Aboriginal perspective on climbing
Home › Forums › Climbing Talk › Aboriginal perspective on climbing
- This topic has 11 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 16 years, 7 months ago by
Blaze.
-
AuthorPosts
-
Blaze
Hello everyone. My name is Blaze and I am a novice climber and an Aboriginal person originally from the Pilbara. I’m doing some post graduate study at the moment and quite by accident have come across some interesting stories I thought fellow WA climbers with a bent for history might be interested in.
Most histories of rock climbing in Australia (the few that there are) begin with colonial or early Australian climbers. However, Aboriginal people have been climbing, traversing and scrambling up rocks on this continent for thousands of years as a part of daily life.
There are many accounts in Western Australia’s colonial records of the remarkable skill of Aboriginal climbers. One colonist wrote of a technique Aboriginal climbers used where they would only use the big toe on each foot to support themselves.
Other colonists commented on the ability of Aboriginal climbers to use the toes like another set of fingers.
Many of the most remarkable feats of climbing prowess are found in Western Australia’s colonial prison records. When the British formally invaded the West Coast of Australia in 1829 they realied heavily upon prisons to subdue a feirce Aboriginal resistence (particularly in the north west of the state).
Many of you are probably familar with some of these old colonial gaols such as Rottnest Island (Wadjemup), the Round House and the Old Roebourne Gaol.
There were many escapes from these and other prison locations by scaling walls that it was thought (at least by the prison authorities) to be impossible to climb. Barbed wire and glass was used at the top of many walls as it was found that there were Aboriginal people who could escape even over walls with virtually no holds.
Outside of the prisons the rocks, ravines, and gorges(and the ability to climb them) became an important part of Aboriginal resistence, particularly in the Kimberlies. Rocky hills and outcrops could be climbed to escape mounted police and could sometimes provide a faster route to a destination.
The relationship between Aboriginal people and rocks is a deep one. In the Aboriginal worldview everything is alive and has spirit and feeling. Rocks are alive in the same way people are and you can be related to a rock in the same way as you are related your mother or sibling.
There is an entire world of philosophy here that I won’t go into but next time your climbing outdoors seemingly alone in the middle of nowhere remember that it’s not an empty space, it’s just empty of humans. And just as your eyeing off that great outcrop to lead up consider that that rock might be eyeing you off as well 🙂
– Blaze
John Knight
Thanks for that, I’ve actually been eyeing off those same gaols for years!
Perhaps you could shed some light on Aboriginal perspective on something else; climbing in certain areas, such as Boulder Rock? It’s always been an issue that’s been in the too-hard basket when the subject’s brought up, are you able to bring any first hand perspective on the issue?
Gawd I’d love to climb some of those prison walls in Freo…..
Blaze
I am from the Pilbara and though i live down here this is Nyoongah Country and I am not qualified or authorised in any way to speak for the local community down here. But your totally right to bring up the question. If CAWA is interested in trying to find out information on the cultural significance of popular climbing places around Perth (or looking for an ok or permission to climb) I know a few people I could put them in contact with. It might be useful if the appropriate permissions could be obtained to include some of this information in the CAWA climbing guide.
However, the reality is that there will be some places where the local Aboriginal community who have cultural responsibility over that area will not want people climbing there.
The biggest national icon in this regard is probably Uluru. Thousands of tourists walk past a sign at the base of the rock every year that requests people not to climb up it as it is a sacred place (with many sacred places around it) and it is really heartbreaking for the local community up there to see this and be powerless to stop it.
Personally, if the local group with cultural responsibility over the site does not want people climbing there i wouldn’t climb it. I am sure most climbers would agree with me that climbing often feels like more than simply a sport. It can be quite a personal way of testing the mind and body, and if that personal journey comes at the expense of others then it lessens the whole point in climbing something in the first place. At least in my opinion 🙂
– Blaze
ed nepia
Thanks Blaze, its really interesting to hear an aboriginal perspective on this strange ‘sport’ of ours.
I find it utterly depressing that so many tourists can ignore the wishes of the local people and climb a sacred place such as Uluru.
I do wonder if all the travel companies who avidly market a visit to Uluru take responsibility for minimsing the negative cultural impacts that their business brings?
I believe most climbers take a responsible approach to dealing with the ecological and cultural impacts of climbing once they have been informed.
Your message is really important for that reason.
cheers
John Knight
Cheers for that man, hell maybe we could set a precedent… 🙂
I think we’re all ticked off by the idea of Uluru climbing though, I agree with you though, about it being more than a sport, and indeed, what’s the difference between us climbing it and a kid walking by?
Chalk is the only thing I can think of, and I could fully understand why this would annoy local elders and would wholeheartedly support non-chalk use. I think 99% of us here are environmentally sensitive in this area though. But hell, I’m getting ahead of myself. 🙂
If it were brought up at a CAWA meeting and CAWA actually talked to local elders about it, it could serve as a positive example for the rest of the climbing world….
Blaze
Not trying to represent all Aboriginal views here (just my own) but the reasons why people would want to make a place off limits to climbing wouldn’t really be about the chalk. While environmental degregdation of rocks can be an issue the bigger issue is more of a cultural one.
Some of this can be really involved so I’ll just give a couple of examples of some of the sensitivities that could be involved.
In our creation stories we have many powrful creation beings that created the world and everything in it – including Aboriginal people. They are our Ancestors. These beings were not human they could be animal or even something far more abstract. When they finished creating the world they went into their creation (the earth). Sacred places are often special places where an ancester passed through (and took some action at that site) (along a songline / Dreaming trail) or where one rests – i.e the Ancestor went into the earth at that specific location.
What this means for rock climbing is that some rockfaces may be special for a number of reasons but two straightfoward ones are 1) the rock face is part of a Dreaming trail that an Ancestor travelled and did something at that specific site making it special spiritually. These sites need to be maintained to balance the earth and their ruin is to the detriment of all peoples.
2) the rockface you are climbing IS an Ancestor. Some Ancestors became rocks as they went back into their creation. In fact many did. Now if you add in the fact that we are descended from these Ancestors its vaugly like me coming over to your house and leading up and down your grandmother. (worse than that but that’s the best analogy i can think off)
Also we have many different kinds of beings that live in and around rocks that are part of the world just like you and me.
To be clear I am not advocating all outdoor climbing be banned – i have enjoyed it myself on the few trips i have been on. Nor am I saying all rocks are sacred. However, there are very specific places with very specific cultural significance that people in your local Aboriginal community will know about and may request they not be climbed on.
John Knight
Sorry, I just meant Boulder Rock there, not rocks in general, I’m gonna have to stop typing stuff at 11:30 at night! Thanks for perspective though, cool stuff.
Blaze
ahh sorry for the speech! I don;t know about Boulder rock but i know a guy you can ask.
John Knight
lol, no worries man, glad you said it, useful to us all. i’m not on the CAWA committee anymore (as far as I know, don’t think I’m in CAWA anymore!!!), but if you have some info we can take things further with, that’d be awesome.
particularly if we compiled some of your findings and studies on the history of Aboriginal climbing, could result in something cool. 🙂
Simpleton
Please excuse my simple version of your explanation…
I would liken the communities reaction to trespassing and destruction of any Sacred site to how I would feel if I saw someone standing on top of a headstone or grave at a cemetary… a desecration.
But that’s off track. Could you provide directions to some reference material we might be able to have a read of because I would be interested to know more? I’m sure others wouldn’t mind knowing either.
Elliot
Hehe.
I remember when I was living out in the Pilbara on Martu, some of the Jigalong and Punmu elders and kids were climbing around on some nice cliffs/boulders out Kintyre way 🙂 Good fun. Got some photos 🙂
Blaze
I could dig some reading material out if your interested but it depends on what specifically your interested in 🙂 There is some general stuff you could read about the culture / spirituality – but in terms of published material specifically on rocks you would have to hunt around as there is bits and pieces in lots of different things. All the really interesting stuff mostly isn’t written down either. (i know that’s not super helpful but just the way it is)
To be honest there are some really knowledgeable people in the local Aboriginal community who could talk for an age about this and would be useful for cawa to reach out to. My email is [email protected] I am happy to make initial contact with some locals if Cawa is interested.
-
AuthorPosts
