"Many of the Anangu themselves live in a trash-strewn community near the rock... a jarring contrast to the exclusive resorts that surround the monolith..."

"... where tourists seated at white tablecloths drink sparkling wines and eat canapés as the setting sun turns Uluru a vivid red. Those tourists point to other dualities, too. While Uluru is so sacred to the Anangu that there are certain parts that they do not want photographed or even touched, they welcome the visitors who tool around its base on camels or Segways, or take art lessons in its shadow. Then there is the challenge that comes with making the case that the rock is sacred without being able to say why.... 'They can’t tell you the secrets it holds, because then they’d be breaking their traditional law, and if they break their traditional law, they’re rubbishing their inheritance,' [the author of a book about Uluru] Ms. Cowley said.... Some people who say the rock should remain open to climbing argue that it is part of a national park and therefore should belong to everyone. And there are those who discount the indigenous claims that climbing the rock offends their laws, pointing to photos from decades ago showing indigenous guides leading white people up Uluru.... 'Every day, thousands of people are climbing; they’re expressing their opinions by their actions,' [a geologist] said. ;Everyone has a right to experience this place on their own terms without being bothered by petty bureaucracy and the religious views of others.'"

From "A Climbing Ban at Uluru Ends a Chapter. But There’s More to This Australian Story/While the ban on ascending the iconic rock is a once-unthinkable victory for an Aboriginal people, they still face material hardship and a measure of resistance" (NYT). Today is the last day for climbing Australia's big rock.

Lots of photos at the link. To my eye, the people look awful on the rock, and I like the ban if only as a preservation of beauty. Stand back and look. Don't put yourself on the thing and ruin the sight. I don't need a claim of longstanding religious belief to say that. It's sad that people won't simply honor the Anangu and accept their refusal to say why they understand the rock to be sacred. I'm surprised that people are willing to be so disrespectful — is this really happening? — as to question the sincerity of their professed beliefs.