Our name, Maruku, literally means “belonging to black”. This is because Maruku is owned and operated by Anangu -Aboriginal people from theWestern and Central Deserts of Australia. For over 30 years Maruku has operated as a not-for-profit art and craft corporation.In 1981 one of the first informal tent exhibitions was held at the base of Uluru when artists from Amata packed everything in a convoy of cars and trucks and travelled over to sell their work.

Later in the 1980s a series of traditional shades were built near the site of the current ranger station called Punu Ngura (home or place of wood), closer to the base of Uluru. This formed the Maruku Artists Collective and became a place where Anangu Artists could celebrate and share their culture with visitors from around the world. Approximately 900 Anangu artists make up the collective that is Maruku. Our purpose is to keep culture strong and alive for future generations of artists and make culture accessible in an authentic way to those that seek a more in-depth understanding.