“Wominjeka”/“haere mai”

Abstract

The disruption that the COVID pandemic has caused to our daily lives has made many people aware of the need to transform our relationships and interactions away from the priorities emphasised under neoliberal globalisation in order to better secure successful human societies. For Indigenous peoples, the importance of relationships, respect and connections has long underpinned cultural affirmation, strength and survival. This chapter investigates the role of Indigenous welcome ceremonies in not only affirming, maintaining and strengthening culture, but also in establishing respect and connections with non-Indigenous peoples. In particular, this chapter looks at the specific examples of Australian Aboriginal Welcomes to Country and Acknowledgements and Maori powhiri and haka ceremonies in Aotearoa New Zealand. The authors, an Aboriginal Australian man and a Maori man, track the history of tourism through mass consumption to “new” “socialisation”, and outline the role of welcome ceremonies in not only affirming and strengthening culture, but also in providing ways for non-Indigenous visitors to engage with, learn about and connect with Indigenous cultures and histories. Conducting welcome ceremonies at tourist attractions and destination areas can provide an empowering way for tourism hosts and visitors to learn and connect with each other, with the local people and history of the land they are visiting. © 2022 selection and editorial matter, Freya Higgins-Desbiolles, Adam Doering and Bobbie Chew Bigby.