Welcome To Country

By: Aunty Joy Murphy, Lisa Kennedy

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Hardcover | 1 August 2016

At a Glance

Hardcover
32 Pages

Age
5 - 9

Dimensions(cm)
29 x 25 x 1

Hardcover

$26.99

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This is an expansive and generous Welcome to Country from a most respected Elder, Aunty Joy Murphy, beautifully given form by Indigenous artist Lisa Kennedy.

Welcome to the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri People. We are part of this land and the land is part of us. This is where we come from. Wominjeka Wurundjeri balluk yearmenn koondee bik. Welcome to Country. Aunty Joy Wandin Murphy is a most respected senior Wurundjeri elder of the Kulin alliance. This is a very accessible welcome that introduces and gives meaning and explanation within the text to the customs and symbols of Indigenous Australia.

Aboriginal communities across Australia have boundaries that are defined by mountain ranges and waterways. Traditionally, to cross these boundaries or enter community country you needed permission from the neighbouring community. When this permission was granted the ceremony now called Welcome to Country took place. Each community had its own way of welcoming to country, and they still do today.

About the Author

Joy Murphy Wandin is the Senior Aboriginal Elder of the Wurundjeri People of Melbourne and surrounds. We show respect for her and other Elders by calling them Aunty or Uncle. Aunty Joy has had numerous government appointments including as a member of the Equal Opportunity Commission of Victoria and of the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal. She is a storyteller and a writer and is passionate about using story to bring people together and as a conduit for understanding Aboriginal culture. Welcome to Country is her first book.

Lisa Kennedy is descendant of the Trawlwoolway People on the north-east coast of Tasmania. Lisa was born in Melbourne and as a child lived close to the Maribyrnong River. Here she experienced the gradual restoration of the natural river environment alongside cultural regeneration and reclamation. Through sense of place she feels connected to the Wurundjeri country and all that entails - the water, the land, the animals and the ancestors. The experience of loss and reclamation is embedded in her work.

Industry Reviews

Murphy's text is simple but not simplistic, and the book will suit parents or teachers reading aloud to young children: with both narrative and informational appeal, it will contribute well to school libraries and is perfect for stimulating classroom discussion about place, beliefs, traditions and human relationships to the environment. -- Books+Publishing * Books+Publishing *
The stunning illustrations are a wonderfully evocative representation of the landscape. It's a lovely book for young children, but older children will also enjoy it immensely. -- Booktopia * Booktopia *
This is an important book for young readers and a boon for educators who are seeking to find really strong examples of Aboriginal culture and tradition. The beauty of the imagery only serves to enhance the gravitas of Aunty Joy's Welcome to Country message. -- Creative Kids Tales * Creative Kids Tales *
A beautiful tribute to elders . Highly recommended. -- Pinerolo Newsletter * Pinerolo Newsletter *
This is an invitation to readers to embrace a sense of their country that not only puts its long Aboriginal history first, but values what that history can offer to us today. Recommended for readers five to fifty. * Reading Time *
This book articulates the importance of Welcome to Country in a way both children and adults will appreciate, emphasising the connection to environment and community and the symbolism of inviting outsiders to connect with the land and people of a particular region. * Kids' Book Review *
Welcome To Country is an important narrative for teachers in schools and kindergartens and for families to share. Highly recommended. * Read Plus *
This is truly a book to be experienced, for school aged readers and older. * 4MBS Radio *
This stunningly illustrated book has a deep yet simple text, which introduces its central concept through poetic language and earthy, evocative landscapes of blended colours and shapes of people and landscapes. -- Belle Alderman, The Conversation * Business Insider *
A beautifully illustrated portayal of the Wurundjeri People and their connection to Country. * Australian Family Therapists' Award For Children's Literature *
This beautifully realised picture book...is a lyrical yet simple welcome to the traditional lands of the Gurundjeri People of Melbourne and the surrounding areas. * Magpies Magazine *

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