Mutitjulu, Northern Territory
Encyclopedia
Mutitjulu in Australia
's Northern Territory
, pop. approx. 150, is an Indigenous Australian
community
at the eastern end of Uluru
(also known as Ayers Rock). It is named after a knee-shaped water-filled rock hole at the base of Uluru, and is located in the world-famous Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
. Its people are Traditional Owners and joint managers of the park with Parks Australia.
The majority of the Anangu
(people) are Pitjantjatjara but there are also associated Yankunytjatjara, Luritja
and Ngaanyatjarra
people with the languages spoken being Pitjantjatjara, Luritja and Yangkunytjatjara. Arrernte
people also have a traditional relationship with Uluru.
, who show tourists certain sites, and share Tjukurpa the story of Uluru, as well as of its inhabitants. These tours are called Anangu Tours, from the Pitjantjatjara word Anangu
which means "people".
Access to the community is controlled by Anangu, who do not allow visitors to go to Mutitjulu community without permission. The community reserves the right to forbid visitors from entering their land.
The people of Mutitjulu are also the traditional owners of Uluru, and have an art exhibition there which tourists can freely visit and buy paintings and other artefacts.
. Nyangatjatjara Secondary College is a boarding school, and hosts the young men and young women of the community separately in consecutive semesters.
In spite of the relative wealth of the community, Anglo-European education standards at Mutitjulu, as with other Indigenous Australian communities, is far lower than the Australian average. Nonetheless, this is significantly higher than some other Indigenous Australian communities.
and Yankunytjatjara. Communication between the languages, however, is not difficult as most residents most speak several languages and the Aboriginal languages are closely related.
Efforts are made to preserve traditional customs, including traditional languages, but some English
is spoken by most residents. The level of English literacy by Mutitjulu residents is higher than in many Indigenous Australian communities primarily due to the regular exposure to tourists at Uluru.
with regards to Uluru. Some of these stories are recreated in paintings and artwork
. Uluru is seen as having an explanation for why we are humans, and the stories help to describe much of the surrounding flora and fauna. By looking at different parts of Uluru, you can see the stories that are told illustrated.
In 1983 the former Prime Minister of Australia, Bob Hawke
, promised to respect the request from the community that climbing Uluru be prohibited, but he broke his promise when title was handed to the traditional owners in 1985 which deeply hurt the Traditional Owners. At the last minute in the discussions, access for tourists to climb Uluru was made a condition before they could receive the title. The climb crosses an important dreaming
track, which has been a cause of sadness and distress among traditional owners.
rather than ownership, where one person or group, referred to as the traditional owner/s of the land, is responsible to take care of Uluru.
For many years, Uluru was owned by Anglo-European-Australians, with hotels placed right beside it. Traditional owners of the land eventually sought to gain land rights
over the land, with hotels located at nearby Yulara and creating the community of Mutitjulu, sealing off many areas of Uluru to the general public.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, pop. approx. 150, is an Indigenous Australian
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
at the eastern end of Uluru
Uluru
Uluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....
(also known as Ayers Rock). It is named after a knee-shaped water-filled rock hole at the base of Uluru, and is located in the world-famous Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park
Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is UNESCO World Heritage-listed in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located 1431 kilometres south of Darwin by road and 440 kilometres south-west of Alice Springs along the Stuart and Lasseter Highways...
. Its people are Traditional Owners and joint managers of the park with Parks Australia.
The majority of the Anangu
Anangu
Anangu, more accurately "Aṉaŋu" or "Arnangu" is a word found in a number of eastern varieties of the Western Desert Language , an Australian Aboriginal language of the Pama–Nyungan family, spoken in the desert regions of western and central Australia. Before the arrival of non-Aboriginal people in...
(people) are Pitjantjatjara but there are also associated Yankunytjatjara, Luritja
Luritja
Luritja is a name used to refer to several dialects of the Indigenous Australian Western Desert Language, and thereby also to the people who speak these varieties, and their traditional lands.-Origin and meaning of Luritja:...
and Ngaanyatjarra
Ngaanyatjarra
Ngaanyatjarra is an Indigenous Australian cultural group in the Western Desert, Central Australia.-Meaning and origin of the name:Ngaanya literally means 'this' and -tjarra means 'with/having' ; the compound term means 'those that use "ngaanya" to say "this"'...
people with the languages spoken being Pitjantjatjara, Luritja and Yangkunytjatjara. Arrernte
Arrernte people
The Arrernte people , known in English as the Aranda or Arunta, are those Indigenous Australians who are the original custodians of Arrernte lands in the central area of Australia around Mparntwe or Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. The Arrernte tribe has lived there for more than 20,000 years...
people also have a traditional relationship with Uluru.
Tourism
Mutitjulu community run a number of guided tours for tourists visiting UluruUluru
Uluru , also known as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. It lies south west of the nearest large town, Alice Springs; by road. Kata Tjuta and Uluru are the two major features of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park....
, who show tourists certain sites, and share Tjukurpa the story of Uluru, as well as of its inhabitants. These tours are called Anangu Tours, from the Pitjantjatjara word Anangu
Anangu
Anangu, more accurately "Aṉaŋu" or "Arnangu" is a word found in a number of eastern varieties of the Western Desert Language , an Australian Aboriginal language of the Pama–Nyungan family, spoken in the desert regions of western and central Australia. Before the arrival of non-Aboriginal people in...
which means "people".
Access to the community is controlled by Anangu, who do not allow visitors to go to Mutitjulu community without permission. The community reserves the right to forbid visitors from entering their land.
The people of Mutitjulu are also the traditional owners of Uluru, and have an art exhibition there which tourists can freely visit and buy paintings and other artefacts.
Economy
Much of the economy of Mutitjulu comes from tourism at Uluru and nearby Yulara, a proportion of which is funnelled back to the local economy. As a result, Mutitjulu is much wealthier than most other Indigenous Australian communities.Education
The community has a school which services students from Year 1 to Year 7, and a high school, Nyangatjatjara Secondary College. The cultural traditions of Mutitjulu dictate that once reaching adolescence, children must be taught only with peers of the same sexSex segregation
Sex segregation is the separation of people according to their sex.The term gender apartheid also has been applied to segregation of people by gender, implying that it is sexual discrimination...
. Nyangatjatjara Secondary College is a boarding school, and hosts the young men and young women of the community separately in consecutive semesters.
In spite of the relative wealth of the community, Anglo-European education standards at Mutitjulu, as with other Indigenous Australian communities, is far lower than the Australian average. Nonetheless, this is significantly higher than some other Indigenous Australian communities.
Language
Languages spoken are Pitjantjatjara, LuritjaLuritja
Luritja is a name used to refer to several dialects of the Indigenous Australian Western Desert Language, and thereby also to the people who speak these varieties, and their traditional lands.-Origin and meaning of Luritja:...
and Yankunytjatjara. Communication between the languages, however, is not difficult as most residents most speak several languages and the Aboriginal languages are closely related.
Efforts are made to preserve traditional customs, including traditional languages, but some English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
is spoken by most residents. The level of English literacy by Mutitjulu residents is higher than in many Indigenous Australian communities primarily due to the regular exposure to tourists at Uluru.
Relationship to Uluru
Many stories have been told by Indigenous Australians from all around Central AustraliaCentral Australia
Central Australia/Alice Springs Region is one of the five regions in the Northern Territory. The term Central Australia is used to describe an area centred on Alice Springs in Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Centralia; likewise the people of the area are sometimes called Centralians...
with regards to Uluru. Some of these stories are recreated in paintings and artwork
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
. Uluru is seen as having an explanation for why we are humans, and the stories help to describe much of the surrounding flora and fauna. By looking at different parts of Uluru, you can see the stories that are told illustrated.
Climbing of Uluru
The local indigenous community request that visitors respect the sacred status of Uluru by not climbing the rock, with signs posted to this effect. Traditionally this activity is reserved for initiated watitjuta (men) during times of ceremony.In 1983 the former Prime Minister of Australia, Bob Hawke
Bob Hawke
Robert James Lee "Bob" Hawke AC GCL was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia from March 1983 to December 1991 and therefore longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister....
, promised to respect the request from the community that climbing Uluru be prohibited, but he broke his promise when title was handed to the traditional owners in 1985 which deeply hurt the Traditional Owners. At the last minute in the discussions, access for tourists to climb Uluru was made a condition before they could receive the title. The climb crosses an important dreaming
Dreamtime
In the animist framework of Australian Aboriginal mythology, The Dreaming is a sacred era in which ancestral Totemic Spirit Beings formed The Creation.-The Dreaming of the Aboriginal times:...
track, which has been a cause of sadness and distress among traditional owners.
Ownership of Uluru
The relationship to Uluru can best be described as one of caretakerProperty caretaker
A Property caretaker is a person, group or organization that cares for real estate for trade or financial compensation, and sometimes as a barter for rent-free living accommodations...
rather than ownership, where one person or group, referred to as the traditional owner/s of the land, is responsible to take care of Uluru.
For many years, Uluru was owned by Anglo-European-Australians, with hotels placed right beside it. Traditional owners of the land eventually sought to gain land rights
Land rights
Land law is the form of law that deals with the rights to use, alienate, or exclude others from land. In many jurisdictions, these species of property are referred to as real estate or real property, as distinct from personal property. Land use agreements, including renting, are an important...
over the land, with hotels located at nearby Yulara and creating the community of Mutitjulu, sealing off many areas of Uluru to the general public.