Representatives of Batchelor Institute formally received three Pukumani poles from the Tiwi Islands during a moving event on the morning of 2 June 2022.
In 2021 and 2022, students from the Tiwi Islands attended visual art classes in their communities and on campus at Batchelor Institute. As a tribute to their learnings during that time, the students made three Pukumani poles – carved wooden poles featuring distinctive traditional Tiwi designs in yellow, red and white ochre and black charcoal.
An earlier ceremony was hosted by the Tiwi Islands Training and Employment Board (TITEB) on Bathurst Island to farewell the poles. The subsequent presentation occurred at Batchelor Campus when the poles were received by the Institute’s Chair Ms Pat Anderson AO and Council members. The poles were placed adjacent to the Visual Art building for the presentation and will be permanently installed in the location soon.
Alongside students, staff and representatives of Batchelor Institute, TITEB board members and staff also attended the presentation. While the art initiative was driven by the students involved, TITEB staff were also instrumental in supporting the production of the poles and the two events.
Speaking at the event, Michaellina Woodroffe, one of the students who worked on the poles, explained how the idea began after a group of students from Wurrumiyanga and Pirlangimpi visited Batchelor campus in August 2021 to study a Certificate I in Visual Arts (CUA10320).
“We were the first students from the Tiwi Islands to attend training at Batchelor for [many] years,” Ms Woodroffe said. “[When] we went for a walk around the college grounds, we saw five Tiwi Pukumani poles. We were really happy to see the poles but unfortunately they looked old and worn out. This gave us an idea.
“[In] September 2021 we went back to our Foundation Studies and Community Services training at TITEB in Wurrumiyanga and the Pirlangimpi Women’s Centre. During our time back in community we talked about doing the carving of the poles. John Tipiloura and Peter Alimankinni went out bush to collect the wood and carved the new Pukumani poles in figures of our Tiwi Dreamtime ancestors Purrukuparli and Wayayi. Once the poles were carved, we all took turns in painting the poles using ochre paint.
“We present these poles to Batchelor as a memento of our Tiwi culture and for others to view when they visit,” Ms Woodroffe told the distinguished guests, family and friends who assembled to watch the presentation.
The date of the presentation coincided with the recent Graduation Ceremony at Batchelor Campus which occurred later that afternoon. Ms Woodroffe, Mr Tipiloura and Mr Alimankinni, as well as Therese Puruntatameri, Suzie Tipiloura, Karen Tipiloura and Maverick Poantumilui – all of whom were directly involved in sourcing the timber, carving and painting the poles – were among a total of 12 Tiwi Islands students who received their Certificate I in Visual Arts in person on Graduation Day.
The Tiwi Islands were represented in a number of other important ways on the day as well. Tiwi Island dancers led the academic and student processions into the venue at the commencement of the Graduation Ceremony, while a work titled ‘Arlamunga (Barramundi)’, by Allanah Papajua from Pirlamgimpi, was featured in the graduation booklet, invitations, posters and livestream for the event. Tiwi Islands students also graduated from studies in healthcare, construction, and engineering during the ceremony.
These notable events followed a visit by Batchelor Institute representatives on 31 May 2022 to the Tiwi Futures Expo, which was hosted by Xavier College in Wurrumiyanga and attended by students from several local schools. The expo aimed to make students aware of the wide range of study and work options available after high school.
The Pukumani poles highlight the significant links between the Tiwi Islands, TITEB and Batchelor Institute, and mark the strength of this relationship moving forward.
