About us

Gabra Biik, Wurruwila Wutja – Clever Country, Clever People

*Phonetic pronunciation of Gabra Biik, Wurruwila Wutja:
Gub-ra Bick, Wu-rru-will-ah Wa-jar

Gabra Biik, Wurruwila Wutja (Clever Country, Clever People) is La Trobe University's Indigenous Research Centre. Developed as part of La Trobe’s Indigenous Research Strategy 2022-2030, Research Strategy 2030, the Indigenous Research Centre forms a commitment to the Indigenous Communities that La Trobe serves.

The Indigenous Research Centre is a virtual, practice-based hub that strengthens La Trobe University’s ability to thrive and build meaningful partnerships with Indigenous communities in Australia and internationally. The Centre fosters collaborative, community-driven research and offers a culturally safe environment where Indigenous researchers can lead and flourish.

La Trobe University works to provide impact through research collaboration with the Indigenous communities whose lands and waters our campuses serve, as well as across Australia.

How did Gabra Biik, Wurruwila Wutja get its name?

In 2023, Gabra Biik, Wurruwila Wutja was named by Professor Julie Andrews (our founding Director) after consultation with Aboriginal communities connected to La Trobe University.

The common term for Aboriginal ideology is ‘knowledge’ yet consultation with Aboriginal female ranger Tania Charles at Lake Mungo, stated “Aboriginal people don’t use or have a word for ‘knowledge’ that exactly fits the non-Aboriginal description – we call our people ‘clever’".

Agreeing with this insight, Professor Andrews researched languages in the regions of La Trobe University campuses and consulted with La Trobe University linguistics who have researched in the areas of Bendigo, Shepparton, Mildura, Bundoora and Albury Wodonga.

Professor Andrews chose the words that would reflect the identity of the research centre and connect to the people and their country.

The name is a combination of four Victorian Aboriginal languages:

Gabra – means 'Clever' in Yorta Yorta language
Biik – means ‘Country’ in Wurundjeri Woiwurrung language
Wurruwila – means 'Clever' in Wemba-Wemba language
Wutja – translated to 'People' and meaning ‘big mob’ in Wergaia language

Community Consultation

Consultation with Aboriginal communities ensures the sharing of knowledge is done in a respectful and ethically sound manner. Traditional knowledge is safeguarded to ensure that its sharing is guided by the wishes of the custodians of that knowledge.

Partner with us

If you wish to collaborate with us on research that involves Indigenous communities, please ensure you have completed community consultation prior to contacting us. We aim to conduct research with Indigenous support, following AIATSIS guidelines.