Mandawuy Yunupingu

Mandawuy Yunupingu

Mandawuy Djarrtjuntjun Yunupingu (formerly Tom Djambayang Bakamana Yunupingu, skin name Gudjuk), (17 September 1956 – 2 June 2013), was an Aboriginal Australian musician and educator. From 1986, he was the front man of the Aboriginal rock group Yothu Yindi as a singer-songwriter and guitarist. In 1989, he became assistant principal of the Yirrkala Community School – his former school – and was principal for the following two years. He helped establish the Yolngu Action Group and introduced the Both Ways system, which recognised traditional Aboriginal teaching alongside Western methods. Yothu Yindi released six albums, Homeland Movement (March 1989), Tribal Voice (October 1991), Freedom (November 1993), Birrkuta - Wild Honey (November 1996), One Blood (June 1999), Garma (November 2000). The group's top 20 ARIA Singles Chart appearances were "Treaty" (1991) and "Djäpana (Sunset Dreaming)" (1992). He was appointed Australian of the Year for 1992 by the National Australia Day Council. In April 1998 he was awarded an honourary doctorate by the Queensland University of Technology. In December 2012, Yothu Yindi were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. In 2007, he was diagnosed with advanced renal failure and died in 2013, aged 56.

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