Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures

     The Cross-Curriculum priorities for learning related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are identified by ACARA ("Cross-Curriculum Priorities|ACARA, n.d.). One of these priorities identified is to encourage students to increase their understanding of Australia by 'engaging' with these cultures. In relation to geography, ACARA outlines the cross-curriculum priorities in the document : Shape of the Australian Curriculum : Geography (ACARA, n.d.). This blog discussion will focus on the connection between person and place, and what that means to a particular person. The place for discussion today is Uluru and focuses on the connection this place has to the Aboriginal people.

  Uluru: Image by Australian Geographic

     The Aboriginal name of Uluru was given back the traditional title on the 15th December, 1993 (Australian Geographic Journal (blogs, 2013), and was formerly known as Ayers Rock. The Anangu people located in Central Australia are the traditional land owners, and acknowledge the sacred and spiritual significance of Uluru. "Uluru marks the site of significant events from The Dreaming - when creator beings formed the landscape - and is also the home of their ancestors" (Australian Geographic Journal (blogs, 2013).

     The following link: Payla! welcome to Anangu Land discusses the spiritual significance of the land on page 4 of the document, and on page 14 discusses the reasons given in relation to not climbing Uluru. "Land is fundamental to the wellbeing of Aboriginal people. The land is not just soil or rocks or minerals, but a whole environment that sustains and is sustained by people and culture. For Indigenous Australians the land is the core of all spirituality and this relationship and the 'spirit' of country is central to the issues that are important to indigenous people today" ("Australian Indigenous cultural heritage - australia.gov.au", n.d.).

     Uluru is significant to Aboriginal people throughout the whole country. This demonstration of connection between person and place within a community assists students to understand culture and land connection. The student then has the opportunity to make a connection themselves, therefore making this place significant in their life. The benefits of this are: respect for each other and other cultures, respect for the environment and an understanding of spiritual connection to the land.

     The Holy Bible states in Genesis 2:15 "The Lord God has placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it"(New Living Translation, 2004). God gives us a road map to understand the importance of   caring for the land, and students can learn many valuable lessons from the Anangu people.

References: 
Aboriginal Peoples' connection to land-Queensland Museum. (n.d.). Retrieved from
      http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/Find+out+about/Aboriginal+and+Torres+Strait+Islander+Cultures/Land
ACARA (n.d.). Shape of the Australian Curriculum : Geography. Retrieved from
      http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/-resources/Shape_of_the_Australian_Curriculum_Geography.pdf
Australian Geographic Journal (blogs) (2013, April). On this day:Uluru given its Aboriginal name. Retrieved April 20, 2013 from www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/on-this-day-in-history-uluru-given-its-aboriginal-name.htm
Australian Government (n.d.). Payla! welcome to Anangu land. Retrieved April 23, 2013,
      from http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/publications/uluru/pubs/visitor-guide.pdf
Australian Indigenous cultural heritage-australia.gov.au. (n.d). Retrieved from
      http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austn-indigenous-cultural-heritage
Cross-Curriculum Priorities | ACARA. (n.d.). Retrieved from
      http://www.acara.edu.au/cross_curriculum_priorities.html
Tyndale House Publishers (2004). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Wheaton, Ill: Tyndale House
      Publishers.

      Image: Retrieved from
Australian Geographic Journal (blogs) (2013, April). On this day:Uluru given its Aboriginal name.
Retrieved April 20, 2013 from www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/on-this-day-in-history-uluru-given-its-aboriginal-name.htm