British who colonised this country and not someone else. Like that somehow washes away all the atrocities they committed.

Why would they want to welcome people who came to kill them and take their lands anyway?
Many of us don't wish to be welcomed to the country we were born in and see it as an affront of sorts, but is it not also humiliating for them to come out every time and pretend to welcome the invaders?

If it was a 'get outta here you white effing dogs' ceremony, I reckon plenty more indigenous would take part in that.
That's probably closer to where the last piece of their pride exists.
In resentment.

I always acknowledged that 'If anyone has a right to be racist in this country, it's them'. (maybe not so much us)
I think that for them it's like some kind of post traumatic stress disorder on a people-wide level.

My wife's Maori people still perform a welcoming ceremony called a "Powhiri" when visiting groups arrive at the marae during an important event such as a tangi. Today its a ritual thing, but at one time it was a way of ensuring the visitors came in peace, by following a strict set of protocols. Today protocols still have to be followed, such as having women enter before the men. I'm sure Aboriginal tribes followed a "welcoming" in some form to ensure the visitors were coming in peace.

Hi Aries54,

That old furphy that Aboriginal people should be thankful it was the civilised British that colonised Australia and not Attila the Hun and his barbarous hoards, its like saying; The Jews should be thankful it was the cultured Germans stuffing them in the gas chambers, and not the uncivilised Slavs!

"Mhaze I wish you would get your head out of your arse and acknowledge some facts."

It seems Aries is getting quite overwrought that we aren't genuflecting at his unresearched assertions.

"The tradition of asking permission to enter another group's lands and being welcomed is widely acknowledged to be centuries old. "

Widely acknowledged? By whom. Evidence? Or is your unresearched assertions all the evidence you need.

Hilariously Aries thinks that by asserting (no evidence mind you!!) that the Welcome to Country boondoggle was invented in 1973 rather than 1978 (actually the Dingo invention was 1976 but accuracy isn't on Aries agenda), that this somehow salvages the story.

Its quite likely that aboriginal societies didn't have a Welcome ceremony because they didn't welcome their neighbours but instead fought interminable wars against those who adjoined their land.

"Quoting who supported the military intervention in 2007 does not expunge the trauma it caused indigenous people."

There was little trauma except for those who were abusing aboriginal kids. There were no stolen kids. There WAS general agreement that the intervention was required to help the kids being abused by their kin.

"I'm horrified to hear so many claim that indigenous people 'should' be happy that it was the British who colonised this country and not someone else. Like that somehow washes away all the atrocities they committed."

In the adult world, we recognise that the inevitability of the colonisation of Australia. I know that some dills fantasise about the aboriginals living in glorious isolation through the centuries but that's just Disneyland thinking. So, given that they were going to be colonised, it was best for the aboriginals that it was done by the most benign power around ie Britain.

Paul, mhaze and Aries

At a concert in Perth last year I heard Richard Walley tell the story about he and Ernie Dingo devising and performing the first contemporary welcome to country ceremony in 1976. It is rooted in ancient aboriginal customs, but according to Walley that was the first time it was performed for non-indigenous people.

Many reports on the internet support this account, e.g.

http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/history-culture/2016/03/richard-walleys-welcome-to-country/