The Mulka Project Staff

We strive to employ and train as many Yolngu of all ages as possible in full time and casual appointments, currently we have male and female staff varying from 16 to 57 years of age. Our facilities are a media training ground for future indigenous leaders, a local library for children, a bank for important cultural materials, and technological hub for community events. We make audio-visual resources available for secondary students, provide workplace training for graduates, create income streams for Homeland communities, employ cultural advisors, translators, technicians and artists. Productive participants in the film workshops go on to become our full-time staff, who can then pass on their knowledge to future generations.

Rob & Gayili filming on location in Gutjangan

Araluen pans across the horizon as cinematographer of "Bayini"

Catherine Miller from the Australian Film Television and Radio School conducts Directing workshop in Yirrkala

Randjupi previews repatriated archival video with descendents of the performers

Peter Wali gets stills of the Bungual ceremony

Wukun views sacred object at the Australian Museum

Yilki edits Graduation ceremony for our multimedia archive

Wunyburra & Buranhalawuy transcribing for Dhalinybuy CD

Project Leadership

It is with great sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of our co-director Dr. Marika. We hope that we can carry on her legacy of passion for education and promotion of her people.

Co-Director Dr. Marika is a woman of the Rirratjingu clan, daughter of Roy Dadaynga Marika who, as Yirrkala Dhanbul Council chairman in the 1970s, guided Yirrkala through extremely tough times of change.  She has extensive experience with outside academic and government institutions and is a 2007 Territorian of the Year, a council member of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and on the board of directors of Reconciliation Australia.  She was at the forefront of the development of curriculum for the education of Yolngu youth as well as the teaching of Yolngu languages and culture to outsiders at Charles Darwin University.  Her roles with the Mulka Project are to work with the young employees to help their literacy skills both in English and Yolngu languages, to work on translation and documentation projects and to represent the community’s interests to outside institutions.

Wukun Wanambi, the second Co-Director, is a middle-aged man growing as a leader of his Marrakulu clan.  Wukun’s status as a ceremonial man of his people qualifies him to liaise with other leaders in the Miwatj and to handle sensitive materials.  This point was discussed and considered very carefully with Wukun and other leaders.  He has been assigned to be the first person to see potentially sensitive and secret-sacred materials from the region, to do his best to confirm their origin and to direct the items to the proper parties for further discussion.  For instance, an institution may have audio recordings of music labelled as secret-sacred from the northeast Arnhem Land region.  Wukun and the Mulka Project coordinator will privately listen to the material.  Wukun will verify whether it is indeed from this area and do his best to identify the current owners and custodians of the songs and arrange for them to hear it for themselves and determine what to do with it.

The Coordinator is Rob Lane, a Media Studies teacher who has implemented a digital video curriculum across a range of schools in the North-East Arnhem region. His experience working in partnership with Homeland communities to create video training opportunities on country and integrated audio-visual resources provides the Mulka Project with a safe pair of hands. Rob's success connecting emerging technology to a digitally literate generation of Yolngu provides an exciting future for the Mulka Project.

My name is Randjupi Yunupingu, I'm in charge of archiving the multimedia database. I love learning about my old people, their dances and songs. I feel really proud when we repatriate old films and stories because its going to help our future generations. I use the elders stories to produce new ways to share Yolngu knowledge.

Hi my name is Natasha Yunupingu, I love working here at the Mulka Project with the video editing equipment and all the projects that involve multimedia.

Natasha is the daughter of Mandawuy Yunupingu from Yothu Yindi and Yalmay Marika, one of Yirrkala's longest serving respected Yolngu teachers. We're happy to have her here!

Hello my name is Gayili Yunupingu. Its good watching the films of the old people and sharing it with the young ones. In the office i keep everything organised when it gets busy and help coordinate the productions. It's very interesting learning new skills like filming, editing and translation.