Mandawuy Yunupingu

Who was Mandawuy Yunupingu?

Mandawuy Djarrtjuntjun Yunupingu, AC, 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, Tribal Voice, Freedom, Birrkuta - Wild Honey, One Blood, Garma. The group's top 20 ARIA Singles Chart appearances were "Treaty" and "Djäpana". He was appointed Australian of the Year for 1992 by the National Australia Day Council. In April 1998 he was awarded an honorary 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.