Tag: Indigenous cultures

Uluru Rock Climb Claims Another Life

Whether it has been called Uluru, Ayers Rock, or simply the Rock, Australias giant monolith has been the countrys spiritual heart for many thousands of years. But the death of a tourist on the site last month has reignited a heated controversy that just refuses to go away.

The traveller was a 54-year-old man from the Australian state of Victoria. He collapsed and died while on his way down from the top of Uluru a steep, one-hour climb which is permitted by Australian but not Aboriginal law.

Many myself included would argue that the death should not have happened at all. If Australian authorities had the courage to put aside their misguided beliefs about tourism revenues and instead show a level of respect for indigenous culture, then the climb would have been closed a long time ago.

World Heritage-listed Uluru is sacred to its Aboriginal owners, the Anangu. They ask visitors not to climb it because the walking route is believed to be a Dreamtime track of huge significance, a pathway used by their spiritual ancestors during the creation of the land. As a result, the Anangu, who are believed to have called the area home for 10,000 years, also feel responsible for all the people who have died while attempting the climb. That number stands at 36 since 1958, with the latest victim being the first since 2000.

Defying Thousands of Years of Tradition

Regardless of the spiritual beliefs of the site’s owners, many people still choose to do the treacherous 348m climb. Indeed, considerable numbers visit the site for that specific reason, with many older Australians in particular considering the experience to be some form of national rite of passage.

The climb is closed during times of high winds or Aboriginal ceremonies, but otherwise is open to anybody who fancies a go.

The issue is that, unlike other sacred Aboriginal sites which are more remote and so less valuable to tourism, Australian authorities have always resisted pleas to close the climb. Indeed, federal authorities have actually gone to great lengths to keep it open.

The Anangu own the land after it was formally handed back to them in 1985, but under the terms of the agreement, they were forced to lease Uluru back to the government for 99 years. Despite a promise to the contrary by then prime minister Bob Hawke, climbing the Rock was not banned.

But the last year or so has seen a concerted campaign to ban the climb, led by the governments environment minister (and former Midnight Oil rocker) Peter Garrett.

However the former singer has come up against tough opposition from the tourism industry and, more importantly, his boss prime minister Kevin Rudd. Almost as soon as Garretts plan to close the climb was announced, the supposedly forward-thinking PM was quoted as saying: I think it would be very sad if we got to a stage where Australians, and frankly our guests from abroad, werent able to enjoy that experience to climb it.

A new management plan has since been approved for the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, which includes several preconditions that must be met before a ban is implemented. One of those is that the number of visitors who do the climb must drop to below 20%; the figure currently stands around 38%. Garrett has stated he believes it will take four years to reach the 20% threshold.

Of course, in a perfect world, the legalities would be irrelevant. It is clear to anyone that has visited this incredibly spiritual site that to take on the climb is a cultural faux pas of massive proportions. Only a select number of the Rocks Aboriginal guardians climb Uluru, and then only for special indigenous ceremonies. It is for good reason that it is revered by not just the local Anangu people, but by the hundreds of Aboriginal tribes across Australia. It truly is the countrys spiritual heart.

Any visitor knows this, of course. It is repeatedly mentioned in the visitor centre and on a big sign at the foot of the climb. But the reality remains that while the climb is open and legal, the prospect of a good view proves simply too tempting for many people.

People Power Could Signal the End of Uluru Tourist Climb

The tourist climb to the top of Australia’s most famous ancient site, Uluru, could be closed following the approval of a new management plan for the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Uluu-Kata Tjua National Park. However the final decision to close the controversial climb will not be made until one of the following three conditions is met.

The number of people climbing the ancient icon drops from the current 38% to less than 20%
The climb is no longer the major reason visitors travel to Uluru
A range of new experiences are in place for visitors.

It could therefore take years for local Aboriginal people the ancestral guardians of Uluru to get their wish and see the climb closed to the public. Even when the decision is finally made, tourism operators have been promised at least 18 months warning prior to the actual closure.

The Waiting Game

Aboriginal activists and environmental campaigners had hoped the new management plan would include a clear directive to close the climb. The local Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara (or Aangu) people consider Uluru to be a sacred site because it links them to their ancestors and to the story of the Dreamtime. Indigenous Australians have lived near Uluru for more than 40,000 years.

It was hoped that Environment Minister Peter Garratt former Midnight Oil frontman and outspoken campaigner on Aboriginal issues would rule in favour of the ban, but his boss, the Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd, was outspoken in his opposition to it.

Meeting the Criteria

Of the three conditions, it could be argued that the third to provide alternative experiences for visitors has already been met. A new viewing platform opened in October to give visitors an ‘elevated’ view of the rock without having to climb it. At the time, Tourism Australia released a statement saying “the new viewing platform will offer an alternative for visitors who want more than a base view”. The $20m (10m) platform caters for 3,000 visitors, and is supported by a scenic road around the rock, plus a new coach area and car park. Local indigenous-run companies already offer guided walks and cultural excursions in the national park.

There is also evidence to suggest the second condition that climbing Uluru is not the principal reason people visit Australia’s Red Centre was met years ago. Studies in 2003, 2004 and again in 2006 by the Australian National University geographer Richard Baker found that as many as 98% of those interviewed said they would have still visited Uluru had climbing been banned.

However it’s the compliance of the first condition that is most likely to eventually signal the end of the Uluru climb because it is this condition that is most quantifiable. If people aren’t climbing, the decision is a no-brainer and the problem quietly goes away. So, over to you

There are a number of Facebook groups aimed at raising awareness of the issue and encouraging people not to climb. The most popular one has more than 3,500 members.

Hello Toi Moko: Sweden Returns Tattooed Maori Heads to New Zealand

Preserved Mori heads donated to a museum by a collector with a keen interest in natural history. A hand and a few odd bones gifted to a Swedish museum by a sea faring captain.

According to details released this week to coincide with the repatriation of Mori ancestral remains to New Zealand, having a preserved head in the corner of your office at work was just the done thing during the 19th century.

The recent return by two Swedish museums of Maori remains is part of a large-scale repatriation programme under way at New Zealands national museum.

In all, some 33 Mori ancestral remains were repatriated to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa during November, with the remains recovered from five institutions in four European countries.

In addition to the Natural History Museum and the Museum of World Culture, both in Gothenburg, the National Museum Wales, Cardiff, Hunterian Museum at Glasgow University in Scotland and Trinity College Dublin are all participating in handovers.

It is the largest repatriation to take place at the New Zealand museum since 2007, when 45 skeletal remains were repatriated from British museums.

Included in the repatriation are kiwi tangata (skeletal remains) and four toi moko (tattooed preserved heads). The remains were received at Te Papa during a ceremony on November 30.

This is both a time for sad reflection on the turbulent journeys these ancestors experienced and, at the same time, a cause for joy and hope as they are returned, says Michelle Hippolite, Te Papas Acting Chief Executive. I thank the institutions involved for their positive decisions to repatriate and for their support in the repatriation planning.

A Preserved Head the Perfect Gift for the Museum in Your Life

The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa released detailed information about some of the returned remains.

The Hunterian Museum, for instance, agreed to repatriate four toi moko. Thomas Steel, a Glaswegian with a keen interest in natural history donated three of these to the museum in 1886. Steel was an ardent collector from an early age, apparently, and its likely he obtained the toi moko while working for the Colonial Sugar Refining Company in Australia, Auckland, New Zealand and Fiji (the sale of Mori heads to European traders in the 19th century was not uncommon). Its reported that during his time with the firm, his corner in the Laboratory of the Colonial Sugar Companys Buildings was full of all kinds of natural history specimens”.

Trinity College, meanwhile, agreed to repatriate four kiwi tangata, consisting of three skulls and a complete skeleton. The female skeleton is provenanced to a False Islet Catlin River and was excavated by a Dr Will c. 1889. There is little information about the other skulls, other than that one was donated by an R Crocker Smith and another was donated by a TW Warren, both dates unknown. The final skull has no donor or date information, though it may have a name: Eahinamane.

National Museum of Wales 20 kiwi tangata from at least 11 different individuals can be traced to Mercury Island, off the north-east coast of New Zealand’s North Island. Mercury Island (known by Ahuahu to the Mori) has a rich history of Mori settlement.

Fewer than Half Maori Remains So Far Returned

The Gothenburg Natural History Museum repatriated a cranium and a near-complete skeleton. These were sent to the museum in 1876 by Sir Julius von Haast, former Director of the Canterbury Museum as part of some sort of exchange. They are thought to have been originally excavated from a peatbog on the north-east coast of New Zealands South Island.

Meanwhile, the Museum of World Culture repatriated a hand, a radius bone and an ulna bone from the left arm of a female. Theyd been ‘gifted’ to the museum on September 18, 1843 by a generous sea captain by the name of R Gavin.

These are just some of the 322 skeletal remains from 12 countries that Karanga Aotearoa, the authority overseeing New Zealands repatriation negotiations, and the national museum have brought home. It is estimated that a further 500 are still awaiting return.

Karanga Aotearoa says some negotiations take less than 12 months, though most take longer.

When remains are finally returned, they are retained at Te Papa on an interim basis until provenance can be proven and the remains returned to their places of origin. Identification can be a difficult and lengthy process. Mori believe that through this return to their domestic homelands, the dead and their living descendants retrieve their dignity. To date, 81 ancestral remains have been returned to their homelands.

Human Ashes at Uluru Could Affect Dating Work

Dating work at Uluru Australias most famous ancient landmark is at risk following the revelation that tourists have been scattering the ashes of dead loved ones at the site.

Mick Starkey, a spokesman for the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Uluru Kata-Tjuta National Park, told ABCNews that human ashes had been discovered at two separate rock art sites over the past month. He said the practice could contaminate the sites and hinder efforts to date and record ancient art.

“Obviously some people (have) been bringing and dropping their ashes off here,” he said, “and it’s going to cause a bit of problem if they put them in our art sites because we won’t be able to do some dating later on in life.

“It’s starting to be a little bit of a problem.”

Controversy at ‘The Rock’

This is the latest in a series of rows involving visitors to Uluru. The future of the controversial tourist climb to the top of

In a separate controversy, a local tour operator complained in September that tourists had been defecating and relieving their bladders upon reaching the summit (there are no toilets at the top…)

the site is under review by the Australian federal government after a draft management plan for the Uluru Kata-Tjuta National Park recommended closing the tourist access. Traditional owners have long opposed the climb, saying it disrespects their heritage, but the climb is also said to cause environmental damage and risk the safety of those who attempt to make it to the top 35 tourists have died scaling the landmark in the last 20 years.

Anecdotal reports suggest some tourists have travelled to Uluru in recent months specifically to climb the site before the official path is closed.

There are ongoing efforts to discourage visitors from stamping all over this sacred Aboriginal site. A new viewing platform has just opened to give tourists as elevated view of the Uluru without having to climb it. Commentators say the platform was designed to provide an additional visitors facility for after the climbs inevitable closure.

In a separate controversy, a local tour operator complained in September that tourists had been defecating and relieving their bladders upon reaching the summit (there are no toilets at the top…). It’s a practice that not only disrespects the beliefs of the traditional owners, but also contaminates a sacred pool at the foot of the site.

Impressive Qantas Advert Features Ancient Language and Sites

For the first time ever, a major Australian brand has used an ancient indigenous language as part of a mainstream marketing campaign. For a taste of how Australians sounded tens of thousands of years ago, check out the new Qantas ad screening down under. The ad sees 13-year-old Tyus Arndt sing the first verse of Peter Allens famous I Still Call Australia Home in the ancient dialect Kala Lagaw Ya, which is still spoken in the Torres Strait Islands. Tyus and his fellow choristers from the Gondwana National Indigenous Childrens Choir, the Australian Girls Choir and the National Boys Choir switch to English for the latter verses.

According to Paul Smitz and Barry Blake in Australian Language and Culture, Kala Lagaw Ya is an original indigenous language of the Torres Strait: “Kala Lagaw Ya is spoken by the people of the western islands of Saibai (and thus now in Seisia and Bamaga), Dauan, Boigu, Mabuiag, Muralag, Badu, Moa (Kubin) and Narupai, and the central islands of Masig, Purma, Yam and Warraber.” Kala Lagaw Ya is related to Aboriginal Australian languages, whereas Meriam Mir, another language of the Torres Strait (spoken on eastern islands rather than on the western ones), belongs to the Trans Fly family of languages from the Papuan coast. Several thousand people are thought to still speak Kala Lagaw Ya today, often as a first language.

It was from the Torres Strait that the first significant indigenous land rights victory was fought when in 1992 the High Court overturned the notion of terra nullius the legal term that stated that Australia was empty of inhabitants prior to European arrival. The case saw Eddie Mabo, of Murray Island, recognised as the owner of his traditional land. The Mabo ruling, as it came to be known, opened the door for other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to claim the ancestral land.

Breaking New Ground

The ad has generated considerable debate on media websites such as Mumbrella, and reviewers have praised it for its integration of ancient and modern Australia. Qantas directors should be ashamed of presiding over such an obscene, retch-inducing executive payout, yet their ad people deserve credit for taking an ancient Australian tongue and putting it on our prime-time screens, wrote Tim Dick in the Sydney Morning Herald.

The advertisement also features some key ancient historical sites, such as the UNESCO World Heritage site Purnululu National Park, and Cathedral Cave in the Carnarvon Gorge in central Queensland. Aborigines are known to have inhabited the Carnarvon Gorge area for more than 35,000 years prior to European arrival, and extensive artwork remains within the cave system.

This is the latest instalment in long-running series of Qantas ads, all set to the Peter Allen song and featuring distinctive sites in Australia and around the world. The Great Wall of China makes an appearance here, while previous ads have featured Rome and numerous other heritage sites.

Stealing the Show

Perhaps the only thing more impressive than the scenery is the boy leading the choir. Tyus Arndt hails from Thursday Island, the administrative centre of the Torres Strait Islands, between the Australian mainland and Papua New Guinea. His ancestors are thought to have arrived from the islands of todays Indonesia some 70,000 years ago.