In the Yolŋu worldview, land and people are not separate things. They are interwoven—spirit, soil, and songline one and the same. Few embodied that unity more steadily than M Marika, a senior elder of the Rirratjiŋu clan, who died this month in north-east Arnhem Land. He was 64. For more than three decades, Marika stood as a pillar of his community—not by force of volume or title, but through a resolute commitment to his people, their future, and the land that held them. He was among the first Indigenous rangers appointed in 1992 to care for Country through the Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation, a role that blurred no lines between tradition and responsibility. He rose to lead the organization.  Marika inherited a legacy of leadership. His father was a prominent land rights advocate, and his clan descended from what some describe as Yolŋu royalty. But rather than elevate himself, he turned that inheritance into a generational project: to protect the environment, link Yolŋu youth with culture and purpose, and assert that traditional knowledge was not a relic, but a guide for the future. To many in the region, he was simply and reverently known as a peacemaker. In 2004, faced with mounting social unrest, Marika helped found the Larrpan patrol, a community-led response to youth dislocation, substance abuse, and crime. His answer to disorder was not punishment—it was presence. Foot patrols, kinship, and cultural grounding were his tools. He was instrumental in founding the Learning on Country program, which braided Yolŋu…This article was originally published on Mongabay