Garma Festival ceremonial leader B Yunupiŋu dies after alleged violent attack
A revered Arnhem Land leader of quiet power and dignity, who fought for the rights of his Yolŋu people right into the last weeks of his life, has died aged 70.
Note to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers: B Yunupiŋu's name and image are used here in accordance with the wishes of his family.
Mr B Yunupiŋu was an elder of the renowned Gumatj clan on the Northern Territory's Gove Peninsula.
He was also a board member of the Yothu Yindi Foundation (YYF) and a fixture at the annual Garma Festival, where he would lead ceremonies and greet visitors from across Australia, including successive Australian prime ministers.
Mr B Yunupiŋu was also a holder of extensive Yolŋu cultural knowledge, a former musician, a rock-and-roll fan, and a brilliant pub storyteller with a ready chuckle and a grin.
In a statement, Gumatj leader Djawa Yunupiŋu said his brother was "a strong and decent man who walked tall in all worlds".
"Words cannot say how much he will be missed," he said.
"He starts his journey now to be reunited with our fathers, mothers and kin, who wait for him now, on our sacred land.
"He will be received by our ancestors with great respect and honour."
YYF chief executive Denise Bowden described Mr B Yunupiŋu as a "softly spoken family man".
"He had great love for his grandchildren — they meant the world to him.
"They were the reason he was so passionate about education and schooling.
"As a senior ceremonial leader for the Gumatj clan, he has been an intrinsic part of the Garma Festival throughout its history, the master of ceremonies for the nightly buŋgul."
The Gumatj Corporation said Mr B Yunupiŋu "oversaw the ceremonies and like a rock, he was always present in the hosting of Prime Ministers and the conduct of important business".
Mr B Yunupiŋu hailed from an important family dynasty in Arnhem Land. He was the brother of the clan's former leader, the late Yunupiŋu, and late former Yothu Yindi lead singer, Dr M Yunupiŋu.
He was a founding member of the Gumatj Association, who said in a statement Mr B Yunupiŋu had led the clan's drive "to self-determination, economic development and prosperity in the modern world".
"Mr Yunupiŋu had a deep love of his family and his land," the association said.
"He was a man of loyalty and patient determination.
"Schooled at Yirrkala and then Batchelor College, he was a friend to all.
"He loved Creedence Clearwater Revival and country music, he was an expert hunter, and he never left his Gumatj homelands."
Mr B Yunupiŋu was allegedly beaten in an attack at his home in the community of Gunyaŋara on April 19, after which he fell into a coma from which he would never wake.
He died at Royal Darwin Hospital on the night of May 8, surrounded by dozens of Yolŋu family members and clan leaders who travelled from north-east Arnhem Land to farewell the beloved elder.
The family has thanked hospital staff and "nurses of ICU who cared for him so carefully and enabled the final ceremonial rites to be performed".
A 42-year-old relative has been charged with domestic violence offences over the incident and is due to face the Darwin Local Court on June 18.
The NT Police Force said in a statement that an investigation into the incident remains ongoing.
Mr B Yunupiŋu had been involved in the social and political affairs of his people up until the last weeks of his life, fighting for a better future for Yolŋu in north-east Arnhem Land.
Most prominently, he was involved in the Gumatj's historic High Court victory against the Commonwealth in March, which sought restitution over a long-running land rights dispute in his region.
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