Medicinal plant use in two Tiwi Island communities: a qualitative research study
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(2019) 15:40
RESEARCH
Open Access
Medicinal plant use in two Tiwi Island communities: a qualitative research study Adam Thompson1* , Gemma Munkara2, Marie Kantilla2 and Jacinta Tipungwuti2
Abstract Background: Traditional medicinal plants are still used today in many Aboriginal communities across Australia. Our research focused on the contemporary use of such plants in the two communities within the Tiwi Islands, Wurrumiyanga and Pirlangimpi. Methods: This qualitative research project performed a video ethnography, community interviews, and a trial intervention to better understand the extent to which these plants are still used throughout the community and how they may be used more in the future. Results: We found that several plants are still used predominantly as medicinal washes to treat skin disorders and/or as a tea to treat congestion associated with cold and flu. Those plants that are commonly used are found near to the community in large amounts and are recognized as being both safe and effective. Conclusions: Within the community, it is the elder women who remain most knowledgeable about these plants and continue to make them for their families. However, there are many families who no longer know how to make these traditional medicines though they express a desire to use them. Therefore, it would be beneficial to have a central location or method to produce traditional medicine for the community—a bush pharmacy. Keywords: Medicinal plants, Bush medicine, Tiwi, Wurrumiyanga, Ethnography, Qualitative, Medical anthropology
Background The Tiwi Islands lie within the Northern Territory of Australia approximately 90 km north of Darwin where the Arafura Sea joins the Timor Sea. The islands were separated from the mainland by rising sea level at some point 7000–15,000 years ago [1]. The mythology of people living on the islands, who refer to themselves as the Tiwi, records this sea level rise in the story of Mudangkala, an old blind woman who was the original ancestor of the Tiwi people who crawled from the Australian mainland while water followed behind her to create the islands [2, 3]. The Tiwi are believed to have remained in relative isolation from mainland groups ever since the islands became separated and developed a culture relatively distinct from mainland Aboriginal Australians [3]. Tiwi people have unique cultural practices including major ceremonies such as the kulama, a yam harvest ceremony during which male initiation rites occur, and the pukamani * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Menzies School of Health Research, PO Box 41096, Casuarina, NT 0811, Australia Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
burial ceremony. Both the didgeridoo and concepts of sorcery were not present within Tiwi culture until very recently and are still not recognized as aspects of the ancestral culture. Flora and fauna on the islands are similar to mainland Australia but with a higher proportion of monsoon forest ecosystem and mangroves as the islands receive the highest rai
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