Aboriginal Sacred Space



As Christians we believe that God created the heavens and the earth (GEN 1:1), but by acknowledging the stories of ‘The Dreaming’ we are acknowledging the sacred space of the aboriginal people.

  

Aboriginal dancers telling Dreamtime
stories at Sydney Olympics
opening ceremony


The Dreaming (sometimes referred as The Dreamtime or Dreamtimes) for Indigenous people is when the Ancestral Beings moved across the land and created life and significant geographic features, then after a while the Ancestors turned into a rock, plant, or something of the landscape. Aborigines have the longest continuous cultural history of any group of people on Earth. Before European settlement of Australia, there were around 600 different Aboriginal nations based on language groups. Aborigines valued the land a lot because of their ancestors past and because of the dreamtime.

One of the biggest tourist attractions in Northern Territory, Australia is Uluru (most commonly called Ayers Rock.) Uluru is located in Kata Tjuta National Park around 280 miles (450km) southwest of Alice Springs. The site has many tourists visiting it from all over the world, half from Australia. Uluru is recorded to be the biggest rock in Australia, Uluru is owned by the Aboriginal people.



Uluru (Ayers Rock)



There is still one issue that appears when addressing whether or not tourists or just anyone would be allowed to climb it. Some people think that you shouldn’t because over time it could to damage to it, others say that it is the Aboriginals land and that it should be left alone and preserved for them and that it is their sacred space, they say that you wouldn’t like it if someone intruded your sacred space so why should we intrude theirs. Others when they visit don’t tend to think about the background of the rock, they are just there for the experience of being on the biggest rock in Australia and to see the land from the top, it also takes a nice picture and brings in a lot of tourists.



Birds-eye view of Uluru



There have been recorded of some injuries and deaths accruing at the rock, mostly for natural reason like if they can’t handle the heat and get a heatstroke or if they aren’t fit enough, there are many different reasons but many people know of this but still visit the rock for the thrill.

So why should we respect their sacred space, which their sacred space is Uluru?

The Aboriginal people believe that the rock holds many stories that have originated in the Dreamtime. It is also their land but they don’t have much control over who visits so it is up to us to respect them because everyone deserves respect. Every single little detail of the rock has its own meaning that relates to the aboriginals, everything to the massive caves and water pools to the tiny little grooves and cracks.
I think we should defiantly respect the Aboriginals sacred space as it is one of their most famous sacred spaces and respect their wishes towards Uluru.