"You are welcome to everything ..."

Professor Joy Murphy Wandin, an elder of the Wurundjeri people, delivered the following greeting as part of the opening ceremony at the Parliament of the World's Religions Thursday:

"On behalf of the spiritual ancestors and the traditional owners of Melbourne, I invite you to Melbourne ...
"It is a traditional custom of Australian Aboriginal communities to give permission to people who wish to enter the country. The Wurundjeri people are known as the Manna-Gum (eucalyptus tree) people and we invite you to share with us from a branch of Gum leaves.
"Taking a leaf means that you are welcome to everything, from the tops of the trees to the roots of the earth, on our ancestral country. It also means that you and I, we become linked symbolically and spiritually. By this action, you join with us to honor our ancestors who have nurtured our land for thousands and thousands of years."