Tiwi By Design
Things are going to get a little messy...
WORDS JULIA D’ORAZIO
Tiwi By Design
Things are going to get a little messy...
WORDS JULIA D’ORAZIO
The Tiwi Islands are internationally renowned for their bright textile screen-printed designs.
It only takes a two-hour trip on SeaLink’s Fast Ferry to become immersed in the unique culture of the Tiwi Islands, 80 kilometres north of Darwin, as Julia D’Orazio discovered.
The islands are a biodiversity haven.
The Tiwi Islands are as Top End as you can get and I’ve got a fabulous day to experience the second largest of them, Bathurst Island. The conditions are ideal; the sun is shining and the ocean waters are calm, as our ferry departs Darwin’s Cullen Bay to begin a one-day Tiwi By Design tour.
Bathurst Island is one of 11 islands that make up the far-flung Tiwi archipelago, commonly referred to as the 'Islands of Smiles' because the locals are so welcoming. Despite coming under European influence in the 1800s, the Tiwi retained their land and are now thought to be the largest Aboriginal community in Australia. Roughly 90 per cent of the population are of Aboriginal descent, and the islands are rich in the Tiwi’s unique culture and history.
Bathurst Island is one of 11 islands that make up the far-flung Tiwi archipelago, commonly referred to as the 'Islands of Smiles' because the locals seem so happy.
The ferry takes us past Melville Island, the Tiwi’s biggest isle. It’s another rugged beauty. Red and white sands, and emerald waters skirt the island, whilst eucalyptus trees and paperbark forests carpet its core.
We disembark at Wurruminyanga on Bathurst Island, the largest Tiwi settlement, and immediately feel welcomed by this vibrant community of 2,000. Our tour guide for the day, 'Vivi' Vivian Walapini Kerinauia, greets us at the wharf with a high-wattage smile and separates the boatload of passengers into two groups to give us more opportunity to immerse ourselves in Tiwi traditions, ethos, and folklore.
Tiwi Design produces about 500 metres of fabric a week during the dry season.
Tourism is helping preserve Tiwi culture.
His enthusiasm is contagious. Vivi has been a guide for Tiwi by Design since 2015 and he starts our experience by explaining the important role tourism plays in helping to preserve Tiwi traditions.
‘Sharing culture with visitors means we can continue to tell our stories, which helps us maintain our culture. We are happy when we share our culture with the outside world.’
Our first introduction to Tiwi culture is a Welcome to Country. We sit on chairs in a semi-circle to watch the Elders perform a smoking ceremony. A handful of men and women play vocal tag, going back and forth onto the sandy stage to perform traditional songs in their native tongue to the sound of tapping sticks. Their beautiful, raw melodies are stirring.
Dance, song, and art plays a huge role in the Tiwi way of life, with the islands renowned for their distinct fusion of genres – paying ode to ancient traditions whilst incorporating new influences and techniques.
‘Painting clan designs on the body is customary practice when attending ceremonies – it's part of our connection to our ancestors in the spirit world,’ Vivi says.
The tour is hands-on and I’m excited to begin our screen-printing class at Tiwi Design, one of the oldest art centres in Australia. The beachside creative hub displays the Indigenous artwork the islands are renowned for ironwood carvings, ceramics, ochre paintings, totem poles, and 'modern' screen prints.
The historic St Therese’s Church featured in the movie Top End Wedding.
Under the guidance of a master, try your hand at creating your own design.
‘Tiwi Design has had a long history in graphic and print design works,’ Vivi tells us. ‘In the 1970s, we started printing designs on fabric and were the first Indigenous art centre to print lengths of fabric on our two 13-metre-long tables.’
Aprons on, it’s clear things are about to get messy. We’re encouraged to unleash our creative side as we are shown how to produce a screen-printed memento. I elect to make a T-shirt and, when it's time to pick which animal to bring to life through colour, I choose a barramundi stencil. Its intricately patterned lines and dots speak to me.
A patient Vivi guides me through the gentle process of printing the image using the mesh stencil. I choose colours – pinks, greens, blues, and whites – to make my fish stand out. Little did I know the muscle work required to repeatedly push a wooden squeegee blade, its brush topped with paint, up and down the screen. My fellow travellers opt for the Tiwi's other famed symbols – sharks, crabs, fish, wallabies, crocodiles, turtles, birds, and the Dreamtime Rainbow Serpent — the creator and protector of water.
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Then it's time for a history lesson. Vivi walks us through the township to Patakijiyali Museum, which details the island's important role in WWII and explores its missionary days, culture, and long infatuation with Australian Rules football — it's a religion up here. Speaking of which, the next stop is the island's Church Precinct. Its main attraction is St Therese's Church. The Catholic church's timber frame structure dates to 1941 and its altar, decorated with Tiwi artwork, is a symbol of the fusion of beliefs and influences that only serves to add to my fascination with the Tiwi Islands.
As we collect our colourful creations from Tiwi Design and head back to the wharf, I’m already looking forward to wearing the evidence of my cultural experience with pride.
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