New name for Flinders Ranges
Much-loved South Australian national park renamed to recognise traditional ownersThe popular and picturesque Flinders Ranges National Park in South Australia has a new name, to better reflect the area’s Aboriginal heritage.
Following the renaming of other iconic Australia landmarks along the path of reconciliation, such as Ayers Rock (Uluru) and the Olgas (Kata Tjuta), the region is now known as Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park.
‘Ikara’ means ‘meeting place’ in the local Adnyamathanha language, and is the traditional Aboriginal word used for Wilpena Pound, a natural amphitheatre of mountains located in the heart of the park.
A ceremony was held at the Pound, 430km north of Adelaide, last week, and Adnyamathanha Traditional Lands Association (ATLA) chairman Michael Anderson said the change recognised the significance of the area for traditional owners.
“The Pound initially was a meeting place for ceremony, not just for our own groups but [for] other neighbours to come and hold ceremonies to discuss rules for life," Anderson told the ABC.
"It has always been a significant part of our culture; we maintain Dreamtime stories about the Pound and how it was formed.
"We describe those Dreamtime stories to our visitors and still tell them our stories today.
"This [renaming] is one of those visible signs of reconciliation and recognition that the original names be brought back to the forefront."
The name change follows the South Australian Government and the Adnyamathanha Traditional Lands Association (ATLA) entering into a co-management agreement and indigenous land use agreement for the park in 2011.
To reflect the name change, new directional and interpretative signs will be erected in the park.
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