Understanding Country

# Understanding Country Country is the single most important concept you need to understand as an architect working in Australia. For First Nations peoples, Country isn't just land. It's a living entity that encompasses everything: the physical landscape, the waters, the sky, the plants and animals, the stories, the ancestors, and the people. When Indigenous Australians talk about Country, they're describing a web of relationships and responsibilities that has existed for over 65,000 years.¹  _Fig. 2.1: Country encompasses land, water, sky, and all living things in an interconnected system of relationships and responsibilities._ ## What Country Includes Country has three dimensions that architects need to understand: ### The Physical The tangible elements you can see and touch: **lands** (geological features, soils, topography, landforms), **waters** (rivers, creeks, wetlands, groundwater, coastal areas), **plants** (native vegetation, significant species, seasonal patterns), **animals** (fauna, habitats, movement patterns), and **built places** (sites of cultural significance, meeting grounds, pathways). ### The Spiritual and Cultural Elements you can't see but which are equally real: **sacred sites** and Dreaming stories, **traditional knowledge** spanning ecological understanding and seasonal calendars, **language** preserved in place names, stories, songs, and oral traditions, **law** governing protocols and cultural obligations, and **kinship** systems connecting people to Country and each other. ### The Relational How everything connects. **Reciprocity** means people and Country have mutual obligations. **Custodianship** means caring for Country across generations. **Belonging** means people belong to Country, not the other way around. And **continuity** means Country shapes its people, and they shape it. --- ## Country Is Alive This isn't metaphor. Indigenous peoples understand Country as a living entity with its own agency, needs, and rights.² The table below shows how fundamentally different this worldview is from Western assumptions: | Concept | Western View | Indigenous View | | ------------------ | -------------------- | ------------------------------- | | **Land ownership** | Property to be owned | Country that owns us | | **Development** | Improving the land | Caring for Country | | **Resources** | Assets to exploit | Gifts requiring reciprocity | | **Time** | Linear progression | Cyclical, ongoing relationships | | **Nature** | Separate from humans | Interconnected with all life | ### What This Means for Design If Country is alive, then architecture's role changes completely. Your buildings aren't impositions on a passive landscape. They become part of Country's ongoing story. The question isn't "how do I minimise harm?" but "how does this project help Country thrive?" Success isn't measured just by client satisfaction or awards. It's measured by whether Country and its people benefit from what you've built. This requires genuine consultation with Traditional Owners throughout your project, not just a tick-box at the start. --- ## Everything Connects Design decisions don't happen in isolation. They ripple across ecological, spiritual, and social systems in ways you might not anticipate.³ Think of Country as four interconnected systems: **Ecological** — Water flows, plant communities, animal habitats. Disturb one and you affect the others. **Cultural** — Stories, ceremonies, and practices tied to specific places. A site might look unremarkable but hold deep significance. **Social** — Community gathering, kinship, responsibilities. Your building affects how people relate to each other and to Country. **Temporal** — Past, present, and future connected through Country. What you build today becomes part of a story that stretches back millennia and forward to future generations. ### Before You Design Ask yourself: 1. What does this site mean to Country, not just to the client? 2. What relationships exist here between plants, animals, water, and people? 3. What stories belong to this place? 4. Who will be affected by what I build, and for how long? --- ## Every Country Is Different There's no single "Indigenous perspective" on Country. Australia has over 250 distinct language groups, each with unique relationships to their Country.⁴ > **View the diversity:** The AIATSIS Map of Indigenous Australia shows these 250+ language groups and their Country. View it directly on the AIATSIS website—we don't reproduce it here in keeping with ICIP protocols. > > → **[View the AIATSIS Map](https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/map-indigenous-australia)** ### Local Context Matters What works on Wurundjeri Country might be completely wrong on Gunditjmara Country. Coastal nations relate to Country differently than desert nations. Some knowledge is shared; some is secret. Some protocols are similar across groups; others are unique. **The implication:** You can't learn "Indigenous engagement" as a generic skill. You have to learn about the specific Country you're working on, from the specific people who belong to it. ### Avoid Assumptions Don't assume protocols from one community apply to another, and don't rely on generic resources when local knowledge is available. Accept that some knowledge isn't yours to know. Be prepared to be told "no" — and respect it. --- ## Country-Centred Design The shift required is from human-centred to Country-centred design.⁵  _Fig. 2.3: The NSW Government Architect's Connecting with Country Framework guides practitioners toward Country-centred design.⁵_ **Human-centred design** asks what the users need, how to optimise the human experience, and what the client's requirements are. **Country-centred design** asks what Country needs, how the project strengthens relationships with Country, what the consequences are for Country's health, and how the project gives back. This isn't about adding environmental or cultural considerations to your existing process. It's about putting Country first, then addressing human needs within that framework. --- ## Practical Steps ### Before Any Project 1. **Identify Traditional Owners** using the AIATSIS Map 2. **Check cultural heritage sensitivity** for the site 3. **Seek guidance** from local knowledge holders 4. **Listen to stories** of the place from those who know it 5. **Spend time on Country** to understand its rhythms ### Throughout Your Project - Return to Country regularly, not just at the start - Keep Traditional Owners informed and involved - Stay open to learning and changing your approach - Document how Country has influenced your design --- ## References ¹ Government Architect NSW. (2020). _Connecting with Country Draft Framework_. [https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/government-architect-nsw/policies-and-frameworks/connecting-with-country](https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/government-architect-nsw/policies-and-frameworks/connecting-with-country) ² Gammage, B. (2011). _The Biggest Estate on Earth: How Aborigines Made Australia_. Allen & Unwin. ³ Parris, K.M. et al. (eds.). (2020). "Cities are Indigenous Places." In _Cities for People and Nature_. Clean Air and Urban Landscapes Hub. [https://nespurban.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Cities-for-People-and-Nature.pdf](https://nespurban.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Cities-for-People-and-Nature.pdf) ⁴ AIATSIS. _Map of Indigenous Australia_. [https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/map-indigenous-australia](https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/map-indigenous-australia) ⁵ Hromek, D. (Ed.). (2021). "Start with Country." _Architecture Australia_. [https://architectureau.com/articles/start-with-country/](https://architectureau.com/articles/start-with-country/) --- ## Next Steps Continue to **Chapter 3: Decolonising Architecture** to understand how colonial practices have shaped Australian architecture and how Indigenous-led approaches offer a different way forward.