The Magic of Curses By Harry Collins

     As someone with not a racist bone in my body, well, not many, I respect the curse that an Aboriginal leader has said will befall upon people climbing what was once via racism called Ayer’s Rock, but is now called … I can’t remember the name … getting senile …
  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7612047/A-curse-fall-Hundreds-expected-climb-Uluru-final-hours-ban.html?ico=pushly-notifcation-small

“People who have climbed Uluru since a ban was announced will be cursed, according to an Indigenous activist. Marcia Langton, the chair of Indigenous Studies at the University of Melbourne, re-tweeted a video of people queuing to climb the historic landmark on Thursday, a day before the practice was banned. The 67-year-old wrote: 'A curse will fall on all of them. They will remember how they defiled this sacred place until they die & history will record their contempt for Aboriginal culture.' On Friday hundreds of climbers were forced to wait for hours for strong winds to die down so they could scale the rock for the last time. Hundreds started lining up from 4am to climb the 348-metre high landmark in Alice Springs. But at 7am, when the rock climb usually opens, rangers put up a sign declaring it was closed.”

     I understand the need for a curse to unfold. I also think that the magic is real, because it certainly got results in the past, if one believed in pointing the bone. How can one be truly multicultural unless accepting the existence of spirits and curses from other cultures, otherwise one is just being a scientific imperialist, giving lip service to different cultures? But, for consistency, absolutely everyone who has climbed the rock should fall under the same curse too, because something sacred today, must have been sacred for all time. But does that include any indigenous people who have climbed it? Not sure, I will have to get back to you on that one.

 

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Monday, 02 December 2024

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