Gerry Mungatopi

Tokwampini was the messenger in the pukumani mythology, it was he who told Purukaparli that his wife Bima had committed adultery with her brother-in-law Taparra. This event lead to the mortality of the Tiwi people, the first death, the first funeral pukumani. Tokwampini became a jabiru (native crane), but tokwampini is a common Tiwi name for bird. Birds were humans long ago. When Purukuparli said “I will have a big ceremony for my son” the birds heard. There were pelicans, owls and all sorts of birds. One of the birds spoke to Purukuparli and said “If you are having ceremony, we will give you feathers for your headband, armbands and goose feather ball to decorate yourself so you won’t be recognised by the spirit of the dead.”