Bathurst Island, Australia

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the end of the 19th C and have preserved their own distinctive culture and art. Tiwi means 'men'. The main center of these very progressive Aborigines is Nguiu (pop. 1200), at the southeastern tip of Bathurst Island.

History

The first Europeans in this area were the Dutch, who passed the islands on their way to Batavia. In 1824 Britain established a military post at Fort Dundas, near the present-day settlement of Pularumpi, to discourage French interest in the area, but the fort was abandoned only five years later. Indonesian fishermen had established contacts and trading relations with the Tiwi at an early stage. The Tiwi had steel axes and were therefore able to construct proper canoes, while the mainland Aborigines had only bark canoes. A Roman Catholic mission was established at Nguiu in 1911.

The chief places in the north of Melville Island are Milikapiti and Pularumpi. Barra Base Lodge and Putjamirra are upmarket holiday centers.

Organized tours to the holiday resorts run by the Tiwi, beautifully situated on the tropical sea, are an interesting introduction to the way of life and culture, the hunting and fishing of the Aborigines.