The Tiwi Strong Women’s Group
The Tiwi Strong Women’s Group have been sisters, family and friends all their lives, growing up together with song as their shared identity. Now, as respected Elders, grandmothers, culture and knowledge holders they are mentors in their community, drawing on their knowledge of Tiwi song traditions to support ceremony and cultural activities and to help young Tiwi people connect with their language and identity. They have performed at the Darwin Festival a number of times as well as at the Sydney Festival, in the Sydney Opera House, the National Gallery and the National Film and Sound Archive and they feature in the Australian feature film Top End Wedding. For many years they have been leaders in Tiwi song language composition, documentation and preservation projects and firmly believe in the power of Tiwi children having an education grounded in Tiwi culture in Tiwi language. Along with senior Tiwi culture men they are currently the protagonists for the proposed Milimika Culture and Knowledge Centre on Bathurst Island.
Appearances