Uluru by Eva Johnson

Isolated rock,

that stands in silence

caress the earth,

while waters of tears

carry ancient stories

down your jagged crevasses,

to crystal pools

where women sing, wash, dance,

in ritual, protect

the secrets of your dreaming.

Hear their voices, their wails,

that echo against your ochred walls

whilst you stand dormant

only to be awakened

by voices of your keepers.

ACTIVITIES - answer these questions in your books

1. Look up and write down definitions for these words:

a. Caress -
b. Jagged -
c. Crevass -
d. Wail -
e. Ochre -
f. Dormant -
2. What are your feelings as you read the poem? (Look at the words to help you. Are
they mostly negative or positive?)
3. Highlight the following senses (select a different colour for each)-
a. SOUND / AUDITORY:
b. SIGHT / VISUAL:
c. TOUCH / TACTILE:
4. What references to the Dreaming are made in the poem?
5. Highlight the different words that show the different roles of Uluru such as
‘carry[ing] ancient stories’.
6. Who do you think are the ‘keepers’ of Uluru in the last line?
7. Why do you think Johnson has used Uluru as a symbol for the struggles of
Indigenous people?
8. The poem is talking to Uluru as if it were a person. This is called personification. Why
do you think she did this? What does it add to the meaning of the landscape?