INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image:Last year's marriage equality celebrations on what is now known as "Equality Green"When should a public place be renamed The debate is
In Australia, many would like to see names reflect a more modern, equal nation
Gary Nunn reports from Sydney.In November last year, 30,000 Australians gathered biting their nails in Sydney's Prince Alfred Park, all
watching a giant widescreen
Tension was in the air and an eerie silence preceded the din of triumphant celebrations, along with some tears of palpable relief.It was the
chosen venue of the Yes campaign to marriage equality to gather for the result of a national vote on same-sex marriage (the law went on to
be changed by parliament).Earlier this month, Sydney's city council unanimously accepted a proposal to rename the lawn where this gathering
took place Equality Green.It'll be an enduring reminder of how meaningful this space now is for LGBTQI Australians.'Hurtful' namesIt's the
second recent move to rename places with the aim, say advocates, of reflecting a more contemporary Australia, at ease with both its roots
and future.Australian Capital Territory (ACT) politician Bec Cody wants to rename parts of Canberra, writing last month that some "are named
after bad people, and are hurtful to the victims"
She said she had received letters from constituents who had expressed pain about current names.She tells the TheIndianSubcontinent: "At the
time some places in Canberra were named, not all the facts about some people were known and community attitudes towards some behaviour was
very different than today."Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Canberra was chosen as the site for Australia's
capital in 1908
Ms Cody says that the most common feedback has related to places named after people accused of crimes,
persecuting indigenous Australians, and controversial actions during war.Those figures include Sir William Slim, a former governor-general
accused of molesting boys in the 1950s, and former Western Australia Governor James Stirling, alleged to have led a massacre in 1834.But the
co-chair of the ACT Place Names Committee, Jeff Brown, has reacted cautiously to Ms Cody's calls for a review, stating that changing names
is a "very awkward and confusing thing", because it'd require thousands of people to change their personal contact details, and require
updates to electronic maps and records."The usual principle is place names are enduring," he said.Renaming: rare but possibleHowever, it has
In 2016, following a successful campaign, Queensland's Stradbroke Island, named after British explorers, was renamed to its indigenous
Australian name of Minjerribah (meaning Island in the Sun in the local Jandai language).The change reflected 20,000 years of connection to
this land by the Quandamooka people, the traditional owners.Australia's Northern Territory (NT), which has the highest Aboriginal
population, features the most famous renaming.Image caption
Uluru was formerly known as Ayers Rock
Ayers
Rock was renamed Uluru in 1993, becoming the territory's first official dual-named place, switching its colonial namesake (former South
Australian Premier Sir Henry Ayers) to the language of its traditional owners, the Anangu people: Ayers Rock/Uluru.In 2002, that dual name
was officially reversed, making it Uluru/Ayers Rock
Almost all Australians now refer to it as Uluru.On the same day, the nearby rock formation named the Olgas by European explorer Ernest Giles
in 1872 was renamed to prioritise its indigenous name, Kata Tju?a/Mount Olga.'Nomenclature matters'Former NT Attorney General John Elferink
held the seat that included Uluru."Having represented an 80% Aboriginal electorate for eight years, I can tell you nomenclature does
matter," he says, stating that renaming remote communities back to their traditional languages allows people "to assert themselves in their
own country".Two examples he remembers are the community of Hermannsberg being renamed Ntaria and Santa Teresa being renamed Ltyentye
Apurte."The idea of naming things after Aboriginal language groups isn't anything new," Mr Elferink says.You might also be interested in:How
do we know where to start and stopEvery street name in the Darwin suburb of Muirhead is named after one of 40 major Aboriginal language
groups.But it creates challenges, Mr Elferink says: "The intent was honourable, but the names were created by linguists and there's nothing
more incomprehensible than a linguists' interpretation of someone else's language
You end up with unpronounceable street names."There are practical reasons this may not work: "You have to spell the street carefully and
In case of a medical emergency, there's nothing more frustrating than if the pronunciation doesn't reflect the spelling."Slightly anglicised
Aboriginal place names are usable across cultural boundaries."A shared journeyKado Muir is an anthropologist and archaeologist specialising
in Aboriginal heritage and native title.He points out that "renaming" is a misnomer: "It's actually recognising the original names of places
Image copyrightKado MuirImage caption
Kado Muir says names play a role in reflecting Australia's maturity
"It reflects a maturity in the development of Australia to move beyond a colonial state of oppressing the First Nations peoples towards
recognising and celebrating the culture of first Australians
Joint naming reflects a shared journey, acknowledging the original custodians of the land."And finallyThere's maturing, then there's, what
some may argue, is party pooping.In 2013, the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales proposed a policy whereby confusing, hard to
pronounce or likely to offend names were replaced.It meant the state kissed goodbye to the Flannel Flower Fairway, Curly Dick Road and
Titswobble Road - for altogether more pedestrian alternatives
