Mandawuy Yunupingu

His father was Munggurrawuy Yunupingu (c. 1907–1978), a Gumatj clan leader and artist.

His mother, Makurrngu – one of Munggurrawuy's 12 wives – was a member of the Galpu clan.

His older brother, Galarrwuy Yunupingu (1948 – 2023), a senior elder of Arnhem Land, was Australian of the Year in 1978, and was an Indigenous land rights campaigner.

Yunupingu attended Yirrkala Community School.

Mandawuy Djarrtjuntjun Yunupingu, formerly Tom Djambayang Bakamana Yunupingu, and also known as Dr Yunupingu (17 September 1956 – 2 June 2013), was a teacher and musician, and frontman of the Aboriginal rock group Yothu Yindi from 1986.

He was an Aboriginal Australian man of the Yolŋu people, with a skin name of Gudjuk.

Yunupingu was a singer-songwriter and guitarist with the band.

Yunupingu was born as Tom Djambayang Bakamana Yunupingu on 17 September 1956 in Yirrkala, Arnhem Land, an Aboriginal reserve in the northeastern part of the Northern Territory.

He was a member of the Gumatj people, one of sixteen groups of the Yolngu people.

In 1983, Yunupingu published "Outstation schools at Yirrkala" in Aboriginal Child at School, where he described the advantages to Indigenous people by "[determining] their own way of living, provided, they manage budgeting through Isolated Children's Allowance, staffing their schools, developing curriculum, and teacher training".

By 1985, with Yunupingu on vocals and guitar, he formed a Yolngu band including Witiyana Marika on manikay (traditional vocals), bilma (ironwood clapsticks) and dance, Milkayngu Mununggurr on yidaki (didgeridoo), and Gurrumul Yunupingu – his nephew – on keyboards, guitar and percussion.

The following year the Yolngu group combined with a balanda (non-Indigenous) group, Swamp Jockeys, which had Andrew Belletty on drums, Stuart Kellaway on bass guitar and Cal Williams on lead guitar.

The new collective, Yothu Yindi, performed Aboriginal rock which fused traditional indigenous music and dance with Western popular music.

yothu yindi means "child and mother" and refers to the kinship of north-east Arnhem Land.

In the group's early years their performing was restricted to holidays as Yunupingu completed his tertiary studies and then started work as a teacher.

In March 1987 he contributed to the book, Educational needs of the Homelands Centres of the L̲aynhapuy Region, North East Arnhem Land : report of the Balanga ̲na Project : a Schools Commission Project of national significance.

He was the first Aboriginal person from Arnhem Land to gain a university degree, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from Deakin University in 1988.

By 1988 Yothu Yindi had toured Australia and North America supporting Midnight Oil.

Late that year they recorded their debut studio album, Homeland Movement, which appeared in March the following year.

Australian musicologist, Ed Nimmervoll, described it "[o]ne side comprised Midnight Oil-like politicized rock. The other side of the album concentrated on traditionally based songs like "Djäpana" (Sunset Dreaming), written by former teacher Mandawuy Yunupingu".

He was credited on the album as Mandawuy Bakamana Yunupingu and provided vocals, guitar and bilma.

Yothu Yindi released six albums between 1989 and 2000, and their top 20 ARIA Singles Chart appearances were "Treaty" (1991) and "Djäpana (Sunset Dreaming)" (1992).

In 1989 Yunupingu became assistant principal of the Yirrkala Community School and was principal for the following two years.

He helped establish the Yolngu Action Group and introduced the both-ways education system, which recognised traditional Aboriginal teaching alongside Western methods.

His wife Yalmay Yunupingu taught alongside him at the school.

In 1989 he became assistant principal of the Yirrkala Community School.

He helped establish the Yolngu Action Group and introduced the Both Ways system at his school, which recognised traditional Aboriginal teaching alongside Western methods.

His skin name was Gudjuk, but his name was changed to Mandawuy in 1990 when a family member with the same name died, in line with Yolngu custom.

He described his names as "Mandawuy" means 'from clay'; Djarrtjuntjun means 'roots of the paperbark tree that still burn and throw off heat after a fire has died down'; Yunupingu depicts a solid rock that, having travelled from freshwater, stands in salty waters, its base deep in the earth.

I am Gudjuk the fire kite".

In 1990 he took over as principal of Yirrkala Community School.

Also that year he authored "Language and power : the Yolngu rise to power at Yirrkala School", detailing his work with Yolngu Action Group.

He remained principal until late 1991, leaving to expand his musical career.

His wife, Yalmay Yunupingu, taught at the school for around 40 years before her retirement in 2023, and was also a dedicated teacher and mentor in bilingual education.

Yunupingu was appointed Australian of the Year for 1992 by the National Australia Day Council.

In 1993, he was one of six Indigenous Australians who jointly presented the Boyer Lectures "Voices of the Land" for the International Year of the World's Indigenous People.

In April 1998, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Queensland University of Technology.

The band was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2012.

His oldest sister, Gulumbu Yunupingu (1945 – 9 May 2012), was also an artist and healer.

His other sisters are Nyapanyapa and Barrupu, who are also artists.