North of Darwin lie the Tiwi Islands where traditional life thrives alongside modern ways. The customs and culture of the local people are strong, but they’re also partial to a good game of Australian Rules football. Join Nick Squires on a tour of the enamouring Tiwis.
Doreen Tipiloura paints her face with an intricate design inspired by the saltwater crocodiles which inhabit the turquoise waters of her island home.
Holding a pair of wooden clapping sticks, she begins to sing and dance, her bare feet sending up small clouds of dust. “This is the shark dance,” says the 54-year-old. “We perform it in exactly the same way our ancestors did.”
Cheerful and outgoing, Doreen is an elder living on Bathurst Island, one of the last bastions of traditional Aboriginal culture in Australia.
Lying north of Darwin, at the very northern tip of Australia, Bathurst Island is one of the Tiwi Islands, along with neighbouring Melville Island.
For thousands of years the Tiwi thought they were the only people in the world; their first contact with outsiders came in the 1600s, when Macassans (Indonesians) arrived in search of sea cucumber or bęche-de-mer.
In 1824 the British built a settlement at Fort Dundas in the hope that it would become a second Singapore, but disease, heat and attacks by islanders forced them to abandon it after five years.
These days the Tiwi Islands are known for their tropical climate and friendly people, many of whom have a passion for Australian Rules football.
There is also a thriving art scene: murals are painted on just about every available wall, and two artists’ co-operatives produce bark paintings, sculptures and textiles that have become internationally renowned.
At the art centre in Ngaruwanajirri, 38-year-old Barry Kantilla pokes a stick into an old tin can resting on the embers of a fire. Inside is a heap of yellow ochre which he will use for one of his traditional paintings. “See, it changes colour as it heats up. We have yellow, white, red and black. We get the ochre from the bush,” says Barry.
Tiwi art is also on display at the beautifully preserved Catholic church in Nguiu, Bathurst Island’s tiny administrative centre. The interior walls of the white wooden church, which was built in the 1930s, are decorated with cross-hatched designs and paintings of crocodiles, pelicans, crabs and turtles. A traditional Tiwi man in a headdress and a loincloth, flanked by two spears, holds up the baby Jesus (see photo above). The tabernacle is made of tortoise shell and mother of pearl.
Outside the church is a tiny white shack from where a Catholic priest sent a frantic radio message in February 1942 as he watched dozens of Japanese bombers stream over Bathurst and Melville Islands towards Darwin.
A bent propeller from a Japanese Zero fighter plane rests against the side of the tiny building, one of several enemy planes downed over the islands. Several pilots and crew were captured by Tiwi men, who proudly marched them off into captivity.
Nearby is the Patakijiyali Museum, a small wooden building shaded by mango trees, which tells the fascinating history of the Islands.
The Tiwi people display a pride and self-confidence which is all too often absent from Aboriginal communities on the mainland.
The Catholic Mission, which was established on Bathurst Island in 1911, was relatively benign. The Tiwi were able to weave traditional beliefs into Christianity and keep many aspects of their culture.
“Tiwis have always had ownership of the land and we were never forced to mix with other tribes,” says 34-year-old John Munkara, a tourist guide. “We kept our customs and culture very strong.”
The other big difference is that Bathurst Island only allows alcohol to be sold in its social club. No wine or spirits are available, and beer can only be drunk on the premises — takeaway cans and bottles are not allowed.
The result is that, unlike some Aboriginal settlements, there is no problem with alcohol abuse and the people are remarkably friendly, smiling and waving at tourists.
One of the best spots on the Island is a crystal clear waterhole fringed with palms and pandanus trees, ideal for a refreshing swim on a hot day. Nearby, at a lookout point with sweeping views of deserted beaches and the mangrove-lined coast, is a traditional Tiwi grave.
As with all Tiwi graves it is marked by tall wooden pukumani poles, carved and painted in recognition of the dead person’s achievements in life; in this case his love of AFL, represented by carved wooden footballs.
Hunting and gathering remains an important part of Tiwi life, especially at the weekends, when whole families head for the bush.
The men shoot possums, bandicoots and magpie geese, while the women collect shellfish like whelks and mussels. Most prized of all are long, slimy white worms which are hacked out of mangrove branches. “We eat it straight from the tree,” says Munkara. “It’s good for hangovers and pregnant mums!”
The best time to go is during the dry season, May to November.
A ferry runs between Darwin and Bathurst Island but most visitors travel by air. The flight takes 15 minutes.
You need to go on a tour with a recognised company to visit the Tiwi Islands. Aussie Adventure has a one-day tour which costs $325 per person and includes return airfares, morning tea and lunch. There are also overnight camp trips.
For further details and to book visit www.aussieadventure.com.au or call 1300 721 365.
View traditional Tiwi art, craft and totem dances, and learn about traditional bush tucker and bush medicine. Also, learn about the rituals associated with the pukumani (burial) poles. Visit the old Catholic church and enjoy billy tea and damper with Tiwi women.
The text and all the photos for this story supplied by Nick Squires
4WD
