Mending the Wall
(One of my favourite poems, Mending the Wall, by Robert Frost symbolically presents the potential for conflict that arises between people because of a clash of ideology and worldviews.)
The narrator instinctively does not like the wall, “something there is that doesn’t love a wall”. Specifically, he does not like to be hemmed in; he believes that there is no practical reason for the fence; they do not need to restrict the apple trees or the pine trees; they are not like cows that roam.
Alternatively, the neighbour believes that, “good fences make good neighbours”. Such a view appears to be associated with darkness “not of woods only”. He appears conditioned, perhaps by his father, to view a wall as a good thing to have. Symbolically the neighbour’s territorial view of the world is anti-social and anti-community oriented. This leads to aggression, violence, wars. This is clearly evident in many clashes in society between the powerful and the powerless or between victims and oppressor, or between the progressives and the conservatives.
Likewise, those who visit Uluru are asked to think about their views of, and relationship to, nature. The sign says: “Since the 1940s, Uluru has been promoted as a place to climb”. The Anangu believes this attitude suggests strong emotions of pride, ownership and conquest. Rather they believe that we should respect the traditional stories of ancestors that speak through the ages about origins and life.
The names we give to the landscape
The way we name landscapes also reflects our relationships. “Every rock, every hill, every water, I know that place backwards and forwards, up and down, inside out. It’s my country and I got names for every place.” (Aboriginal artist, Queenie McKenzie at Black Fellas Creek, Old Texas, 1995) As Queenie McKenzie so aptly shows, the names we assign to natural landmarks, reflects our relationship with the world around us. Hers reflects a deep instinctive and intimate relationship.
Naming is an important process by which we interpret, evaluate and control the land. Up until 1993, Ayers Rock reflected the conqueror’s act of triumph in the desert. Then in 1993 we reverted to the dual name of Ayers Rock/Uluru to reflect its significance to the indigenous peoples. Significantly, in 2002 the name was changed to Uluru/Ayers Rock to reflect the prior rights of the Anangu. Prioritising the indigenous names, Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Juta (The Olgas), over the explorers’ names reflects the cultural significance of these landmarks; most importantly these names seek to relegate the settlers’ story of conquest and discovery.
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