Tiwa of North Australia

Tiwi of Northern Australia

A classic in its field, Hart and Pilling's book The Tiwi of North Australia offers objective, anthropological insight into this indigenous culture. The authors' objectives are twofold, as stated in the Introduction: to provide an account of how the Tiwi functioned before colonization and to describe how the Tiwi changed after contact with Europeans and the subsequent modernization of Australian culture. The Tiwi posed problems for Christian European settlers for a number of reasons, namely their social structures and religious beliefs. The Tiwi are a close-knit polygamous society that exhibits sophisticated social stratification. The Tiwi differ from the native peoples of mainland Australia, as the authors are quick to point out. This is due to their unique geographical position on a set of islands north of Australia. Their physical isolation created an ideal state for the Tiwi to develop singular tribal characteristics and culture. Their weapons, kinship system, and especially their beliefs in plural marriage set the Tiwi apart from nearby native groups.

Interestingly, the researchers point out that there was no actual tribal government (13). Rather, the different bands of Tiwi lived collectively and saw themselves as part of one people. The daily life of a Tiwi did not demand a central government because of the predominance of the family unit. As a hunter-gatherer society, division of labor and social roles were extremely strict, further limiting the need for social control exerted by a central government. Resources were pooled by the family; all the necessities of life were provided by the members of the kinship group. However, Tiwi kinship groups are complex; Hart and Pilling devote much attention to Tiwi family life because it essentially forms the basis of the culture.

According to the Tiwi, "all females must get married, regardless of age, condition, or inclination," (16). Remarkably, this hard rule did not arise from knowledge of basic biology: the Tiwi, like other Australian aboriginal people, "firmly believed that a woman becomes pregnant because a spirit has entered into her body," (17). Thus, marriage was for the Tiwi about the preservation of social order. Mandatory marriage for women ensured that all children would be properly cared for by both male and female members of society. Moreover, Tiwi babies were assigned a future spouse immediately after they were born, and widows were required to marry as soon as the husband died.

Men were offered more leeway in the marriage institution. Men were not required, as women were, to marry, but generally the most powerful men accumulated as many wives as possible. Plural marriage was viewed by the Tiwi as a necessary part of a man's development. Having a huge household as a result of plural marriage ensured that that family would enjoy more fruits of labor and the resulting esteem in the eyes of other tribe members.

The Tiwi were "extremely hostile" to the European settlers (105). It is no wonder; the Portuguese captured Tiwis and enslaved them. The authors note that contact with Europeans and European culture changed the worldview of the Tiwi people considerably. The Tiwi have since been forced to live and work within European cultural organizations and have had to contend with a more pluralistic society than their ancestors ever imagined.