In a powerful gesture of reconciliation, cultural respect, and national pride, Adelaide University has become the first university in Australia to receive an Aboriginal name officially written into its founding legislation.

The name — Tirkangkaku — is a Kaurna word meaning Place of Learning. More than just a translation, it’s a gift from the Kaurna people, whose enduring presence on this land spans over 65,000 years of continuous culture, discovery, and knowledge-sharing.

Proposed by Senior Kaurna Elder Dr Uncle Lewis Yarlupurka O’Brien AO, and supported by Kaurna Warra Karrpanthi and Elders in Residence from the University of South Australia, the naming represents a cultural milestone for South Australia — and indeed the nation.

“This is not just a symbolic gesture,” say co-Vice Chancellors Professors David Lloyd and Peter Høj AC, “Tirkangkaku reflects our university’s deep commitment to truth-telling, two-way knowledge exchange, and building a future shaped by both excellence and equity.”

In Kaurna language, the suffix “nindi” means becoming — and Tirkangkaku embodies this spirit of transformation. Adelaide University’s new identity aims to break intergenerational barriers, empower Indigenous students, and bring Aboriginal knowledge systems into the mainstream of research and innovation.

Deputy Vice Chancellor Indigenous, Professor Steve Larkin, adds: “We’re not just teaching history — we’re making it. Tirkangkaku positions us as a global place of learning where the world’s oldest living culture helps shape tomorrow’s discoveries.”

In a fitting tribute, a First Nations-led artwork is also being commissioned to visually represent Tirkangkaku in the university’s new identity — weaving together culture, Country, and academia.

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