Witiyana Marika is an Aboriginal Australian musician, filmmaker and elder, known for being a founding member of the band Yothu Yindi and producer of the film High Ground.
[8][9] In 2017, along with fellow longtime members Malngay Yunupingu and Stuart Kellaway and several new musicians, including his son Yirrmal, he played in Yothu Yindi & The Treaty Project,[10] with the newly-formed band performing live across Australia into 2019.
[11] Marika played the role of the grandfather as well as being co-producer and senior cultural advisor to the film High Ground, which took around 20 years to make and is based on true events.
[1] The film was directed by Stephen Maxwell Johnson, who is a friend of Marika since they met in 1989[12] and who had made the music video for the Yothu Yind's second single, "Djäpana", which won an ARIA award.
[1] He played an essential role in navigating relations between the mostly white ("balanda") filmmakers and the traditional owners of Cannon Hill, Gunbalanya and Gunlom, where filming took place and permissions were needed to access the land.