Yirrkala is a small community in

East Arnhem Region The East Arnhem Region is a local government area of the Northern Territory, Australia, governed by the East Arnhem Regional Council. Situated in the far north-eastern corner of the Northern Territory, the region covers an area of and had a pop ...

, Northern Territory, Australia, southeast of the large mining town of

Nhulunbuy Nhulunbuy () is a township that is the sixth largest population centre in the Northern Territory of Australia. Nhulunbuy was created on the Gove Peninsula in north-east Arnhem Land when a bauxite mine and a deep water port were established ...

, on the

Gove Peninsula The Gove Peninsula is at the northeastern corner of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. The peninsula became strategically important during World War II when a Royal Australian Air Force base was constructed at what is now Gove ...

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compan ...

. Its population comprises predominantly

Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

of the Yolngu people, and it is also home to a number of

Mission Aviation Fellowship Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) is a Christian organization that provides aviation, communications, and learning technology services to more than 1,000 Christian and humanitarian agencies, as well as thousands of isolated missionaries and indi ...

pilots and engineers based in Arnhem Land, providing air transport services. In the , Yirrkala had a population of 809 people.

History

There has been an Aboriginal community at Yirrkala throughout recorded history, but the community increased enormously in size when Yirrkala

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

was founded in 1935.

Land rights

Yirrkala played a pivotal role in the development of the relationship between

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

and non-Indigenous Australians when the document

Bark Petition The Yirrkala bark petitions, sent by the Yolngu people, an Aboriginal Australian people of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, to the Australian Parliament in 1963, were the first traditional documents prepared by Indigenous Australians that ...

was created at Yirrkala in 1963 and sent to the

Federal Government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

to protest at the Prime Minister's announcement that a parcel of their land was to be sold to a

bauxite Bauxite is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (Al(OH)3), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)) and diaspore (α-AlO(O ...

mining company. Although the petition itself was unsuccessful in the sense that the bauxite mining at

went ahead as planned, it alerted non-Indigenous Australians to the need for Indigenous representation in such decisions, and prompted a government report recommending payment of compensation, protection of

sacred sites Sacred space, sacred ground, sacred place, sacred temple, holy ground, or holy place refers to a location which is deemed to be sacred or hallowed. The sacredness of a natural feature may accrue through tradition or be granted through a bless ...

, creation of a permanent parliamentary

standing committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

to scrutinise developments at Yirrkala, and also acknowledged the Indigenous people's moral right to their lands. The Bark Petition is on display in the Parliament House in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

Outstation status

The settlement was funded as an outstation during the 1980s.PDF
/ref> At the , Yirrkala had a population of 687.

Governance and people

the

East Arnhem Regional Council The East Arnhem Region is a local government area of the Northern Territory, Australia, governed by the East Arnhem Regional Council. Situated in the far north-eastern corner of the Northern Territory, the region covers an area of and had a po ...

is the local government for Yirrkala, which is in the council's Gumurr Miwatj Ward. It consults with Yirrkala Mala Leaders Association, consisting of 12 elected community members. The

Northern Land Council The Northern Land Council (NLC) is a land council representing the Aboriginal peoples of the Top End of the Northern Territory of Australia, with its head office in Darwin. While the NLC was established in 1974, its origins began in the strugg ...

is the

land council Land councils, also known as Aboriginal land councils, or land and sea councils, are Australian community organisations, generally organised by region, that are commonly formed to represent the Indigenous Australians (both Aboriginal Australians ...

to the community, responsible for matters under the ''

Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 The ''Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976'' (ALRA) is Australian federal government legislation that provides the basis upon which Aboriginal Australian people in the Northern Territory can claim rights to land based on traditi ...

''. In the , Yirrkala had a population of 809 people, of whom 83.1% identified as

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

Culture

Yirrkala is home to a number of leading Indigenous artists, whose traditional Aboriginal art, particularly

bark painting Bark painting is an Australian Aboriginal art form, involving painting on the interior of a strip of tree bark. This is a continuing form of artistic expression in Arnhem Land (especially among the Yolngu peoples) and other regions in the Top ...

, can be found in art galleries around the world, and whose work frequently wins awards such as the Telstra

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards The National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA) is Australia's longest running Indigenous art award. Established in 1984 as the National Aboriginal Art Award by the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory in Darw ...

. Their work is available to the public from the Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Art Centre and Museum and also from the YBE art centre. Pioneer bark painters from this region the

National Museum of Australia The National Museum of Australia, in the national capital Canberra, preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation. It was formally established by the ''National Muse ...

consider old masters include Mithinarri Gurruwiwi, Birrikitji Gumana and

Mawalan Marika Mawalan Marika (1908–1967), often referred to as Mawalan 1 Marika to distinguish from Mawalan 2 Marika, was an Aboriginal Australian artist and the leader of the Rirratjingu clan of the Yolngu people of north-east Arnhem Land, in the Nort ...

. It is also a traditional home of the

Yidaki The didgeridoo (; also spelt didjeridu, among other variants) is a wind instrument, played with vibrating lips to produce a continuous drone while using a special breathing technique called circular breathing. The didgeridoo was developed by ...

(didgeridoo), and some of the world's finest didgeridoos are still made at Yirrkala.

Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre

The Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre, formerly Buku-Larrŋgay Arts and also known as the Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Art Centre and Museum, is a world-renowned centre, with well-known artists such as

Nyapanyapa Yunupingu Nyapanyapa Yunupingu (1945 – 20 October 2021) was an Australian Yolngu painter and printmaker who lived and worked in the community at Yirrkala, Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory. Yunupingu created works of art that drastically diverg ...

based there. It is often referred to as Buku for short. The inspiration for the gallery arose in the 1960s, when

Narritjin Maymuru Narritjin Maymuru (died 1981) was a Yolngu people artist and activist noted for Bark painting. He began painting in the 1940s after time as a cook. After decades of work in 1979 he, and his son, became visiting artists at the Australian Nationa ...

set up his own gallery on the beachfront. In 1976 Buku-Larrŋgay Arts was established by local artists in the old Mission health centre, after missionaries had left and as the

Aboriginal land rights Indigenous land rights are the rights of Indigenous peoples to land and natural resources therein, either individually or collectively, mostly in colonised countries. Land and resource-related rights are of fundamental importance to Indigenou ...

and

Homeland movement ''Homeland Movement'' is the debut studio album by Australian rock band Yothu Yindi that was released in April 1989 on the Mushroom Records label. The album peaked at number 59 on the ARIA Chart in 1992. Background and release Following a tou ...

s gathered pace. A new museum was built in 1988 using a

Bicentenary __NOTOC__ A bicentennial or bicentenary is the two-hundredth anniversary of a part, or the celebrations thereof. It may refer to: Europe *French Revolution bicentennial, commemorating the 200th anniversary of 14 July 1789 uprising, celebrated ...

grant, and this now contains a collection created in the 1970s which illustrates clan law. It also houses the

message stick A message stick is a graphic communication device traditionally used by Aboriginal Australians. The objects were carried by messengers over long distances and were used for reinforcing a verbal message. Although styles vary, they are generally ...

s which, after delivery by the anthropologist

Donald Thomson Donald Finlay Fergusson Thomson, OBE (26 June 1901 – 12 May 1970) was an Australian anthropologist and ornithologist who was largely responsible for turning the Caledon Bay crisis into a "decisive moment in the history of Aboriginal-Europea ...

were instrumental in establishing peaceful talks during the

Caledon Bay crisis The Caledon Bay crisis, refers to a series of killings at Caledon Bay in the Northern Territory of Australia during 1932–34, referred to in the press of the day as Caledon Bay murder(s). Five Japanese trepang fishers were killed by Aboriginal ...

in 1935. In 1996, extra gallery spaces and a

screen print Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink (or dye) onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open mes ...

studio were built, and in 2007, The Mulka Project was added. This project comprises a collection of many thousands of historical images and films, and continues to create new

digital art Digital art refers to any artistic work or practice that uses digital technology as part of the creative or presentation process, or more specifically computational art that uses and engages with digital media. Since the 1960s, various names ...

and images. The current centre, greatly expanded, comprises two divisions: the Yirrkala Art Centre, which represents the artists exhibiting and selling

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic com ...

, and The Mulka Project, which incorporates the museum. It is known for its production of

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal th ...

in natural fibres,

larrakitj A memorial pole, also known as hollow log coffin, burial pole, lorrkkon, ḻarrakitj, or ḏupun, is a hollow tree trunk decorated with elaborate designs, made by the Yolngu and Bininj peoples of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Aus ...

(memorial poles),

yidaki The didgeridoo (; also spelt didjeridu, among other variants) is a wind instrument, played with vibrating lips to produce a continuous drone while using a special breathing technique called circular breathing. The didgeridoo was developed by ...

, and many other forms of art. There is a stage called the Roy Marika Stage at the centre, which is used for the annual Yarrapay Festival. In June 2021, the festival was directed by

Witiyana Marika Witiyana Marika is an Aboriginal Australian musician, filmmaker, and Aboriginal elder, elder, known for being a founding member of the band Yothu Yindi and producer of the film ''High Ground (2020 film), High Ground''. Background Marika was bor ...

, and featured the Andrew Gurruwiwi Band,

Yothu Yindi Yothu Yindi (Yolŋu Matha, Yolngu for "child and mother", pronounced ) are an Australian musical group with Australian Aboriginal, Aboriginal and ''List of English words of Malay origin#B, balanda'' (non-Aboriginal) members, formed in 1986 as ...

Yirrmal Yirrmal Marika (born 1993), known mononymous person, mononymously Yirrmal, is an Indigenous Australian vocalist. A Yolngu man, his music features traditional sounds and elements of Yolŋu languages, Yolŋu music. Early life Yirrmal Marika was ...

, and

East Journey East Journey are a rock/reggae band from North East Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. They combined modern and traditional music and sing in both English and Yolŋu. History The band formed in 2010, and their debut album ''Guwak'' was released ...

Artists, works and exhibitions

The historic

Yirrkala Church Panels Mungurrawuy Yunupingu (c.1905–1979) was a prominent Aboriginal Australian artist and leader of the Gumatj clan of the Yolngu people of northeastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. He was known for his bark paintings. ...

were created in 1963 by Yolngu elders of the Dhuwa moiety (including

Wandjuk Marika Wandjuk Djuwakan Marika OBE (1927 or 1930 – 16 June 1987), was an Aboriginal Australian painter, actor, composer and Indigenous land rights activist. He was a member of the Rirratjingu clan of the Yolngu people of north-east Arnhem Land in ...

and Mithinarri Gurruwiwi), who painted one sheet with their major ancestral narratives and clan designs, and eight elders of the Yirritja

moiety Moiety may refer to: Chemistry * Moiety (chemistry), a part or functional group of a molecule ** Moiety conservation, conservation of a subgroup in a chemical species Anthropology * Moiety (kinship), either of two groups into which a society is ...

, including Mungurrawuy Yunupingu, Birrikitji Gumana and

, who painted the other sheet with Yirritja designs. They were discarded by the church in 1974, but were salvaged by Buku-Larrnggay in 1978. On 27 February 1998 they were unveiled by then prime minister

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the s ...

, and were described by Yolŋu leaders as "Title Deeds which establish the legal tenure for each of our traditional clan estates". The

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and most visited art museum. The NGV houses an encyclopedic art collection across two ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

has been collecting bark paintings by Buku artists for over 20 years, which are included in its significant collection of work by Yolŋu women artists. Women artists who have worked at the centre include five sisters:

Nancy Gaymala Yunupingu Nancy Gaymala Yunupingu (1935–2005; also rendered Yunupiŋu) was a senior Yolngu artist and matriarch, who lived in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, Australia. She worked at the Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre in Yirrkala, where her wor ...

Gulumbu Yunupingu Gulumbu Yunupingu (1943 – 10 May 2012), after her death known as Djotarra or Ms Yunupingu, was an Australian Aboriginal artist and women's leader from the Yolngu people of Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia. Early life a ...

, Barrupu Yunupingu,

, and Eunice Djerrkngu Yunupingu; as well as

Dhuwarrwarr Marika Dhuwarrwarr Marika (born 1946), also known as Banuminy, a female contemporary Aboriginal artist. She is a Yolngu artist and community leader from East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia. She belongs to the Dhuwa moiety of the ...

;

Malaluba Gumana Malaluba Gumana (born 1953) is an Australian Aboriginal artist from northeast Arnhem Land, who has gained prominence through her work in painting and the production of larrakitj, the memorial poles traditionally used by Yolngu people in a mortuary ...

; Naminapu Maymuru-White;

Nonggirrnga Marawili Nonggirrnga Marawili (c. 1939–2023) was an Australian Yolngu painter and printmaker. She was the daughter of the acclaimed artist and pre-contact warrior Mundukul. Marawili was born on the beach at Darrpirra,Skerritt, F. H. (2013). When Time' ...

; and

Dhambit Mununggurr Dhambit Mununggurr (born 1968) is an Yolngu artist known for unique ultramarine blue bark paintings inspired by natural landscapes and Yolngu stories and legends. Her father Mutitjpuy Mununggurr and mother Gulumbu Yunupingu were both celeb ...

; and Margaret Wirrpanda. Their work was included in a December 2021 – April 2022 exhibition at the NGV, called ''Bark Ladies: Eleven Artists from Yirrkala''.

Education

At Yirrkala School, formerly Yirrkala Community School, renamed Yirrkala Community Education Centre or Yirrkala CEC after it became a location of one of the trial Community Education Centres (CEC) in 1988, students undertake a method of bilingual studies dubbed "both ways", incorporating a cultural curriculum called Galtha Rom, meaning cultural lessons. Despite a 2009

Northern Territory Government The Government of the Northern Territory of Australia, also referred to as the Northern Territory Government, is the Australian territorial democratic administrative authority of the Northern Territory. The Government of Northern Territory wa ...

order to teach English for the first four hours each day, the school continued to teach in its own way, with the child's first language, Yolngu Matha, taught alongside English. The method has proven effective against reducing the drop-out rate, and in 2020 eight students were the first in their community to graduate year 12 with scores enabling them to attend university. Yirrkala School and its sister school, Laynhapuy Homelands School, are now being looked to as models for learning in remote traditional communities. Artist and teacher-linguist Yalmay Marika Yunupingu, one of the famous Marika family of north-east Arnhem Land, daughter of artist

Mathaman Marika Mathaman Marika (1920–1970) was an Aboriginal Australian artist and Indigenous rights activist. He was a member of the Rirratjingu clan of the Yolngu people of north-east Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, and one of the well-known Mari ...

, was appointed senior teacher at the school in 2004, and continues to work there . She was awarded the

's Teaching Excellence Award in the Remote Primary category for her work at Yirrkala, and her artwork has featured in exhibitions in Australia and the US.

Heritage listings

Yirrkala has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Wurrwurrwuy stone arrangements

Notable people

Roy Marika Roy Dadaynga Marika (1925 – 1993) was an Aboriginal Australian artist and Indigenous land rights in Australia, Indigenous rights activist. He was a member of the Marika family, brother of Mawalan 1 Marika, Mathaman Marika, Milirrpum Marika and ...

(1925–93), councillor and artist *

(1927–1987), artist, actor, Indigenous rights activist *

(c.1938), painter *

(c.1945), painter *

Galarrwuy Yunupingu Galarrwuy Yunupingu (born 30 June 1948), also known as James Galarrwuy Yunupingu and Dr Yunupingu, is a leader in the Aboriginal Australian community, and has been involved in the fight for Indigenous land rights in Australia throughout his c ...

(1948–), land rights activist and chair,

Gatjil Djerrkura Gatjil Djerrkura OAM (Yolŋu Matha:''Gätjil Djerrkura'') (30 June 1949 – 26 May 2004) was an Aboriginal leader and indigenous spokesman in the Northern Territory and Australia. He was a senior elder of the Wangurri Aboriginal clan of the ...

(1949–2004), ceremonial leader *

Banduk Marika Banduk Mamburra Wananamba Marika (13 October 1954 – 12 July 2021) was an artist and printmaker from Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia. She was a member of the Rirratjingu clan of the Yolngu people, whose traditional land is Yalangba ...

(1954–2021), artist *

Mandawuy Yunupingu Mandawuy Djarrtjuntjun Yunupingu , formerly Tom Djambayang Bakamana Yunupingu; skin name Gudjuk; also known as Dr Yunupingu (17 September 1956 – 2 June 2013) was an Australian musician and educator. An Aboriginal, in 1989 he became assista ...

(1956–2013), musician and educator *

Kathy Balngayngu Marika Kathy Balngayngu Marika (born 1957) is an Aboriginal Australian dancer known for her performances with Bangarra Dance Theatre, with which she served as artist-in-residence and cultural consultant. Early life Marika is part of the Rirratjingu c ...

(1957-), dancer *

Raymattja Marika Raymattja Marika , also known as Gunutjpitt Gunuwanga, (1959 – 11 May 2008) was a Yolngu leader, scholar, educator, translator, linguist and cultural advocate for Aboriginal Australians. She was a Director of Reconciliation Australia and a m ...

(c.1959–2008), scholar, educator, linguist and cultural advocate *

(1986–2000), rock band *

Nathan Djerrkura Nathan Djerrkura (born 19 September 1988) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club and the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). Early life Nathan Djerrkura was born to ...

(1988–), Australian rules footballer * Yirrmal Marika (1993–), Australian singer * Maminydjama Maymuru (1997–), model * Timmy Burarrwanga, businessman and cultural leader *

Kwame Yeboah Kwame Adzenyina Yeboah (born 2 June 1994) is an Australian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Yeboah played youth football with the Queensland Academy of Sport and Gold Coast United before making his professional debut fo ...

(born 1994 in Yirrkala), professional football player for the

Western Sydney Wanderers Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club (colloquially known as Western Sydney, or simply as Wanderers) is an Australian professional soccer club based in the Western Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier ...

* Wukun Wanambi