THE footsteps of Indigenous leader and visionary land rights pioneer, Yunupingu, have left an indelible mark. 

A giant of the nation who walked in two worlds, Yunupingu has been remembered as a statesman, a remarkable artist and a national treasure. 

The former Australian of the Year died peacefully at his home, surrounded by his family and ceremonial adornments, in northeast Arnhem Land on Monday, aged 74. 

“We remember him for his fierce leadership, and total strength for Yolŋu and for Aboriginal people throughout Australia,” his family said. 

“We are hurting, but we honour him and remember with love everything he has done.” 

The Yothu Yindi Foundation he chaired said he was “a giant of the nation whose contribution to public life spanned seven decades”. 

“He was first and foremost a leader of his people, whose welfare was his most pressing concern and responsibility,” the foundation said. 

Yunupingu was born on June 30, 1948, in Gunyangara, on the northern tip of the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory. 

In 1963 he helped draft the first Yirrkala bark petition presented to the Australian parliament. 

An accomplished painter, singer and dancer, Yunupingu met former prime minister Robert Menzies in the 1960s and dealt with every serving Australian prime minister since Gough Whitlam. 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Yunupingu was a great Australian, a national treasure and a leading figure in delivering the Uluru Statement from the Heart.