First Nations people are advised that this page contains names, images and references to deceased persons.
Each one of the Parks within your Adelaide Park Lands has a Kaurna name, but few people are aware of the First Nations cultural stories or significance of sites within these Parks.
Kadaltilla /the Park Lands Authority has published what it calls a “Kaurna Voices Cultural Mapping tool” which aims to “bring to life the stories, heritage, and deep cultural connections of the Kaurna people” and “highlighting the significance of the Adelaide Park Lands through personal accounts and research.”
The tool is part of the City of Adelaide website: https://www.cityofadelaide.com.au/community/reconciliation/kaurna-voices/
It includes references to sites not only in your Park Lands, but also sites within the CBD.
The cultural mapping tool includes first-person video narratives from these Kaurna elders:
Clockwise from top left: Rosalind Coleman, in Bonython Park / Tulya Wardli (Park 27); Aunty Lynette Crocker, in the Botanic Garden (Park 11); Dr Lewis Yarlupurka O'Brien and Uncle Mickey Kumatpi O'Brien in Victoria Square / Tarntanyangga; and Aunty Yvonne Agius in Light Square / Wauwi
The Kaurna Voices Cultural Mapping tool also includes many illustrated written articles including topics such as:
Murlawirrpurka (aka “King John” or “Onkaparinga Jack”) who lends his name to what is otherwise known as Rymill Park (Park 14);
Murlawirrapurka’s two wives lamenting over his body in a wurley at the “Native Location”, January 1845. Watercolour by W.A. Cawthorne.
A former island within the River Torrens / Karrawirra Pari (“Paradise Lost”) in what is now Bonython Park / Tulya Wardli (Park 27):
River Torrens by John White c1890s
Executions of Kaurna people on what is now the North Adelaide golf course in Possum Park /Pirltawardli (Park 1):
“Early execution” c1840. Artist: John Michael Skipper. Image: Art Gallery of South Australia
Kadaltilla / the Park Lands Authority urges you to: “explore, learn, and connect with Kaurna culture. Together, we can continue to honour, respect, and understand the enduring relationship between the Kaurna people and this land.”
Browse the “Kaurna Voices” Kaurna Cultural mapping tool here: https://www.cityofadelaide.com.au/community/reconciliation/kaurna-voices/
