(Translated by https://www.hiragana.jp/)
Tjukurpa - Anangu culture
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Parks and reserves

Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park

Uluru and visitor centre

Tjukurpa - Anangu culture

Passing on Tjukurpa culture | The creation period | Anangu moral belief and law | Anangu language

 

The term, Tjukurpa/Wapar, includes many complex but complementary concepts.

Tjukurpa/Wapar encompasses:

There is not a single word in English that conveys the complex meaning of Tjukurpa. This is why at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park we use the Pitjantjatjara word. The Traditional Owners who speak Yankunytjatjara use the word Wapar to mean the same complex body of Law and beliefs.


Tjukurpa/Wapar versus Dreamtime/Dreaming

'Dreamtime' or 'Dreaming' is often used to describe the way Anangu see their origins. This translation, originally made by non-Aboriginal people, suggests the beliefs are unreal and changeable. Tjukurpa/Wapar is no dream, and there is no such word as 'Dreamtime' in Anangu language.

Anangu are pleased that this interaction between themselves and the land has now been recognized as being of World Heritage value.

 

Passing on Tjukurpa

Tjukurpa is not written down, but is an oral culture. It is a cultural obligation to pass on this knowledge to the right people. Ceremonies play an important role in the passing on of knowledge. Specific people or groups in a kinship system have responsibility to maintain different sections of Tjukurpa. This knowledge is carefully passed on to people who have inherited the right to that knowledge through, for example, their birthplace, or earned the right, for example, by progressive attendance at ceremonies.

There are many interrelated devices for remembering Tjukurpa, such as specific verses of inma (songs), site-related stories, ritual dances or art. The iwara (ancestral paths) are recalled in long sequential lists of sites, sometimes including sites beyond country which has been visited, and including sites belonging to other people.

Tjukurpa is also recorded in various designs and paintings, such as the 'dot' paintings of the Western Desert. These designs are often sacred, and use and creation is restricted to specific groups or individuals.

Some sounds are associated with particular Tjukurpa. The sound of the bullroarer, for example, is associated with secret men's ceremonies. It is for this reason that Anangu don't want bullroarer-like objects sold to tourists in the local area.

Tjukurpa is extremely important to Anangu. They can share some information with non-Aboriginal people, but the secret, sacred information must be protected and remain only with senior Anangu.


Tjukurpa in Park Management

Tjukurpa is the foundation of the Joint Management arrangement at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park


Tjukurpa and Park Visitors

While Anangu welcome visitors to the Park, they ask that you respect the importance of the place. For Anangu an essential part of 'keeping the Law straight' involves ensuring that knowledge is not imparted to the wrong people and that access to significant or sacred sites is not gained by the wrong people, whether wrong means men or women, Piranpa (non-Aboriginal) visitors or certain other Anangu. It is as appropriate for Anangu to care for these places as it is for non-Aboriginal religions to care for their churches, sacred precincts and relics. Even inadvertent access to some sites may be sacrilegious.

Within the bounds of appropriate access, Anangu want visitors to understand how they interpret this landscape through Tjukurpa/Wapar, and believe it will enhance their experience.

Anangu explanations of the Park's landscape form the core of interpretive materials prepared for visitors. These include brochures and signs and the interpretive display at the Cultural Centre.

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