84 Australian Geographic
is “kulini”, which encompasses “to listen, hear, think
about/consider, decide, know about, understand, remem-
ber, have a premonition from a sensation in the body
and, yes, to feel”. With this in mind, I head into the
park one last time before f lying back east.
“Get a mat so we can sit on the ground and talk
properly,” says Yuka Trigger, a traditional owner and
outgoing board member. She explains the Anangu way
of becoming Ninti (learning through experience, becom-
ing familiar). It’s an important part of the way tourists
can experience Uluru. “If they’re prepared to sit with
me and join in then maybe I’ll show them my culture,”
she says. Yuka wants more “young ones” in work. When
they see others working, momentum is possible, and
they need to be working for their children, she explains.
Yuka is with her niece, Gloria Moneymoon, who
explains that she has a five-year-old grandson. “First
and foremost for him is learning the Anangu way, but
he must also learn the Western world,” she says. “Peo-
ple come from all over to Uluru, but then they go home.”
The women speak in Pitjantjatjara, with some English,
and I’m grateful for Alex Mercer from Parks Australia,
who sits with us and translates. Their message is unmis-
takeable. The future for Anangu is here in the park and
with their community at Mutitjulu, just 5km from the
base of the rock. They care deeply about what’s in store
for their tjitji tjuta (children), and employment is crucial.“Nyangatja Ananguku ngura [This is an Ana ng u place],”
Gloria says. It’s a phrase about the area’s character,
people’s obligations, and what’s necessary for wellbeing.
Grant Hunt, chief executive of Voyages Indigenous
Tourism, the company behind Ayers Rock Resort,
served on the park’s board with Yuka, his tenure ending
in August last year. Together, they voted to end the
climb. “My main focus is, how do I get more Anangu
in jobs and therefore improve their livelihoods and
living conditions?” Grant says. “And second, how do I
advance Aboriginal kids who come in [to here] from all
across Australia?”
Remote communities such as Mutitjulu have had an
unemployment rate of 70 or 80 per cent for decades,
he says, with literacy and numeracy their biggest chal-
lenges. At Ayers Rock Resort, 334 out of 885 staff are
Aboriginal, including 21 Anangu. The generosity of“My main focus is, how do I
get more Anangu in jobs and
therefore improve their
livelihoods and living conditions?”
A visiting family enjoyan
Indigenous-guided garden walk
at Uluru, which is a free daily
activity at Ayers Rock Resort.PHOTO CREDIT: COURTESY VOYAGES INDIGENOUS TOURISM AUSTRALIA