 | |
 The Tiwi Bombers, a local football team from the Tiwi Islands | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 2,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Australia (Northern Territory) | |
| Languages | |
| Tiwi, English (Australian English, Aboriginal Australian English) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| See List of Australian Aboriginal group names |
The Tiwi people (or Tunuvivi[a]) are one of the many Aboriginal groups of Australia. Nearly 2,000 Tiwi people live on Bathurst and Melville Islands, which make up the Tiwi Islands, lying about 48 kilometres (30 miles) from Darwin. The Tiwi language is a language isolate, with no apparent link to the languages of Arnhem Land on the Australian mainland. Their society is based on matrilineal descent, and marriage plays a very important part in many aspects of their lives. Art and music form an intrinsic part of their societal and spiritual rituals as the Tiwi people tend to follow a certain form of indigenous Animist belief system. The Stolen Generations saw many Indigenous people brought to the Tiwi Islands who were not of direct Tiwi descent.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).