Adelaide University is proud to stand with First Nations people and to be the first university in Australia to have provision for an Aboriginal name in its founding Act.
Tirkangkaku – meaning Place of Learning – is a gift from the Kaurna People who represent more than 65,000 years of continuous knowledge and discovery. It honours the University’s connection to Country and its commitment to ensuring the transformative potential for all.
The name emerged through collaboration, proposed by Senior Kaurna Elder, Dr Uncle Lewis Yarlupurka O'Brien AO, in consultation with Aboriginal staff and the University of South Australia’s Purkarninthi Elders in Residence with agreement from Uncle Rod O’Brien. Cultural consent was received from Kaurna Warra Karrpanthi and endorsed by the Adelaide University Transition Council.
“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,” say Professors David Lloyd and Peter Høj AC, co-Vice Chancellors, Adelaide University.
“Tirkangkaku represents a convergence of where people, communities and disciplines will meet in two-way knowledge exchange and step forward together through excellence and equity with a deep commitment to togetherness and an intertwined future.”
Adelaide University respectfully acknowledges the Kaurna, Boandik and Barngarla First Nations Peoples and their Elders past and present who are the Traditional Owners of lands that we call home to our campuses.
“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,” says Professor Steve Larkin, Deputy Vice Chancellor Indigenous, Adelaide University.
“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 has introduced a dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Pathway program to support students in forging their path through university studies and will launch an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research Strategy that will advance an inclusive and responsive institution to strengthen Indigenous knowledge, partnerships, and outcomes.
A piece of First Nations-led artwork is now being commissioned to support the integration of Tirkangkaku into the institution’s visual identity.
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.
Uncle Mickey O'Brien and Alison Denee, co-Chairs of Kaurna Warra Karrpanthi, Professor David Lloyd and Professor Peter Hoj AC, Co-Vice Chancellors Adelaide University.
Tirkangkaku signage at launch ceremony
Uncle Mickey O'Brien, Smoking ceremony at launch ceremony
