Tiwi Islands_ Indigenous seasonal calendars on Many Lands, Many Seasons
[Image appears of Rulla Kelly Mansell standing near a lake and talking to the camera]
Rulla Kelly-Mansell: G’day, I’m Rulla Kelly-Mansell, a Tulampanga Pakana man from northern Iutruwita. Across Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people hold a special connection to the seasonal calendar that hold a wealth of knowledge about the environment.
[Images move through to show an aerial view looking down on an indigenous community town, indigenous people walking along a beach towards the camera, and a close view of the waves]
This knowledge is unique to each community and has been passed down through generation to generation for over 65,000 years.
[Images move through to show a view looking at an indigenous township on the shores of the sea, a reflection of autumn leaves in the water, and a male walking along the beach]
Instead of spring, summer, autumn and winter, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have their own names and times for their seasons.
[Music plays and image changes to show the bottom half of the screen in brown and the top half in blue and a circle appears at the centre, and text appears inside: Many Lands, Many Seasons]
Welcome to Many Lands, Many Seasons.
[Image changes to show a map of the Tiwi Islands, and text appears: Tiwi Islands, Ratuwatie, Bathurst Island, Yinjara, Melville Island]
We’re here, on the Tiwi Islands just above Darwin. The two main islands here, Ratuwatie and Yinjara or Bathurst and Melville Island.
[Image changes to show a group of Tiwi Island schoolchildren talking to the camera]
Children: Welcome to the Tiwi Islands.
[Music plays and images move through to show the school children performing a dance, a butterfly on a leaf, grubs walking across the ground, and Rulla playing football with the schoolchildren]
[Image changes to show a view looking down on an indigenous township, and then the image changes to show Byron talking to the camera]
Byron: My home is on the Tiwi Islands.
[Images more through to show a pilot in the cockpit of a plane, the wing of a plane as seen from the plane window, a plane landing, and then a ferry moving through the water, and text appears: Fly 20 minutes, Ferry 2.5 hours]
It takes 20 minutes to fly here from Darwin or you can get here with a ferry.
[Music plays and images move through to show the township of Ratuwatie, and a male casting a fishing net into the water, and an inset spinning seasonal calendar appears in front]
Rulla Kelly-Mansell: The community on Ratuwatie have three main seasons:
[Image shows the spinning calendar stopping on the wet season area and the camera zooms in, and images move through to show lightning and rain, and text appears: Jamutakari, wet season]
Jamutakari, the wet season when the rain falls every day, and the river and swamps are full.
[Music plays and image changes to show the seasonal calendar on the dry season area, and then images move through to show an aerial view of scrub burning, and text appears: Kumunupunari, dry season of fire and smoke]
Kumunupunari, the dry season of fire and smoke.
[Music plays and image changes to show the hot weather area appearing on the seasonal calendar, and then images move through of a sunny beach, and then a sunset, and text appears: Tiyari, season of hot weather and high humidity]
Tiyari, the season of hot weather and high humidity.
[Music plays and image changes to show Rulla standing on a beach talking to the camera]
And each of these seasons are made up of 13 important seasonal events.
[Music plays and images move through to show Nelson and Pedro walking towards the camera along the beach, and hunting as they go, and digging with sticks in the sand for mangrove worms]
Nelson Mungatopi: These seasonal events help us know when we should be hunting and gathering plants and animals.
[Image changes to show an animation of mangrove worms in the ground, and text appears: Kurukurari]
Kurukurari, is the season event when the mangrove worms are easy to find. They are sweet and filling.
[Music plays and images move through to show a school oval area, schoolchildren and teachers performing a traditional dance, and then Rulla and the children in the dance]
[Image changes to show a child playing clapsticks, and text appears: Tawutawungari]
Rulla Kelly-Mansell: The seasonal event of the clapsticks is when Kurlama ceremonies are held.
[Images move through to show yams on the ground, and then children being traditionally painted on the legs using bunches of leaves, and text appears: Kurlama, yam]
These centre around when the yam is prepared, baked and eaten only at this time.
[Music plays and camera zooms in on one of the children laughing, and then the image changes to show Rulla and the children dancing, and then the image changes to show a Brahimny kite flying in the air, and text appears: Jankinaki, Brahminy kite]
During the ceremony the community imitates the brahminy kite by painting themselves and dancing.
[Music plays and the image changes to show a close view of a child being painted on the face, and then the image changes to show the schoolchildren dancing again]
[Images move through to show a close view of a child having their face painted, the children’s legs, and then the children returning to perform the dance again]
This ceremony happens towards the end of Jamutakari, the wet season.
[Music plays and image changes to show an animation of the sun setting, and then the image changes to show a boat pulled up at the shore, and text appears: Kumunupunari, dry season of fire and smoke]
After the wet comes the dry season of Kumunupunari.
[Music plays and image changes to show Pedro Wonaeamirri talking to the camera, and text appears: Pedro Wonaeamirri, Senior Cultural Advisor]
Pedro Wonaeamirri: Well, in the dry season the weather changes from wet to dry, then we know it is dry season.
[Images move through to show various flowers in the trees, and text appears Wurrungilaka, Corymbia nesophlia]
We see the flowers and the trees.
[Image changes to show Pedro talking to the camera, and then the image changes to show a brushtail possum in a tree hollow, and then a carpet snake moving along, and text appears: Wuninga, northern brushtail possum, Yilinga, carpet python]
Wurrungilaka has that flower, then we know it’s the time when the possum gets fat, also the carpet snake.
[Image changes to show Pedro talking to the camera, and then the image changes to show ants on a tree trunk, and text appears: Yingwati, sugarbag]
Then we know it’s the time for collecting sugarbag, Yingwati. So, we collect bush honey.
[Image changes to show Pedro talking, and then the image changes to show fires burning, and then the image changes to show Pedro talking again, and text appears: Kimirrankinari, season of fire when dry grass is burnt]
It is the season now Kimirrakinari, we burn off the land, then we go hunting on Country, from long time ago and still today.
[Images move through to show various views of palm trees, grasses waving in the wind, and then Rulla talking to Nelson Mungatopi who is holding a plant, and text appears: Nelson Mungatopi, Senior Cultural Advisor]
Rulla Kelly-Mansell: And if you know where to look, this land has a lot of bush tucker, just like these edible plants. So, what do we have here, Uncle?
[Nelson Mungatopi can be heard speaking in indigenous language to Rulla and Pedro and showing them the bush bread]
[Image shows Pedro translating for Rulla, and then the image changes to show the bush bread fruit on the palm tree]
Pedro Wonaeamirri: This one we have is the bush bread that long time we ate, a lot my people.
[Camera zooms in on the fruit on the tree]
Rulla Kelly-Mansell: What do we call this?
Nelson Mungatopi: We call it Minta.
[Nelson can be heard speaking in indigenous language again, and the image changes to show Nelson talking to Rulla and Pedro]
[Image shows Pedro translating for Rulla]
Pedro Wonaeamirri: This one we call the Cycad nuts but in language we call it Minta. This is the bush bread.
[Image changes to show the bush bread trees, and then the camera zooms in on the fruit on the trees, and text appears: Minta, cycad/bush bread]
Rulla Kelly-Mansell: Minta. And how do we know when they are in season?
[Nelson can be heard speaking in indigenous language again, and the image changes to show Nelson talking to Rulla and Pedro]
[Image shows Pedro translating for Rulla]
Pedro Wonaeamirri: The only time in season we know we’ll collect Minta is now, in the dry season, dry season is the time.
[Music plays and images move through to show an aerial view looking down on the settlement, a close view of a flowering plant, and Rulla playing football with the schoolchildren]
Rulla Kelly-Mansell: Every season brings with it so many things you can do. What’s your favourite?
[Image changes to show text on a brown screen: What’s your favourite]
[Image changes to show Mona talking to the camera]
Mona: My favourite season is dry, because I like to go out camping and I like to go fishing and I like to catch, um, possum.
[Image changes to show Byron talking to the camera]
Byron: My favourite season is dry season, yes, fishing and camping and we can like, go out a lot and because wet season is just rain and yeah.
[Image changes to show Kelvin talking to the camera]
Kelvin: On a wet season you can catch barra, wallaby, because the grass grow. In dry season you can chase wuninga, because it is fun too.
[Image changes to show Tanya talking to the camera]
Tanya: I like the dry season because when it doesn’t have rain, we can go hunting for mud mussel and for some crab and for buffalo.
[Image changes to show Rulla and a group of schoolchildren spearfishing, and then the image changes to show Tanya talking to the camera again]
I like going out for mud mussel because it’s good, and it can get your body moving and stuff. Like, it’s good exercise.
[Images move through to show Rulla and a group of schoolchildren walking along the shores of the beach fishing]
Rulla Kelly-Mansell: It sure is, and that’s what we’re doing today, catching fish, Tiwi style.
[Images move through to show Trevor Wilson showing the children how to use the spear to do spearfishing and then Trevor throwing the spear into the water]
Trevor Wilson: One hand here, look hold him here, for that balance. See my balance. I am aiming from here, look, the tip. So, you grab that tip with your finger when you are aiming and shoot like that.
Rulla Kelly-Mansell: That, and so you follow through.
[Image changes to show Rulla picking up the spear and holding it and then throwing it]
Aim from the finger.
[Image changes to show Trevor showing Rulla how to throw the spear again, and then Rulla aiming and throwing the spear, and then the schoolchildren having a turn at throwing the spear]
Trevor Wilson: Yeah, from the finger, so you, aim in front of it, and then come down the tip. Aim, aim.
[Music plays and images move through to show a close view of the mangroves, and then the image changes to show Rulla and the schoolchildren walking through the mangroves]
Rulla Kelly-Mansell: Well, I didn’t catch any fish, so it’s off to the mangroves to find some of the mud mussels, everyone keeps yarning about.
[Music plays and image changes to show the children collecting mud mussels]
And after we find them, it’s time to cook them up for a feast.
[Image changes to show Rulla and Trevor squatting near a campfire and talking together, and text appears: Trevor Wilson, Milikapiti School]
What have we got here?
Trevor Wilson: We have got mud mussels and some of them long bums. I am going to have a feed of them today.
[Image shows Rulla talking and pointing]
Rulla Kelly-Mansell: Also, in the mangroves we found them eh.
Trevor Wilson: Yeah. Earlier when we go down there, with the kids and yeah, collecting mussels but yeah, that’s one of our favourites.
[Image changes to show a close view o the mussels being cooked on the campfire, and then the image changes to show Rulla and Trevor looking down at the campfire as they talk]
And this here, we do collecting mussels every year, all year round like in the wet season and the dry season.
Rulla Kelly-Mansell: How do you know when they’re ready?
[Image changes to show the mussels and long bums cooking over the campfire, and then the camera zooms out to show Rulla and Trevor cooking them over the campfire]
Trevor Wilson: You’ll see that um, the long bums they’ll sizzle and with the mussels they’ll open up, open up, and then you will know when they’re ready.
Rulla Kelly-Mansell: Just like that one, eh?
[Image changes to show a close view of Trevor, and then the image changes to show Rulla and Trevor in conversation by the campfire again]
Trevor Wilson: almost cooked, yep, almost cooked.
Rulla Kelly-Mansell: And you eat these all year round?
Trevor Wilson: Yeah, all year round we have this.
[Image changes to show mangroves along the water’s edge, and the camera zooms in on the mangroves]
Rulla Kelly-Mansell: Now we got this from the mangroves, that’s where those mud crabs are as well, eh?
[Image changes to show a close view of a mud crab, and then the image changes to show Rulla, Trevor and Nelson holding spears and walking along the beach towards the camera]
Trevor Wilson: Yeah, mud crabs and even in the shallow water, you will see all the men will walk with a spear along the beach and the crab, they burrow themselves in the mud.
[Image changes to show a close view of the three walking]
You can get them from both, from the mangroves and on the beach there.
[Image changes to show Rulla and Trevor squatting around the campfire and then the camera zooms in on the campfire]
Rulla Kelly-Mansell: I am keen to taste some Top End tucker?
Trevor Wilson: Almost cooked here.
[Image changes to show a close view of a cooked mussel]
You can have the first taste.
Rulla Kelly-Mansell: Beautiful.
[Image changes to show Trevor handing Rulla a cooked mussel and Rulla eating the mussel while Nelson watches]
Trevor Wilson: There you go. What do you reckon?
[Image shows Rulla talking to Trevor and Nelson seated by the campfire, and then the image changes to show a close view of Rulla as he talks]
Rulla Kelly-Mansell: Salty, chewy, beautiful 12 out of ten.
[Image changes to show a close view of Trevor, and then images move through of the children eating the mussels]
Trevor Wilson: Yeah, no worries.
[Music plays and images move through of the school children having face paint applied, the school children performing a dance, a close view of a child’s painted face, and the children playing football]
[Images move through to show the children running up from the beach towards the camera, Rulla and the children performing a traditional dance, and then Rulla talking to the camera]
Rulla Kelly-Mansell: I hope you have enjoyed learning about the seasons of the Top End, meeting some local elders and the future generations of the Tiwi Islands.
Now in Palawa Kani, we say Wulika, which means goodbye, but here on Tiwi we are going to say Nimpangi, which means, I’ll see you later.
[Music plays and images move through of flowering trees, a skyline at dusk, and a sunset over the water, and text appears: Thanks to Tiwi Land Council, Tiwi Landowners, staff and students of Milikapiti School, Presented by Rulla Kelly-Mansell, CSIRO community producer – Emma Woodward]
[New text and the CSIRO logo appears: Produced by the ABC, Produced with the financial and research assistance of the CSIRO]
[New text appears: Indigenous knowledge is included in this film and includes art, practices, language, names and ecological and seasonal knowledge, This Indigenous knowledge is the Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) of the people and communities who shared it with their permission, and they assert their ICIP right, Images of seasonal calendars are also protected by copyright and should not be used or reproduced without permission]
[Image changes to show a black screen showing the ABC logo and text appears: Copyright 2022 Australian Broadcasting Corporation and CSIRO]
