Adelaide University makes history by adopting Aboriginal name

Joseph Guenzler Published July 22, 2025 at 1.30pm (AWST)

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Uncle Mickey O'Brien, co-Chair of Kaurna Warra Karrpanthi performs smoking ceremony. (Image: Supplied)

Adelaide University has become the first in Australia to include an Aboriginal name in its founding Act, adopting 'Tirkangkaku,' meaning 'Place of Learning' in the Kaurna language.

The name was proposed by Senior Kaurna Elder, Dr Uncle Lewis Yarlupurka O'Brien AO, following consultation with Aboriginal staff, the University of South Australia's Purkarninthi Elders in Residence, and with agreement from Uncle Rod O'Brien.

Cultural consent was provided by Kaurna Warra Karrpanthi and endorsed by the Adelaide University Transition Council.

Tirkangkaku acknowledges more than 65,000 years of continuous knowledge and reflects the University's connection to Kaurna Country.

Deputy Vice Chancellor Indigenous, Professor Steve Larkin, said the institution is committed to a future guided by First Nations knowledge.

"Adelaide University will build on the legacies of its foundation institutions to break down intergenerational cycles of disadvantage and ensure that First Nations perspectives and knowledges inform outstanding research and innovative teaching to define a new chapter," he said.

"We are honoured to have been bestowed a name in Kaurna language and to establish Adelaide University as a place where the world's oldest living culture will contribute to cutting-edge discovery.

"Learning is never passive and is reflected in the Kaurna suffix 'nindi', which means becoming or transforming into - and this is the spirit in which Tirkangkaku is anchored."

*Adelaide University's Kaurna name - Tirkangkaku. (Image: Supplied)*

Professors David Lloyd and Peter Høj AC, co-Vice Chancellors of Adelaide University, said the adoption marked a shared milestone.

"This is a proud moment in the collective histories of Adelaide University, the state of South Australia and the nation as a whole, marking an important step in embedding First Nations culture and truth-telling for new generations," they said.

They described Tirkangkaku as a meeting point for people, communities and disciplines, focused on two-way knowledge exchange, equity and shared progress.

*L-R: Alison Denee and Uncle Mickey O'Brien co-Chairs of Kaurna Warra Karrpanthi, Professor David Lloyd and Professor Peter Hoj AC, Co-Vice Chancellors Adelaide University. (Image: Supplied)*

The University has also introduced a dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Pathway program to support students entering higher education.

An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research Strategy is set to be launched, aimed at enhancing Indigenous knowledge, partnerships and outcomes.

A new First Nations-led artwork is being commissioned to incorporate Tirkangkaku into the university's visual identity.

Adelaide University has acknowledged the Kaurna, Boandik and Barngarla Peoples and Elders past and present, as Traditional Owners of the lands across its campuses.