Who are the Anangu?
The Anangu are the Aboriginal people of the Western Desert region of Central Australia, including the Traditional Owners of Uluru and Kata Tjuta. Many speak the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara languages.
Anangu have lived in the region for tens of thousands of years. Their law, knowledge and culture, called Tjukurpa, explains how the land and its features were created by ancestral beings and guides how people should live.
In 1985, the title to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park was handed back to Anangu, who leased it to the federal government for 99 years. The park is jointly managed by Anangu and Parks Australia.
Sharing culture
Anangu guides lead tours at Uluru and Kata Tjuta, sharing stories, bush foods and art. The Cultural Centre near Uluru explains Tjukurpa through art and displays.
Anangu asked visitors for years not to climb Uluru, and the climb was permanently closed in 2019.
Many Anangu live in communities such as Mutitjulu, near the base of Uluru, and in the APY Lands of northern South Australia. Art centres in these communities produce paintings, punu (wood carvings) and weavings sold around the world.
The Maruku Arts centre and the Walkatjara Art Centre near Uluru support Anangu artists. Visitors are asked to respect sacred sites by not photographing certain areas, which are marked with signs around the base of the rock.
Did You Know?
The word Anangu means people in the Western Desert languages.