[2] He was best known for his Morning Star poles which have been featured in international exhibitions in London and the United States and for his unique melding of traditional Yolngu beliefs and Christian theology.
[3] Gali Yalkarriwuy Gurruwiwi was born in 1942 (exact date is unknown) on Milingimbi Island where his family had been relocated during World War II.
[2][3] Some years after this initial movement, Gapuka created a Morning Star pole without human bone or hair (rendering it incomplete and hence not sacred) and presented it as a gift to help the missionaries better understand Yolngu culture.
[3] By his own account, Gali had a breakthrough moment as young boy upon learning that Jesus is likened to the morning star in the Bible, confirming the compatibility of Yolngu and Christian beliefs and the universality of the Banumbirr tradition.
[8] In 2015, Gali received national news coverage when he traveled 3000 kilometers to perform the traditional Lunggurrma dance with his granddaughter Sasha at her year 10 graduation.
[2][3] The bright light of Banumbirr guided the Djang'kawu Sisters, two ancestral beings who traveled east to west across Arnhem Land, bifurcating the cosmos.