Indigenous knowledge will soon be incorporated into Murdoch University’s history.

A twelve-month study, coordinated by Mr Len Collard, Chair of the Aboriginal and Islander Studies Program at Murdoch (right), will fill in the gaps of Indigenous knowledge about the campus.

Mr Collard said the study would provide an important opportunity to get a handle on the broader picture of Murdoch University’s history.

“The University will now be able to represent the views of the nation’s first people in its planning and teaching resources,” said Mr Collard.

By reviewing the literature, recording historical narratives and mapping key Aboriginal localities, the research team is rebuilding the area’s history by decolonising, and then recolonising the space.

“The study will provide a fuller understanding of the landscape, flora, fauna and place names, as well as illuminating other events that have occurred in the close proximity of the campus over time,” said Mr Collard.

“The study will provide an important resource for planning, public promotion and teaching, and could even be used to create a map for walk tours around the campus.

“It is important for a public institution to be informed about the full history of its space.”

Mr Collard has already completed a number of Nyungar interpretive histories for The University of Western Australia, National Trust sites and councils around the State.