Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock, is a place of great cultural and spiritual significance to the Aboriginal people. The large sandstone rock formation is found in the southern part of the Northern Territory, in Australia’s “Red Centre.” It is 348 meters high and is home to many waterholes, rock caves and ancient paintings. Uluru is also the site of many Aboriginal dreamtime (creation) stories.
Uluru is one of the most visited tourist sites in Australia and is notable for changing colors throughout the day. The rock is brilliant shades of orange during the morning and afternoon hours (this photograph was taken just after sunrise), but is particularly stunning at sunset, when it appears for a short time to glow red and then purple as the sun disappears. Rain is uncommon in central Australia, although during wet periods, Uluru will appear grey with black streaks. The streaks are caused by black algae that collects on areas of the rock where water flows. Although in a semiarid climate, flora and fauna abound in the area surrounding Uluru, making it an ideal home for the Pitjantjatjara tribe who have lived in this area for centuries.
The most distinctive feature of the rock is the countless dents, cracks, and fissures that are the backdrop for ongoing stories of the native Pitjantjatjara tribe. In fact, nearly every mark has some significance. The skull, shown here, is from one of the most important stories, that of Liru and Kuniya. According to the story, in the time of Tjukurpa (the dreamtime period) there was a young Kuniya snakeboy who was ambushed by a group of Liru (venomous snakes). The Liru threw many spears at the Kuniya and killed him. The boy’s aunt, a Kuniya snakewoman, was so angry that she chased down the Lirus. She caught up to one and killed him with a great blow to the head. The mark on Uluru is where the Liru’s skull hit the rock as the Kuniya killed him. This same story (and others) continues as you move around the rock, where other cracks and crevices tell of the Kuniya’s mourning period over her nephew.
Since Uluru—Kata Tjuta National Park was added to the World Heritage list, tourism has increased to nearly half a million visitors each year. Although tourism has great benefits economically, it has also caused challenges for the local tribes. For instance, the tribe that owns the land asks that visitors not climb the rock because it is extremely insensitive towards their culture and beliefs. Because of this, park rangers have designated that climbs be “at your own risk.” Regardless, a large number of visitors still climb the rock each year.
The local Aboriginal people also request that visitors refrain from taking photographs at some sites around Uluru. These spots are generally related to gender rituals that are forbidden for tribe members of the opposite sex. The photography ban is intended to prevent the local tribes from inadvertently violating any of these rituals by coming across these photos in the outside world.
3 comments:
The dominant colors in this photograph appear to be light blue, a deep, rusty red, and a slight green hue running along the bottom. How do you feel the interaction between these three colors affects your perception of the overall picture?
There are various textures in the rock. The skull seems to have many ridges and outside the skull the rock is smooth. It makes the viewer want to reach out and touch it. Also, the rock is massive. The trees at the foot of the rock look like patchy grass until you blow up the photo and study it carefully.
There are no clouds in the sky which makes it a solid canvas for the rock to appear in front of it. The color of the sky seems to look more light teal than the average shy. Within the textures in the rock you can see some very small bright spots which look like small reflections of light.
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