The Anangu are the traditional custodians of Uluru. “Anangu” is a broad local Indigenous term meaning “people,” used by several related Aboriginal communities of Central Australia.
The traditional owners around Uluru include Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara people, whose languages belong to the Western Desert language family. Their cultural law and knowledge are expressed through Tjukurpa, the interconnected traditions explaining ancestral journeys, sacred places, responsibilities and proper conduct.
Uluru is not simply a geological landmark in Anangu culture. Its caves, waterholes, tracks and formations are associated with ancestral beings and creation stories. On 26 October 1985, the Australian government returned the park’s title to the Anangu traditional owners, who leased it back for 99 years under a joint-management arrangement. A common mix-up is treating “Anangu” as one single language group; it is better understood here as a collective identity encompassing related communities.