The Ambassador of France to Australia Mr. Pierre-André Imbert is humbled to announce that the Embassy of France in Canberra has held its first-ever Welcome to Country ceremony performed by Indigenous artist and Ngambri-Ngunnawal custodian Paul Girrawah House.
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Mr. Pierre-André Imbert celebrated the adoption of this century-old custom as a “symbol of mutual respect, and of our commitment to create a vibrant and profound relationship between France and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people”.
The ceremony, held on Thursday, May 2nd, coincided with the inauguration of an artwork by Paul Girrawah House inside the embassy’s walls. Drawing on traditional tree carving methods, Mr. House honours his ancestry and traditions in unique sculptures that he will also make in the gardens of Quai Branly Museum when he travels to France later this year.
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The connection between France and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people began with the French expeditions of Lapérouse, Baudin and D’Entrecasteaux. These expeditions sustained peaceful interactions with the Aboriginal people including in Tasmania as research was conducted on their traditions and languages.
After 200 years of shared history, France and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are linked through culture, arts and science, as illustrated by the visit of French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna last December when she presented the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies with a trove of digital archives related to the Palawa people and established the French-Australian Cultural Exchange Foundation.
France is eager to continue strengthening its relations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with further collaborative initiatives on history, memory and the arts.
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