Australia Archive

BATHURST ISLAND, AUSTRALIA - [May 1993]: (MANDATORY CREDIT Bill Tompkins/Getty Images) The main traditional Tiwi ceremony is the "Ilaninga" connected with death; it is, during and after the Christian burial, still performed to a large degree. Carved and painted poles, commissioned by the family of the deceased, used to be placed around the grave but are nowadays displayed on the site where the funeral dances take place, near the house of the dead person. The place is named "Pukumani", a term that means something like "taboo": the name of the dead person may not be spoken and his or her belongings also become "Pukumani". There is dancing and singing, believed to give guidance and protection for the deceased. While the actual burial is now a Christian one, those clan dances are still done near the grave. May 1993 in Bathurst. (Photo by Bill Tompkins/Getty Images)