The Land Owns Us
Bob Randall, a Yankunytjatjara elder and traditional owner of Uluru (Ayer's Rock), explains how the connectedness of every living thing to every other living thing is not just an idea but a way of living. This way includes all beings as part of a vast family and calls us to be responsible for this family and care for the land with unconditional love and responsibility.
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Hits the nail on the head
[Indigenous] The Land Owns Us has a great and inspirational message. Time and time again I hear it from our elders “the solution”. Uncle Bob Randle hits the nail on the head with a lovingly clear message of how we were, how we have been mislead of which will ultimately improve us, turn back the clock and be the way we were and hopefully more.
The Land Owns us
I loved watching this film. It really spoke to me. Bob Randall is a lovely, gentle soul with an obvious love of, and connection to, the earth. I feel similar connection when I walk in the forest + heathland near where I live. I have always loved and cared about Mother Earth and found it very disturbing that people in high places (places of power) feel the oppposite - They don't care, they seek to destroy our natural habitat in favor of concrete cities which de-humanize people and scar the environment. BUT THE CHANGE CAN COME, FROM WITHIN EVERYONE, no matter who they are or where they live. We have to feel that connection to each other, to the earth, and start to live in a way that will help the earth survive to sustain future generations. We can change the world, there have been many 'prophets' telling us this and telling us how! All we have to do now is LISTEN! and then act from the heart. HEAL THE WORLD FOR OUR CHILDREN.
A shared 'Tawhid'
[The Land Owns Us] Bob Randall’s view of life and the peaceful happiness he felt by viewing everything around him as “one” was truly inspiring and something that I, as a Muslim, could definitely relate to. As an Aborigine, Bob viewed the land as owning the people as opposed to the Western view, where people own the land. He argued that everything in flesh dies, but the land still remains. Similarly, in the Quran, it says: “Verily everything will perish, except the face of thy Lord”.
My view of life as a Muslim is similar to Bob’s because I view everything and everyone as connected to each other: the birds, the flowers, the sky, the earth and every single human being on earth. The concept of oneness in Islam is called “Tawhid”. Bob mentioned in this short film that he was taught as a child that life was binding and connected everything and everyone. If one views everything and everyone as connected to their own Self, then they begin loving everyone and everything as they love themselves, for everything is part of them. This is why Bob says that caring for everything around you is an essential aspect of his view on life. The Prophet Muhammad also taught this very message when he said “Love others like you love yourself”.
In fact, I can relate to Bob’s perspective that by viewing everything as ‘one’, he can never feel lonely, because it is impossible to feel lonely when everything around you – the birds, the plants, other human beings, the land – are all part of you. I can relate to Bob’s spiritual connection to the world, and the joyful happiness he feels through my interpretation of Islam. Islam literally means ‘submission’ and for me, this means submitting to the idea that we are all one and therefore, we are all responsible to care, nurture and love each other and the world around us.
Needs modern context
Good to see the land around Uluru and the character of its indigenous guardian. A lot of what he said needs to be taken with knowledge of outback life today – how much requires input from outside to survive, how much is being destroyed not only by drink and exploitation, but also by too many people taking bush tucker where only a few used to live sustainably?
Artfully crafted
[From May '09 intro] The Land Owns Us is a personal account told by Bob Randall, the Aboriginal elder and traditional custodian of Uluru also featured in Melanie Hogan’s documentary “Kanyini”. Randall’s profound wisdom and twinkling, charismatic persona alone could have made this work. However, the filmmakers have created an artfully crafted film with a coherent central message using only the interview and some beautiful images of the central Australian outback.