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ABC News
6 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Trailblazing Rirratjiŋu clan leader and environmentalist M Marika dies in north-east Arnhem Land
A senior Rirratjiŋu elder who devoted his life to protecting the natural environment and his people has died at 64 years old in north-east Arnhem Land. Note to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers: M Marika's name and image are used here in accordance with the wishes of his family. Guided by his country, culture and family, M Marika stood strong like the lonely rock in the sea off the coast of his Gove peninsula home. He would draw on this metaphor of the rock to fuel what Gumatj clan leader Djawa Yunupiŋu described as Mr Marika's "unwavering love for his people", even in times of great personal loss and hardship. The Rirratjiŋu Aboriginal Corporation (RAC) described Mr Marika as a respected statesman who "dedicated his life to the betterment of his people", expressing condolences to his family and the wider community as they enter sorry business. "He was a cultural authority, community guide and voice of wisdom — deeply trusted across East Arnhem Land," the RAC said. Mr Marika held leadership roles within the RAC, including as chair during what the corporation described as "critical times", and the body said his "humility and quiet strength will be deeply missed". The senior Rirratjiŋu clan elder was known as a humble man and a peacemaker, whose contributions reached across many spheres. Mr Marika was one of four founding land and sea rangers of the Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation, an organisation he would rise through the ranks to lead over a more than 30-year career. He was also a member of the Yothu Yindi Foundation's Dilak Council, made up of senior cultural leaders from each of the 13 Yolŋu clans. He was recognised with numerous accolades including the NT National Resource Management Lifetime Achievement Award, Nhulunbuy's 2020 Australia Day Citizen Of the Year Award and a recent nomination for the NT's 2025 Local Hero Award. The son of a well-respected land rights figure, Mr Marika was descended from Rirratjiŋu clan royalty. He would go on to brush shoulders with the likes of royalty himself, hosting King Charles III during his visit to north-east Arnhem Land in 2018. Mr Marika was guided by both his Christian faith and his deep foundation in his culture. Mr Yunupiŋu, chairman of the Yothu Yindi Foundation, called Mr Marika a "guardian of land conservation, understanding deeply that caring for country is caring for culture, identity, and spirit". "He was equally devoted to the social wellbeing of his community, working tirelessly to ensure that Yolŋu people had opportunities, support, and a strong sense of belonging and purpose," the Gumatj clan leader said in a statement. Former Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Stephen Roeger said one of Mr Marika's "greatest achievements" was his push to develop a Learning on Country program, linking school curriculum to Yolŋu culture. "There was a lot of concern about what was happening with youth, and concern about what their future prospects were and are," he said. "The Learning on Country program was really about trying to create a pathway and to create that inspiration for future leadership and direction." While Mr Marika had his "own history of struggle and grief", Mr Roeger said he overcame those challenges after making the decision to become a leader. "My gäthu [Yolŋu kinship relation] was there from the very beginning," he said. In recent years, Mr Marika experienced great tragedy, with the early deaths of both his son and grandson. Despite the losses, he remained committed to training his surviving sons for leadership, so they could take up the mantle once he was gone. Mr Marika is mourned by the Rirratjiŋu clan and throughout the broader East Arnhem Land community.
ABC News
09-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
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.
