I had an eye-opening visit to Hermannsburg.
When I came to the end of what is called the Mereenie Loop (see map), a dirt road ride through the back end of King’s Canyon, I came to an intersection. One direction led to all the tourist nature spots around Alice Springs (an area called the West McDonnell Ranges), and the other was just a plain road that led back to Alice Springs. I chose the plain road.
I chose the road which led to Hermannsburg, a German town that grew from a Lutheran missionary thrust into the area in the late 1800’s. I am more interested in the social and cultural dynamics of an area. I am wondering why the town even exists. And I am wondering why it has a second name: Ntaria. Why not just call it Ntaria?
The Central Australia tourist brochure said “Get a taste of what life was like for the pioneers on the Hermannsburg Mission and learn its rich history. And make sure to try some of their famous apple strudel. ” I wanted to see what 2019 looked like in Hermannsburg. Interestingly enough, what I saw both puzzled and enlightened me.
First of all, the Hermannsburg Mission is treated like the California Missions. The old buildings are there, surrounded by a fence. Inside is described as “The Historical District.” One has to pay $12 to go see the missionary compound and its old buildings. (I didn’t go– I just looked in). Tourist fever had also hit this town and there is money to be made. I thought I could enjoy some strudel in a cafe somewhere. But no– the strudel is behind the fence; there is no restaurant anywhere in the town except for takeout food by the community store.
What is more interesting is that the whole town of Hermannsburg/Ntaria is actually two towns anchored by the corner store. It is like the community store is downtown. And Ntaria is the “poor side of town” much like Watts/South Central LA (for those who know Los Angeles); it is run-down and has a junky feel. And Hermannsburg is the “well-to-do-side of town”, much like Silverlake or Beverly Hills in Los Angeles. The black aborigines live in Ntaria, and the white Lutherans (yes they are still there) live in Hermannsburg. Both sections are less than a mile apart, but they are distinctly separate. I recall descriptions of the California missions, where the missionaries live in the compound, and the “natives” lived outside, surrounding the mission. That describes Hermannsburg/Ntaria. Just like the California missions–except that it exists in 2019. There are many German Lutherans still there, much of them older by now, in their nice houses. But they do run the church– still active on Sunday– and to their credit, a medical clinic, and a school. And also a separate community store. Yes, they have a separate community store, just a few blocks from the “community-owned” community store.
I stayed a couple of nights in the campground across from the community store. The campground is empty except for me because it looks like a run-down place. At night I could hear yelling and shouting, and loud dogs barking from Ntaria, while the Hermannsburg side is quite quiet.
Tourists, when they come in, drive through the town to the “Historic Hermannsburg” compound, do the tour, and drive right back out. Aboriginal communities– which includes Ntaria– are off limits, anyway, and there’s a sign that does say “Keep Out”
In the take-out food area (the restaurant) of the community store, there are still photos of the German Lutheran history. Apparently, the Germans still think highly of their endeavor.
It’s been close to 150 years since the German Lutherans stepped foot there into that community. And still, the separation between Ntaria and Hermannsburg– and the symbolism they represent– is very profoundly distinct.