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I'm Bruce Gulland and I'm Liz Wadde. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.
This is a story that Australia's native people tell.
Many years ago. The earth was very different. There were no mountains or hills. There was no sea. Then life came suddenly. These were the ancestors. They were spirits in the form of animals, plants, and people. The ancestors traveled across the earth. Because of them, the seas filled with water. Where they stepped, hills and mountains appeared. One of these mountains grew in the middle of the desert. Many of the ancestors lived on this mountain. The local people were
called the Ananu. They discovered the place and lived by it too. Today they call this special place Uluru.
Today's Spotlight is on this special place, Oolaroo.
What you have just heard is a story about the beginning of the world, told by the Onagnu people. The Onagnu are one of Australia's native people. They have lived in Australia for almost sixty five thousand years. The land is very important to the Onagnu. It is filled with their history. They even talk about the land as if it were a person. They call it my grandmother or my grandfather. For the Onagnu, the place they live is not just a place, it is part of who they are.
Oolaroo is one of the most important places for the Unagnw. It is a huge sandstone rock in the middle of a flat desert. From the ground to the top, it is three hundred and forty eight meters high and it is nine point four kilometers around. There are no other rocks or mountains around it. It has a dark red color, but when the sun shines on Ularu, the rock seems to change color. It is beautiful to see. It may even seem like magic. The Unagnu believe Ularu is sacred
or holy. For them, it shows how the world was created and it is a part of their beliefs.
But Oolaroo is not just important to the Onagnu. In the sixteen hundreds, European settlers sailed to Australia. After a long time, they found Oolaroo. They did not know about the Anagnu people and they did not understand the Onagnu religion. The Europeans believed Oolaroo was just another very beautiful place. Over time European settlers conquered Australia, they called Oolaroo by a different name. They called it Ayer's Rock, and many of them came to the place so that they could see it.
In nineteen thirty six, people began traveling to Ularu to see it. They were tourists. Many of these people wanted to climb the rock. At this time, Oolarou was in a national park and climbing it became part of visiting. Many Australians were very proud of Oolooroo. It was one of the most well known places in their country. It became one of Australia's national symbols. It was an example of what made their country beautiful and special.
But watching tourists climb Oolaroo was painful for the on Agnew. By Australian law, the on Agnew did not own the land, but they still believed in their own law. When tourists came to climb Oolaroo, they were walking on places special to the on Agnew. In a way, the tourists were even breaking on Agnew law, and tourists were destroying part of the rock. Pamela Taylor is on Agnew. She told the BBC.
Tourists are like insects, like ants. They climb up and down every day. Their shoes are scraping away at the rock. Little by little, their path is now clear from far away. It was not supposed to be like that.
For many years, the UNAGNU asked people not to climb Oolaroo. They put signs at the bottom of the rock to tell tourists why it was important, but people continued to climb. Finally, the UNIGNW decided that their law should govern Oolaroo. It was too important to them. The UNAGNU talked with the Australian government. They wanted their land back. In nineteen eighty five, they received their land, but they agreed to manage the land with the government.
But the honorednew also wanted to stop people climbing Oolaroo. The government did not know what to do. Many people did not want to stop the climbing on the rock, and tourism brought in a lot of money. Some people believed the Unagnew could even benefit. Maria Blias is a reporter for Northern Territory News. She writes that it is difficult to make money in that area.
She says, creating jobs for the an Annu can only be positive. It would bring a lot of money to people who need it. We could address safety issues from the climb, and we could employ more guides so that people obey an annew law. I can only see a chance to make a lot of money that we should explore.
But the Unagnew believe closing the climb will not drive people away. They say it will make Ularu more interesting. They plan to teach people about their culture. They want to tell tourists stories about Ularoo. Sammy Wilson is the board chairman of the Uluru Katajuta National Park. He told the Conversation.
Visitors do not need to worry that there will be nothing for them with the climb closed. There is so much else in the culture here. We have a lot to offer in this country. There are so many other smaller places that are culturally interesting that we can share. Instead of feeling disappointed, tourists can experience the place with the Anangu. They can enjoy that they learned so much about our culture.
And telling people about their culture has done a lot for the Aignu. The Onagnu could not close the Oolarou climb at first, but they began telling people about their culture and this started to change people's minds. Tourists began to respect the Onignu and they stopped climbing Oolaroo when asked. Then, in twenty seventeen, the Onignu asked to close Oolaroo again. They argued powerfully for their rights. Many other people joined the Onagnu, and this time the national park where Oolarou
sits agreed. The decision made some people angry, but Oolarou closed the climb in twenty nineteen.
Do you think it was right to close Oolaru to climbing or do places like this belong to everyone? You can leave a comment on our website or email us at Radio at Radio English dot net. Can also comment on Facebook at Facebook dot com slash Spotlight Radio.
The writer of this program was Dan Chrisman. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom, the United States, and New Zealand. All quotes were adapted for this program and devoiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again and read it on the internet at www dot Radio English dot net. This program is called Oolaroo, a special.
Rock visit our website to download our free app for Android or Apple devices. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye that