Karrgatup/Kings Park: The case for dual naming Words and Photography by Linc Murray
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Pelican and the author acknowledge the Whadjuk Noongar people as the Traditional Owners of the area discussed in this article, and pay respects to Elders past and present. This article has been developed in consultation with members of the Noongar community; however, it is important to note that Noongar words can have multiple spellings when reproduced in written texts. Furthermore, the ‘Kings Park’ area spans numerous locations with Noongar names; the names used in this article are not authoritative or exhaustive, and
have been selected in order to explore the concept of dual naming. For more information on Noongar names and spellings, the following sources may be a good starting point:
In the spring of 2020, I began a study of Karrgatup/Kings Park as a Sociologist. I came with an open mind, hoping to learn the positioning of the park within Perth’s social landscape. I walked the pathways, read the signs, spoke to parkgoers, and blew the dust off many historical documents in search of a social identity for the park. Before I began, I searched for guidance on how to approach my study, asking myself; who would provide me with the best advice to take on such a task? I turned to local Indigenous academic literature in search of an answer to this question, and came across this passage from Wooltorton, Collard, and Howitz:
“Unless one acknowledges the land is alive, and that it has comprehensible messages, one cannot cherish its voice. We are saying that this place-based practice of deep listening, sincere observation and accumulative, experiential insightful learning; of intentionally coming to know one’s place as the subject of profound love, will gradually facilitate capacity to hear, recognise and heed the voice of Boodjar [Country].”
South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council ‘A Sense of Place: Nyungar Cultural Mapping of The University of Western Australia and Surrounds’ – Leonard Collard, Linda Martin, Joshua Reynolds, Paulina Motlop
This quote acts as a guide for my study. It encourages me to slow my thinking and experience the park through immersion rather than trying to forcefully extract meaning from it. With patience I spend countless hours
