In an Australian first during a special conferral celebration that took place in remote East Arnhem land at Yalakun outstation last week, a late Yolŋu leader from East Arnhem received a Posthumous PhD.
Dr Paul Gurrumuruwuy Wunungmurra is the first Yolŋu awarded a PhD based on their own original research.
Note: His full name and image are being used at the request of his family and in keeping with his own wishes.
Dr Gurrumuruwuy was a creative researcher and visionary Yolŋu leader. Through his films, articles, and book, he led collaborations that produced a body of work that exemplifies how First Nations Knowledge can claim its own place in academic spaces.
This PhD was awarded as part of CDU's Dual Academy which equally recognises western and Yolŋu knowledge systems and was examined by senior Yolŋu knowledge authorities together with internationally renowned academics who are recognised leaders in their fields.
CDU Northern Institute Digital Humanities Professor Jennifer Deger who was one of Mr Wunungmurra supervisors, said the ceremony was a fantastic and visually striking combination of Yolŋu ceremony and western formalities, demonstrating the Yolŋu art of making connections that Dr Gurrumuruwuy's work as an anthropologist and media scholar so brilliantly embodied.
"Dr Gurrumuruwuy approached research to share his vision and identity with the world. But this work was always about much more than documenting or describing culture," Professor Deger said.
"For Dr Gurrumuruwuy, the research was an opportunity to create new flows of understanding and connection between generations and across cultures."
CDU Vice-Chancellor Professor Scott Bowman who also attended the ceremony said it was an honour to present the doctorate to Dr Gurrumuruwuy's family.
"It was a great honour to present this PhD to the family of a man who dedicated his life to learning and discovery," Professor Bowman said.
"Dr Gurrumuruwuy pursued his doctorate from one of the most remote places in Australia and came heartbreakingly close to finishing before he passed away. To present this doctorate to his loved ones was a privilege beyond words."
