The Sacred Image on the 'Bicentenary of Colonisation' Polymer Banknote: The Passing of Arnhem Land Elder Yunupingu

T. Yunupingu, a renowned Indigenous Australian artist and community leader from Arnhem Land, and his wife, Mrs. C. Yunupingu, passed away within days of each other last month. Marina Djunjun (Wangurra), a family member raised by the Yunupingu couple, told ABC News: "They passed away within days of each other... it's like a real love story."

However, what Mr. Yunupingu left to Australia extends far beyond an artistic career and a cross-cultural marriage. According to ABC News, in 1988, the Reserve Bank of Australia, without authorisation, used his depiction of the "Morning Star Pole"—an image described by Indigenous studies scholar Professor Marcia Langton as "extremely sacred" and "appearing only in ceremonies"—on the world's first polymer banknote, the A$10 denomination, to commemorate the "bicentenary of European settlement".

A Colonial Narrative on Circulating Currency

The polymer banknote itself serves as a material vessel of colonial narrative: at this 1988 moment of celebrating British colonial expansion, Australia's central bank placed one of the most sacred ceremonial images of Indigenous peoples onto circulating currency, without obtaining permission from the image's creator. Professor Langton pointed out to ABC News that the "extremely sacred" nature of the image meant that this use was not ordinary copyright infringement, but touched upon deeper issues of Indigenous cultural and spiritual territory—something that was clearly overlooked by the central bank in the commemorative banknote's design at the time.

A Lawsuit That Lost but Set a Precedent

Yunupingu brought a Federal Court action against the Reserve Bank over the matter. According to ABC News, although the case ended in defeat, the judge's comments in the ruling were widely regarded as establishing a new legal precedent. Professor Langton told ABC News: "This is the precedent that established the principle that the work of artists, particularly Indigenous artists, cannot be used without permission."

Beyond Art: Institutions and Community

Mr. Yunupingu's legacy extends far beyond the realm of art. According to ABC News, he also led the "localisation" reform of Northern Territory health services, returning control of health services to Indigenous communities. Nigel Scullion, a former federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs, recalled to ABC News: "He had no formal education, only primary school at a church school, but he could give lectures to professors around the world." Scullion described Yunupingu as "a very outstanding negotiator, a great diplomat", and said that during his time in politics, Yunupingu "always made his voice heard through diplomacy rather than shouting."

Mr. Yunupingu was the son of the legendary philosopher and diplomat David Burrumarra. According to ABC News, his works appear in mosaic form on the floor of the Bondi Pavilion in Sydney, and are held in collections of art galleries around the world. Northern Territory historian Mike Owen recalled to ABC News that he had used Yunupingu's oral histories to identify ancient artefacts from remote parts of Australia and even Scotland, including objects unearthed in 2019 at the Ness of Brodgar archaeological site in the Orkney Islands.

A Cross-Cultural Partner

Mrs. C. Yunupingu was born in Trieste, Italy, and emigrated with her family to Adelaide at the age of 12, later moving to Elcho Island off the northeast coast of Arnhem Land, where she met Mr. Yunupingu. The couple married in 1982 and were together for nearly 45 years. Professor Langton described her to ABC News as having "always maintained a strong personal character while perfectly integrating into Yolngu culture", and as "an extremely elegant woman who, at all times, observed both Yolngu and European customs."

The specific dates and causes of their deaths were not disclosed in the ABC News report.