About the Authors
Joanne Garŋgulkpuy (dec. 2023) was a Yirritja woman of the Wangurri clan. The land of Wangurri clan, Dhäliny is connected with Muthamul through gularri the freshwater streaming under the ground. She is the descendant of her ŋäṉḏi (mother) of Rorruwuy Ŋaymil Ḏäṯiwuy and Ŋurruyurrtjurr Djambarrpuyŋu, and of her märi (maternal grandmother) of Maṯamaṯa Bukulatjpi. She has her waku (great-grandmother) Garrawurra Ḻiya-gäwumirr of Gärriyak and yapa (great-great-grandmother) Wubulkarra of Ḻaŋarra. As the eldest daughter of Buthimaŋ Ḏemala of Dhälinybuy Wangurri, she re-presents the Ancestral Being as ḏingu (cycad nuts) that stands with Wangurri people. She was a qualified teacher trained at Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education (BIITE). She occupied an Executive Teacher position in the Shepherdson College bilingual school for many years before co-founding the Yalu’ Marŋgithinyaraw research centre at Galiwin’ku. She has undertaken and mentored numerous Health Research projects.
Raymattja Marika (dec. 2008) was a Rirratjiŋu woman from the Dhuwa country of Yalaŋbara. She was the oldest child of Roy Ḏaḏayŋa Marika. She was begotten by the waka’ (maternal code) governing the Gumatj people of Biranybirany and Gälpu people traditionally owning and caring for the land of Ŋaypinya. She speaks the words of Dhaŋu’mi language and re-presents and is re-presented by the sacred rocks at Yalaŋbara where the Djaŋ’kawu sisters arrived on the shores of Arnhem Land carrying ceremonial items and a pair of digging sticks. She successfully completed a Certificate of Literary Attainment at BIITE. Subsequently, she studied through Melbourne University for a Graduate Diploma in Adult Education and Training and then an Advanced Diploma in Teaching at BIITE. She was responsible for writing the original version of the Yolŋu language and culture notes which are still being taught in the Charles Darwin University Yolŋu Studies program, which won the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Tertiary Teaching in 2005. In 2007 she received an honorary doctorate from CDU.
James Wapiriny Gurruwiwi (dec. 2016) was a son of Mayawuku, a Gälpu man of Ŋaypinya homeland. He and his father were begotten through the maternal grandmother line of Djambarrpuyŋu Garraṯaŋur and Ŋurruyurrtjurr. He had his mother from Dholtji, the ancestral land of Warramiri and his maternal great-great-grandmothers from Ḻuŋgutja, the ancestral land of Birrkili Gupapuyŋu. When growing up, he sat down and closely learned from his grandmother’s place and the people of Djambarrpuyŋu. He had extensive knowledge of dhäwu (ancestral narratives) and rom (ancestral law) and also stood strong as a djuŋgaya (cultural guardian and labour) for Wangurri and Warramiri clan groups.
Joy Bulkanhawuy is a Djambarrpuyŋu woman of Ŋurruyurrtjurr. Her educational backgrounds was built in Galiwin’ku through learning and practising Yolŋu education, gamunuŋgu (the design of land) and manikay (songline). Her father passed his knowledge to her brothers and now she is co-holding and looking after her father’s knowledge for Djambarrpuyŋu people in ceremony and everyday life. She does not sing as men do, but she performs her authorised knowledge through ceremonial keening – milkarri. Now she is authorised to share her knowledges and professional skills as a Djambarrpuyŋu elder with others such as those who work in (non)government organisations, health professionals working at hospital and also students being passionate about learning our Yolŋu culture and languages. As a professional Yolŋu health educator, she always works in both ways; Yolŋu and Western biomedical health practices in collaboration with researchers at Charles Darwin University and Menzies School of Health Research, and Yolŋu research professionals at Yalu’ Marŋgithinyaraw in Galiwin’ku.
Elaine Ḻäwurrpa Maypilama is a Yirritja person of Warramiri clan and speaks many languages of Yolŋu Matha. She is an experienced Yolŋu researcher who was one of the founding members of the research organisation Yalu’ Marŋgithinyaraw. She has worked extensively with Charles Darwin University and Menzies School of Health for over twenty years, and has skillfully guided many non-Indigenous researchers to work with Yolŋu in ways that are ethical, mutually beneficial, and enable non-Indigenous and Yolŋu to understand each other’s knowledge practices and commitments. She is passionate about improving education pathways for Yolŋu and wants to see Yolŋu people achieving at the highest levels of education in both worlds.
Timothy Buthimaŋ Ḏemala is a Yirritja elder of Wangurri clan. His country is at Dhäliny. His märi (maternal grandmother) is Gupapuyŋu Birrkili of Ḻuŋgutja and his yapa (maternal great-great grandmother) is Gupapuyŋu of Djiliwirri. He has his waku (maternal great grand mother) at Djarraya and his ŋäṉḏi (mother) over at Ŋurruyurrtjurr. His waŋarr (ancestral being) is Giant Trevalley, Ŋuykal in his Dhaŋu language and also is re-presented as and by cycad, Ḏingu standing in Dhäliny. Ḏemala is well known and respected for his large banana and vegetable garden at Galiwin’ku which he nurtured and shared for many years, and his strong commitment to both Ancestral Yolŋu and Christian spiritual beliefs and practices.
Ian Mongunu Gumbula is the son of Djapani Gumbula and a Yolŋu Elder who grew up in Galiwin’ku. He is a qualified teacher and has worked extensively in education at Batchelor College, Ngukurr and Galiwin’ku from 1975-1986. He worked with ALPA Stores in Arnhem Land and Consultancy Stores as a Trainee Operations Manager and Relief Manager during 1987-1988 before moving back to Ngukurr to work with the Community Government Council as a CDEP Coordinator from 1989-1996. Moving home to Galiwin’ku in 1997, he took on a role of Youth Worker before securing the Managers position with CDEP from 1998-2007, before Ngukurr again called on his experience to work for FaHCSIA as the Indigenous Engagement Officer 2009-2014. His extensive knowledge of Indigenous people, culture and law is complemented by his ability to speak 16 dialects throughout Arnhem Land. His cultural responsibilities and knowledge make him influential when representing either the private sector or Government Departments as a consultant.
About the Editors
Gawura Waṉambi is the senior elder of Marraŋu clan nation, whose ancestral place is Raymaŋgirr. His bundurr (sacred knee names) are Gatjinydji, Ḏalthaŋu, Muwuḻu, Binygurrŋu and Dhaliyali. He grew up in the bush and learned by watching how Yolŋu knowledge traditions were performed and how songlines talked and taught him through which country they travelled, where they began and where they completed. He followed the Elders who established mägaya (peace) in accordance with Yolŋu law. With the deep knowledge of Ŋärra (sacred shelter containing sacred ceremonial objects), he has been appointed as a Dhuwa ceremonial leader and authorised to chant sacred names of his clan estate and other Dhuwa clan groups and to paint the sacred clan designs with his gakal (skillsets of knowledge, performance, leadership) for his Marraŋu Yolŋu, his ŋäṉḏi (mother), märi (maternal grandmother), waku (maternal great-grandmother) and yapa (maternal great-great-grandmother). Gawura is the first editor of this volume.
Yasunori Hayashi is a Djapaŋ man, originally from Japan. Allured by the sounds of Yolŋu languages and music, in the early 2000s he received an invitation from Birrinymal Gaykamaŋu who later supervised both of his undergraduate and postgraduate studies, to first visit Milingimbi Island to meet her family. Then he became a novice inquirer enthusiastically learning the ways in which Yolŋu people know and speak their world. He is the coordinator of Yolŋu Studies at CDU.
Michael Christie began learning Yolŋu languages when he was at Milingimbi in the 1970s, where Birrinymal Gaykamaŋu to whom this volume is dedicated, was also a young teacher. He worked as teacher linguist at Milingimbi and Yirrkala and worked with Birrinymal to set up the Yolŋu Studies program at CDU (then NTU) in 1994.
