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Holding and practising Yolŋu concepts of märr and ŋayaŋu in Northern Australia

 | Charles Darwin University
 | Charles Darwin University
 | Charles Darwin University
ORCiD logo with link | Charles Darwin University
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

This article was made Open Access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license through payment of an APC by or on behalf of the authors.

Published online: 15 January 2026
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https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.25049.hay
Abstract
This paper will reflect on experiences of sharing and learning Yolŋu dhäruk (words, utterances, language) of East Arnhem Land in university education programs and community-based research. In particular we will attend to the concepts of märr and ŋayaŋu — inner feelings that are expressed in how we behave and interact. We elaborate how märr and ŋayaŋu are held and practiced by the traditional owners of Yolŋu dhäruk. Enactment of märr and ŋayaŋu can invigorate distinct ways of being and knowing Yolŋu dhäruk and express care for people and places in celebrating intergenerational knowledge transfer.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Muthamuluwuy’s story: märr and ŋayaŋu are connected through the land and people
    • English translation
  • Muthamuluwuy’s story: märr and ŋayaŋu during ceremonies
    • English translation
  • Muthamuluwuy’s story: märr and ŋayaŋu in Yolŋu Christian lives
  • Gawura’s story: language of Country makes me marrparaŋ
    • English translation
  • Joseph Neparrŋa’s story: märr as doing and making peace
    • English translation
    • Yasunori’s story: Becoming a careful knower with märr and with ŋayaŋu
  • Emily’s story: Pausing to connect our ŋayaŋu and märr in intercultural research
  • Discussion and conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
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