Barunga, formerly known as Beswick Creek and then Bamyili, is a small Aboriginal community located approximately southeast of Katherine, in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is part of the Roper Gulf Region local government area. At the , Barunga had a population of 313. In mid June each year, the Barunga Festival, a three-day event showcasing Australian Aboriginal culture, is held. At the 1988 event, the Barunga Statement, which requested a treaty between the Australian federal government and Indigenous Australians (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples), was presented to then prime minister Bob Hawke. Just before the 2018 Festival, the Barunga agreement was signed between the Northern Territory Government and all four land councils. History Aboriginal people have lived in Barunga and the surrounding region for thousands of years. Maranboy tin mine In September 1913, a goldfield named Maranboy was declared for a period of two years. Maranboy was located from where Barunga is today. Tin was discovered at Maranboy in 1913 by prospectors Scharber and Richardson. Tin mines and a battery were operational in the same year. Prospectors of European, Chinese and Aboriginal descent worked at Maranboy. The mine closed in 1949 for repairs but never reopened. Many of the Aboriginal people who serviced the mine returned to Beswick Creek. Plane crash nearby A Douglas DC-3 belonging to the Dutch Air Force crash-landed near Beswick Creek or Beswick (now Wugularr) in 1947. All passengers survived, with four crew travelling about down the Katherine River to get help. After running out of food they killed one of two dogs they had with them. The wings were eventually removed and the remains of the plane were towed to Katherine. Tandangal The Tandangal Native Settlement (from Jawoyn language dangdangdal), also known as the Eight Mile Settlement, was established in 1947, located about from Beswick Station. The local people were not consulted about the choice of location nor the method of their removal to the settlement from the King River Compound. In 1948, the Beswick community moved to Tandangal (sometimes known as "old Bamyili"), because of risk of flooding from recent heavy rains. An influenza epidemic spread through the community in May 1951. In June 1951 the people were relocated to the new site, initially known as Beswick Creek Native Settlement, and Tandangal was condemned. Back to Beswick By November 1951 the 'flu had killed seven people. In early 1951, the Northern