The Cultural Significance of Uluru

Uluru is an important spiritual landmark that signifies a deep connection between the  Anangu people and the land.

The traditional custodians of the Uluru area are the Anangu people, who believe Uluru was created at the very beginning of existence, and when time began. The Anangu are the traditional Indigenous owners of the land and the greater Kata Tjuta National Park.

The Anangu culture is one of the oldest in the world. To the Aboriginal people of the land surrounding Uluru, the monolith is just as alive as a human or animal. It has a life force within it, and it lives and breathes just as humans do.

This is called Dreamtime in Aboriginal culture. Essentially, Uluru is a lasting impression of the land’s creation, a hub of ancient energy that has been placed there ever since the land was created.

Around Uluru, there are 40 sacred sites. The trails that meander around the sites offer cultural walks, which allow you to learn more about this spiritual site from an Aboriginal guide.

The Mala Creation

A central belief of the Dreamtime creation is Mala – and this is how Uluru came to be. The word Uluru means a great pebble.

A group called the Mala – who are men-wallabies were travelling through the desert. They came from the North, to perform a ceremony. They got ready for the ceremony while they were in a cave, but a group of Wintalka people flocked in from a westerly direction. They invited the Mala into their ceremony, but they were rejected because the Mala had already begun their ceremony.

Feeling sad at this rejection, the men returned to their people, who became angry and upset. They decided to form a malicious entity called the Kurpany. The Kurpany is a devil-dog that sought to destroy the men. Kurpany travelled to find the men, but a local fisherwoman Luuṉpa spotted him. She then got turned into a large rock. The Mala men were killed, and trapped inside of the large cave.

A culturally significant site

The creation of Uluru through Mala is still known today, and it is a very culturally significant site for Aboriginal history. The bottom caves that link the ground to the rock are still used for ceremonial practices today. For over 60,000 years, the Anangu people have been the traditional custodians of the area. In 1985, the land was returned to them, and the Uluru site was rightfully handed back to the Anangu people, the traditional custodians.

The huge slices that cut through the rock are markings of ancestral beings that imprinted on it. It has always been considered the responsibility and the life work of the Anangu people, to look after Uluru.

For a more in-depth knowledge of Mala, and to gain a cultural experience of Uluru, join the Mala Walking Tour!