Ignorant woman performs striptease on sacred Australian aboriginal land

[nemesis]

9:48am UK, Monday June 28, 2010

Ian Woods, Australia correspondent

An exotic dancer has prompted outrage by performing a striptease at the top of Aboriginal Australia's most sacred site.

French-born Alizee Sery walked to the summit of Uluru - formerly known as Ayers Rock - and was filmed stripping down to her bikini bottoms.

The central Australian site is considered so important to the country's indigenous people, they ask visitors not to climb the monolith or even take photos and videos.

Despite this, the government allows tourists to explore the rock while it considers a climbing ban.

It has adopted a wait-and-see approach, postponing a decision and promising to consult with tour operators as well as local people.

Indigenous leaders now want Ms Sery deported - but she claims she did it as a "tribute" to their culture.

"I do not mean in any way for this video to offend the Aboriginal culture, I am aware that Uluru is sacred in their culture," she told Northern Territory News.

"My project is a tribute to the greatness of the rock. What we need to remember is that traditionally, the Aboriginal people were living naked.

"So stripping down was a return to what it was like.

"After such a hard climb, when you reach the top, the view and the magic of the place gives you an amazing feeling of peace and freedom.

"You want to sing, dance - and strip."



Ms Sery was filmed on top of Uluru

But Alison Hunt, a member of the board of management that runs the site, said she was angry and disgusted at the stunt.

"This is an important spiritual place. It's not a tribute to the traditional owners, it's an insult.

"We try to share our land and work together and we think it is disgusting for someone to try and make money out of our sacred land."

David Ross, director of the Central Land Council which represents the traditional owners of Uluru, said the woman should be deported.

"Too often Uluru is used as a place for individuals to pursue some questionable personal development activities at the expense of Aboriginal law and culture," he said in a statement.

But despite the outrage, a writer with The Australian newspaper has put the raunchy stunt in perspective by reminding readers that the rock used to be seen as the outback equivalent of the "Mile High Club".

David Nason said: "There was a time not so long ago when young lovers in Alice Springs thought nothing of demonstrating their affections for each other atop Ayers Rock.

"Sure, she might have applied some of the exotic skills of her trade in completing the task but even so, it would barely have counted as foreplay in the rock's fornicating yesteryear."

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Uluru-Strip-Australia-Exotic-Dancer-Prompts-Aboriginal-Outrage-After-Ayers-Rock-Striptease/Article/201006415655822?f=rss


and in another report

 A French-born stripper has been filmed dancing near-naked on top of Aboriginal Australia's most sacred site, Uluru, in what she says is a homage to local indigenous people.

Alizee Sery, a 25-year-old exotic dancer, has been labelled ''stupid'' and local indigenous elders have described the act as the equivalent of defecating on the steps of the Vatican.

more:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/australia/3862126/Uluru-strip-angers-indigenous-people

[Defend the Sacred]

I haven't looked into all the links, but to me this seems an obvious publicity stunt, with no "honoring" involved or intended (unless the woman in question is mentally ill).

If she really did think it was an honor, it does seem typical of so many of the offensive actions we've seen, where the outsider to a culture wants to determine what is honorable behavior based on their values, not the values of the culture they are "honoring".

[nemesis]

Definitely a cheap publicity stunt by someone who seems unable to comprehend the first thing about respecting other people's culture and land.

There are a couple of videos of her "performance" on youtube and the comments are interesting.

The Aboriginal people and their supporters are furious, understandably, but there are a lot of pig ignorant comments claiming that, as people have been climbing up the rock to have sex for decades that the striptease is no big deal.

I can't imagine how such outrageous statements would make the Aboriginal people feel.

Hopefully something good will come out of it and the whole area will be closed to all but the Aboriginal people, which is how it should have been in the first place.

[Wayne]

Hopefully something good will come out of it and the whole area will be closed to all but the Aboriginal people, which is how it should have been in the first place.

Agreed, altough it is still a dream of mine to be able to visit this holy place.
When visiting i would do so in the presence of an aboriginal and listen to what he or she has to say.

Blessings,

Wayne

[nemesis]

Hopefully something good will come out of it and the whole area will be closed to all but the Aboriginal people, which is how it should have been in the first place.

Agreed, altough it is still a dream of mine to be able to visit this holy place.
When visiting i would do so in the presence of an aboriginal and listen to what he or she has to say.

Blessings,

Wayne

Wayne

You describe native people, whether American or Australian, as though they are merely actors in the theatre of your internal world, devoid of any needs, feelings or rights outside of your personal aspirations.

You post on a thread about Ayer's Rock, sacred ground to Australian aboriginal people, ground that they have repeatedly made clear should be for their access only.  You opine that you would visit this very place that they don't want you to visit "in the presence of an aboriginal and listen to what he or she has to say".

If only you had bothered to read the thread you would know what the aboriginal people have to say.  They say "stay away from our sacred land".

From where do you think you will obtain this aboriginal person who you imagine will accompany you to Ayer's Rock?

How do you propose to approach them to ask them about their feelings?  Something like "Hi there! Sorry about the genocide, land theft, boarding schools, rapes and other horrific abuses, but would you mind terribly if I just took a stroll around on your sacred land?"  

When they say that they do not want people who are not aboriginal to visit Ayer's Rock you seem to imagine that they mean everyone except for you.

[Durare]

I wonder how they would reply if somebody did a strip show in a church! Probably get way more media attention and whoever did it would certainly be charged.  Lovely double standard we have here.

It makes me sick that people would do things like this, and she even admitted to knowing that the site was sacred.

[Wayne]

A man has to have dreams nemesis!
Some dreams never come true.
If a aboriginal would say to me:"i'd not have you go there" i would listen.
That is what i mean by listening too!
You accuse me of seeing people as merely actors.... and so on.
It kind of strikes me as you blame me for what you are doing yourself now.
I'm merely a dumb white-guy, who will never understand you....
What happened to mutually understanding?
I'm trying to understand your points of view and are merely asking your opinion on it.
Not your condemnation!
If it is the purpose of this board to shun the white-guy, then say so and i will be on my way.
It will however not help you in getting the understanding you seem to seek.

Sjeesh.... what a guy has to do, to get a little respect over here!
Come on everybody, let's bash the white-guy.
That is how i feel right now.
Is that what you want?
I really don't think so.

Please don't do to others what has been done to you?

Many blessings,

Wayne

[taraverti]

Wayne,

You need to check out nemesis' intro thread.

http://www.newagefraud.org/smf/index.php?topic=2521.0

For the record, I'm an old white lady from Pennsylvania and I agree with her.

Taraverti

[critter - a white non-ndn person]

A man has to have dreams nemesis!

but not at the expense of others.. then it is called a nightmare..

[Wayne]

My reply still stands, it doesn't matter to me, who made the remark, the remark made me feel the way i do.
I hear a lot of.... you have to read this, or like you haven't read this correctly.....
I can say the same of already some people on this board.
I'm convinced we all try to read things the way they are intended, so please don't lower yourself to the point, in wich you attack somebody on not (yet) understanding.
Instead try and explain, without accusing.
When i have to keep on defending myself...... it will go from bad to worse....
That is not what i want.
I invite you to read my other posts also and i mean really read, not singling out a small part of my text.
One of the members here has done so already and he/she got a reply from me in wich i answered all the questions to the best of my ability.

Many blessings,

Wayne

[Smart Mule]

but not at the expense of others.. then it is called a nightmare..

Thats a really good explaination!

[Wayne]

@critter,
I agree, i hope you see how i mean things.
It is not, that every dream has to come true.... i'd rather not, then there would be no dreams left.
What one's dream is, can be an other's nightmare.
This goes both ways, so mutual understanding is key here.

Many blessings,

Wayne

[Smart Mule]

Wayne I don't think Taraverti was trying to attack you or put you on the defensive.  I think she was attempting to show you the perspective and position on sensitive issues of another individual who is a member of the dominant culture.

And just a note.  Sometimes life comes along with what my grammy referred to as 'broom teachings'.  These teaching oppertunities may be difficult and sometimes emotionally hard to accept, but they are for our benefit, whether to keep us safe, to keep others safe, to smarten us up when we need a wake up call etc.

[critter - a white non-ndn person]

@critter,
I agree, i hope you see how i mean things.
It is not, that every dream has to come true.... i'd rather not, then there would be no dreams left.
What one's dream is, can be an other's nightmare.
This goes both ways, so mutual understanding is key here.

Many blessings,

Wayne

wayne, i do see how you see things because i am a white person who
lives in a culture that sees things how you see. but i choose to look
the other way because it is better for me, and i believe, for all.

it is better to remove such dreams from your mind.. and find dream
that is not a nightmare for another. as buddhists says, 'to benefit all
sentient beings'.. not just the few privileged..  

i believe you are not "trying" to trample.. and yet you trample..
sometimes it is good to move your eyes to look out at the world from
another person's face. see what they see.. and never be afraid to
change your views..even if that takes you far from your comfort zone
and from where you've learned to be.

if your dream is another person's nightmare.. then it is not so good
a dream to have.. even if it is one that you know will never come true.
by dreaming of it.. you are supporting it..

[Wayne]

I understand critter,
Yes a dream could be .... supportive of some trampling.
I still would want to talk about it with an aboriginal though. 
Just to understand, i'm very eager to learn about people in general.
I've been at the "hunnebedden" here in the Netherlands, wich are ancient buriel-grounds.
I felt the spirits there, so i was wondering about other places in our world, how they would feel.
I plan to visit sites, wich are strong like that, but i do not want to upset in anyway the indiginous people by doing so.
This is ofcourse not always possible, so i have a choice.... follow my own dream, or.... respect the culture and beliefs of the people the land is holy to.
The choice is obvious to me..... it will always be the latter.
If one can set aside his/her dreams for the benefit of other(s), then you teach others to do the same.
Sort of leading by example. 
Imagine.... i would have the money to go to down-under.
There's this tourguide who is selling the Uluru-tour.
I would ask him if there is a native guide, if so i would want to talk to him and ask him about the holiness of the place.
I would bet that he would say he'd rather have no whities around uluru, then i would not go.
Stating, that i respect the customs out loud, so i would make other tourists uneasy to go.
But..... it will remain a dream.
So yes, a dream can be supporting of trampling.
I choose to use my dream(s) to benefit the good of the many.
Thanks again critter!

Many blessings,

Wayne