Foreign Settlement
Burial site at Nguiu, Bathurst Island
The Tiwi are mentioned in historic records dating back to the eighteenth century when Dutch, Portuguese and British explorers ventured onto the Tiwi Islands. The first foreign settlement on the Islands occurred in 1824, when the British established Fort Dundas near the Pirlangimpi township. After many years of hardship and little prosperity the settlement was abandoned.
In 1911, Father Gsell, established a Catholic mission at Nguiu, Bathurst Island. The Catholic mission had a profound effect on Tiwi culture and way of life that was both positive and negative. The mission established an education system, addressed health issues and organised welfare services within the community.
In keeping with the thinking of the times, they also sought to suppress traditional language, customs and culture. Today Tiwi customs have intermixed with Catholic doctrines, producing an amalgam of aboriginal and catholic signs and symbols evident in Tiwi art.
The white wooden church at Nguiu was built in the 1930s. The interior walls are decorated with crosshatched designs and paintings of stingrays, crocodiles, turtles and pelicans. This historical church attracts many visitors. Built from cypress pine, the church has withstood numerous cyclones.
In 1978 the ownership of Bathurst Island was formally handed back to the Tiwi People, today the Island is run by the Tiwi Land Council (TLC).
