The Kua Indigenous Place Name Database

Long-time Kua subscribers will remember that Indigenous place names used to be included on your Kua parcels (see this blog post). As part of this process we compiled a database to collate Indigenous place names for our subscribers across Australia.

Sadly, with our new subscription system the practice was no longer feasible. So, to assist our customers to add Indigenous place names to their orders, we’ve decided to make the database open-source.

You can access the Kua Indigenous Place Name Database here.

The goal is to help the Kua community find the Indigenous place name for their local area and add it to their Kua account. And also, to allow the online community to edit, update and build on our research to date.

It is important to note that our database is by no means a definitive or completely accurate source of information. The practice of taking traditional Country borders and translating them to fit within suburbs and postcodes is difficult. The potential for error is further compounded by hundreds of years of cultural loss due to the suppression and erasure of Indigenous culture and the fact that information such as this is not always shared on the internet, but shared in story.

We recommend you use this database alongside other research such as reaching out to Elders or Indigenous-led community groups to ask them for the correct place name. As Rachel from @placenamesinaddresses says “They are the source of truth”.  Google can also be helpful: Indigenous-informed sources are your best bet but the AIATSIS map and local council websites are helpful tools too.

The Kua database is imperfect but we believe that opening up the information for positive input from the community is a productive step forward. If you disagree or have ideas and feedback please get in touch with us, we’d love to hear from you.

Happy days,

The Kua Team