Donald Jupurrula Graham

Donald Jupurrula Graham (c. 1920 - 13 January 1989) was a Warumungu man from the Northern Territory of Australia. He worked as a stockman is his early life before becoming an Elder and community leader within his community and a teacher of and collaborator with researchers regarding the Warumungu language and culture. He was also the first person to be recorded speaking the Warlmanpa language.

Life in the Northern Territory The exact location of Graham's birth is not known but it is likely to have been in the vicinity of Powell Creek Telegraph Station and 'in the bush'. He was the son of Spencer Jakamarra (also recorded as 'Pencil'), who was from Newcastle Waters and Beanie Napurrla from Kanturrpa which is nearby to Tennant Creek. Much of Graham's early life was spent with his parents on cattle stations north of Tennant Creek and including at Helen Springs Station. He went through tribal initiation around 1936 at a place called Nyiwarlurlu, west of Banka Banka Station and he never received a 'European' education.

As an adult Graham would become the head stockman at Helen Springs Station and, as a part of that role, he was provided with a hut where he lived with his wife Norah Napanangka. This hut looked over a sacred petroglyph site (which was made up of Aboriginal rock art) which he became the senior caretaker of. In the Warramunga language this is known as kurtingurlu. he later also worked at Banka Banka Station during the time it was managed by Mary Alice Ward.

Graham was a polyglot and, in addition to the languages mentioned above, he also had a good understanding of Nyininy, Alyawarre, Tiwi and 'Afghan' (Arabic) which he had learned from the Afghan cameleers. He was also one of the few Warumungu men to have a deep knowledge of Warumungu Sign Language which is a form of language used more by the women of the community.

In the late 1970s and 1980s Graham also served as a member of the Central Land Council and on the Northern Territory Aboriginal Education Advisory Committee.

He died on 13 January 1989 and was buried on country at Newcastle Waters at a Ngarrka (Man) Dreaming site.