The history of Uluru and Kata Tjuta
Anangu believe their culture has always existed here. The Central Australian landscape, of which Uluru and Kata Tjuta are an important part, was created at the beginning of time by ancestral beings.
Before Anangu ancestors arrived, the world was unformed and featureless. Ancestral beings emerged from this void and journeyed widely, creating all living species and the features of the desert landscape you see today. Uluru and Kata Tjuta provide physical evidence of feats performed during the creation period. Anangu are the direct descendants of these beings and are responsible for the protection and appropriate management of these ancestral lands.
The knowledge necessary to fulfill these responsibilities has been passed down from generation to generation in the form of the Tjukurpa.
Europeans did not come to the western desert area until the 1870's. Until the 1930's Anangu continued to live a traditional nomadic life - travelling in small family groups, hunting and gathering from the land, following and responding to seasonal changes and patterns, looking after the land by burning, looking after water holes, performing ceremonies and teaching knowledge and skills to young people.
This lifestyle remained largely uninterrupted until the 20th century.
- Early European history
- European contact in an Aboriginal reserve
- Growing Tourism in the park
- Developing a National Park
- Development of Aboriginal ownership and Joint Management
- Time line of significant events since European settlers
Download
- Preserving culture - a world first
- 20th Anniversary "Handback" - a brief background
- World Heritage (PDF - 196 KB)