Mutitjulu, Northern Territory
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| Mutitjulu Northern Territory |
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| Population: | 150 (estimate) | ||||||
| Elevation: | 523 m (1,716 ft) | ||||||
| Location: |
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| State District: | MacDonnell | ||||||
| Federal Division: | Lingiari | ||||||
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Mutitjulu in Australia's Northern Territory (), pop. approx. 150, is an Indigenous Australian community adjacent Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) in a world renowned tourist area, the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Its people are joint managers of the park with Parks Australia.
The majority of the people are Pitjantjatjara but there are also associated Yankunytjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra with the languages spoken being Pitjantjatjara, Luritja and Yangkunytjatjara. The Arrernte people also have a traditional relationship with Uluru.
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[edit] Tourism
Mutitjulu runs a number of guided tours for tourists visiting Uluru, who will show tourists certain sites, and show people 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 the Mutitjulu people, who do not allow visitors to go to the 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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 sex. 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, the education standards at Mutitjulu, as with other Indigenous Australian communities, is far lower than the white Australian average. Nonetheless, this is significantly higher than some other Indigenous Australian communities.
[edit] Language
Languages spoken are Pitjantjatjara, Luritja and Yankunytjatjara. Communication between the languages, however, is not difficult as residents speak several languages.
Residents often speak some amount of English, which they learn both at school and from tourists. Whilst efforts are made to preserve traditional customs, including language, some amount of English is known by most residents. The level of English literacy by Mutitjulu residents is much higher than in most Indigenous Australian communities primarily due to the exposure to tourists from Uluru.
[edit] Relationship to Uluru
Many stories have been told by Indigenous Australians from all around Central Australia with regards to Uluru. Some of these stories are recreated in paintings and artwork. Uluru is seen invariably as having an explanation for why we are humans, and 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.
[edit] 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.
In 1983 the former Prime Minister of Australia, Bob Hawke, promised to respect the request from the community that climbing Uluru be prohibited, but broke his promise when title was handed to the traditional owners in 1985 because 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.
[edit] Ownership of Uluru
The relationship to Uluru can best be described as one of caretaker 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 non-Aborigines, 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.
