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The Barunga Statement was a product of decades of engagement between Aboriginal leaders in the Northern Territory and the Australian Government. Two historic events of the 1960s were the 1963 submission of bark petitions from the Yolngu people of Yirrkala to the Australian Parliament and the 1966 walk off of Gurindji stockmen at Wave Hill Station. These events are now recognised as nationally important in the development of rights for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In response to such events, a Royal Commission into land rights in the Northern Territory began in 1973. The commission’s recommendations led to the establishment of the Northern and Central Land Councils which received formal recognition under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976.
Today, the Northern Land Council and Central Land Council are Aboriginal-run statutory authorities of the Australian Government. Aboriginal land owners control almost half of the land mass of the Northern Territory and 85 per cent of the coastline. The Councils assist Aboriginal communities to care for and develop their country.
Background image:
Galarrwuy Yunupingu and Wenten Rubuntja greeting the parliamentary party, Barunga, 12 June 1988, from Make it Right! 1988, Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies with Northern and Central Land Councils, AIATSIS Collection, courtesy of Ronin Films.
The Barunga Statement is one of several significant painted documents that Aboriginal people have presented to the Australian Government. Painted during the 1988 Barunga Sport and Cultural Festival, it was the culmination of years of discussions between Aboriginal groups in the Northern Territory and the Australian Government. The Statement combines iconography from northern and central Australia and English language text in a triumph of collaboration across cultures and languages.
The Statement was presented by the Northern and Central Land Councils to the former Prime Minister Bob Hawke as an ongoing reminder of the Australian Government’s responsibility to Aboriginal people. Galarrwuy Yunupingu, then Chair of Northern Land Council, in his speech at Barunga said:
"...the notice that we will present to the Prime Minister now will remind, not only Bob Hawke, but the next one after him and the next one after him and the next one after him and the next one after him and we can count that for another twenty to a hundred years. And after and more after and forever."
The Barunga Statement has been on permanent exhibition at Parliament House since 20th December 1991.
Galarrwuy Yunupingu AM
born 1948
Gumatj people
Marrirra Marawili
c. 1937-2018
Madarrpa people
Bakulangay Marawili
1944-2002
Madarrpa people
Djambawa Marawili AM
born 1953
Madarrpa people
Dula Ngurruwuthun
1936-2001
Munyuku people
Djewiny Ngurruwuthun
c. 1940-2001
Munyuku people
Wenten Rubuntja AM
c. 1926-2005
Arrernte people
Lindsay Turner Jampijinpa
1951-2009
Warlpiri people
Mr D Williams Japanangka
1948-2013
Warlpiri people
Under Yolngu mourning protocols, the names of people who have passed should not be spoken for a period of time. Marrirra Marawili passed away in February 2018, and we respectfully request that his name is not spoken aloud.
The left-hand side of The Barunga Statement was completed by Yolngu men from northern Australia. The delicate cross-hatching lines are distinctive to the artists of this part of Australia and were created using fine hair brushes and earth pigments.
The panel has three sections depicting Dreaming stories from different parts of north east Arnhem Land: at the top, the Crocodile Fire Dreaming of the Madarrpa people of the Blue Mud Bay area; in the middle, the Crocodile Fire Dreaming of the Gumatj people of the Caledon Bay area; and at the bottom, the Whale Dreaming of the Trial Bay area.
Yolngu people have a long history of presenting painted petitions to the Australian Government. In 1963, the Yirrkala Bark Petitions were sent to the Australian Parliament in protest at a proposed bauxite mine on Yolngu land. The Yirrkala Bark Petitions are now on permanent display in Members Hall at the centre of at Australian Parliament House.
Artist of The Barunga Statement, Djambawa Marawili, also instigated the Saltwater Collection of bark paintings. In 2008 these paintings were recognised as legal documents by the High Court of Australia as part of a sea rights decision for the Blue Mud Bay region in North-East Arnhem Land.
The right-hand side of The Barunga Statement was completed by Arrernte and Warlpiri men from central Australia. Dot-style painting is one of the major forms of expression for artists from this region.
The painting depicts the Two Women Dreaming, a story that crosses the continent and links the major language groups of central Australia. Women gathering at Ulpanyali and Ilpilli, sites in the south-west of the Northern Territory, are depicted in the top and lower sections of the painting. The central design shows the women coming together to exchange gifts and carry the story on through their country. This same design has been used as the logo for the Central Land Council since the 1970s.
People from central Australia have used painting to share their culture and knowledge of country with the world. Wenten Rubuntja, along with his leadership roles was also an acclaimed artist. In his support for land rights and reconciliation, Rubuntja believed in the importance of maintaining his Arrente culture alongside the European. This co-existence was reflected in his painting in two distinct styles: the dot-style of The Barunga Statement and the naturalistic watercolour popularised by his father’s cousin, Albert Namatjira.
Women representing the Northern and Central Land Councils and Jawoyn elders welcomed Mrs Hazel Hawke, wife of Prime Minister Bob Hawke, to the 1988 Barunga Sport and Culture Festival. During her lifetime, Mrs Hawke maintained a strong commitment to a number of social justice issues, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander reconciliation.
As part of the official ceremony at Barunga, Mrs Hawke was presented with gifts that represented cultures from both northern and central Australia. These gifts were held by the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet until 2016 when they were transferred to the care of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. This is the first time they have been exhibited to the public.
"We had been informed Mrs Hawke would be travelling with her husband. We had to ensure she would be supported and guided during the official parts of the ceremony. Where there were moments the Honourable Prime Minister stood with the men, I facilitated her place to stand with us, to be included and welcomed by the women."
Barb Shaw, 2018
AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF ABORIGINAL STUDIES (producer)
Central Land Council (producer)
Northern Land Council (producer)
Kim MCKENZIE (director, photographer, editor) 1949-2013
Wayne Jowandi BARKER (sound recordist) born 1957
Jugun / Jabirr Jabirr people
Make it right! (1988) is a documentary film about the events of the 1988 Barunga Sport and Cultural Festival. The film records the creation of The Barunga Statement and the ceremonies and speeches that accompanied its presentation. These significant events are located within the daily life and community preparations for the Festival. Renowned director Kim McKenzie worked with sound recordist Wayne Jowandi Barker, who had previously worked as a trainee at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies Film Unit. Images and excerpts from the film can be seen throughout this exhibition.
Painting of The Barunga Statement from Make it Right! 1988, Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies with Northern and Central Land Councils, AIATSIS Collection, courtesy of Ronin Films.
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies established and maintained a Film Unit from 1961 to 1991. The unit produced an extensive series of documentary films that today form a unique and important record of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and history. The unit undertook a collaborative approach to film-making with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as active contributors. Make it right! was the final film released by the Film Unit.
We would like to acknowledge the support of the following organisations and individuals:
In preparing this exhibition, we have identified and contacted copyright holders wherever possible, as well as where appropriate sought cultural permissions. Where we could not identify or contact copyright holders, we have digitised and published items in the public spirit with which the works were originally created and gifted.
Background image:
Release of balloons in the colours of the Australian Aboriginal Flag, from Make it Right! 1988, Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies with Northern and Central Land Councils, AIATSIS Collection, courtesy of Ronin Films
AIATSIS acknowledges the traditional owners of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, culture and community.
We pay our respects to elders past and present.