Gawirriṉ Gumana

Gawirriṉ Gumana was born in the 1930’s and was a leader of the Dhalwangu clan. He was one of the most senior Yolngu and became renowned for his artwork and knowledge of traditional culture and law. Gawirrin was a contributor to the Yirrkala church panels that are a statement by clan groups regarding their equal authority with the church and in 1992 he was ordained as a Minister of the Uniting Church. He was a major litigant in the 2005 Federal Court Blue Mud Bay decision that granted inter-tidal rights to traditional owners.

Following the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976, Gawirrin led his clan back to its traditional country at Gangan, about150 kilometers southwest of Nhulunbuy. Gangan, with a population of around 80 people, has been acknowledged as one of the notable success stories of the homelands movement.

- Indigenous Law Bulletin, May 2009.