The Truth Behind Modern Aboriginal Ceremonies

Jacinta Yangapi Nampijinpa Price

Many people assume that certain Aboriginal cultural practices, such as dot painting and Welcome to Country ceremonies, have been passed down for thousands of years. However, historical evidence suggests that these traditions were actually developed in recent decades.

• Dot Painting was invented in 1971 by Geoffrey Bardon, a white schoolteacher, who introduced the technique to Aboriginal artists in Papunya. Traditional Aboriginal art existed long before this, but there are no ancient dot paintings found in caves or on rock walls. The distinctive modern style emerged as part of a contemporary art movement.
• The Welcome to Country ceremony was created in 1976 by Ernie Dingo and Richard Walley. It was originally performed to welcome visiting Māori performers as a reciprocal gesture of hospitality. Unlike the Māori haka, which has deep historical and linguistic roots, there is no traditional Aboriginal word for Welcome to Country. This raises the question: How can it be an “ancient ceremony” if no term for it existed in traditional Aboriginal languages?
• The Acknowledgement of Country was introduced even later, in the 1990s. It is not an ancient ritual but rather a modern protocol developed for official and corporate settings.
• The Smoking Ceremony, often presented as an ancient practice, is another modern invention, also linked to Ernie Dingo around 1976. While smoke was used in some Indigenous customs for cleansing or healing, the formalized smoking ceremonies seen today were not widely practiced before the late 20th century.
• There is no photographic, film, or video evidence of any of these ceremonies being performed at major events—such as Royal Tours, AFL/NRL Grand Finals, the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, or ANZAC Day services—before the 1970s and 1990s. If these traditions were truly ancient and widespread, they would have been documented in historical footage.

The Importance of Truth Over Myth

Understanding history honestly is essential. While cultural traditions evolve over time, it is misleading to claim that recent inventions are ancient practices. Rather than accepting myths at face value, we should question narratives that are presented as historical fact.