Description

Tokwampini was the messenger in the pukamani mythology. It was he who told Purukaparli that his wife Bima had committed adultery with her brother-in-law Tapara. This event led to mortality coming to the Tiwi with first death and therefore the first pukamani ceremony. Tokwampini became a Jabiru or native crane but tokwampini is also the common Tiwi name for a bird.

Birds were human 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 other birds. One of the birds spoke to Purukuparli and said “If you are having a ceremony we will give you the eathers for your head band and armbands and a goose feather ball to decorate yourself so you won’t be recognized by the spirits of the dead”.