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Tiwi Food: Plants

This table provides information about plants eaten by the Tiwi people. Non-Tiwi are advised against eating these plants; many species are difficult to identify or may require special preparation to counteract toxicity. For a more comprehensive list of plants please refer to Tiwi plants and animals: Aboriginal flora and fauna knowledge from Bathurst and Melville Islands, northern Australia (2001) Puruntatameri, J., et al. Plant material cannot be removed from the Tiwi Islands without a permit.

Tiwi Name	Common Name	Scientific Name	Tiwi Season	Use
Alimpunga	Black Currant	Antidesma ghesaembilla	Jamutakari	The fruit, which are eaten when they turn black, are very sweet and tasty.
Jaliwaki	Bush Potato	Brachystelma glabriflorum	Jamutakari	Black star-like flowers in Jamutakari, the wet season, indicate that Jaliwaki, a disc-shaped yam, is ready to be dug up, cleaned and eaten. The flesh, which is very tasty, can be eaten raw or lightly roasted.
Jimijinga	Milky Plum	Persoonia falcata	Jamutakari	The fruit are eaten when ripe - green but soft to the touch.
Jora	Carpentaria Palm	Carpentaria acuminata	All seasons	The flesh of the growing point, or tia, is eaten after chopping open the leaf bases to expose the pale crisp flesh. The white pith, or pajikura, can be squeezed or sucked to obtain water, or it may be cooked and then eaten. In the past, sections of stem were carried on long walks as a supply of water.
Kanuli	Cocky Apple	Planchonia careya	Jamutakari	The corms at the base of the stem in the mud are dug up, roasted and eaten. Sometimes when Mayimampi (Magpie Geese) are killed the crop is full of Kirlinja. These are taken and eaten.
Kirlinja	Water Chestnut	Eleocharis dulcis	Kumunupunari	The corms at the base of the stem in the mud are dug up, roasted and eaten. Sometimes when Mayimampi (Magpie Geese) are killed the crop is full of Kirlinja. These are taken and eaten.
Kurlama	Yam	Dioscorea bulbifera	End of Jamutakari	Kurlama yams are the focus for the Kurlama ceremony, which is a highly significant event in the Tiwi ceremonial calendar. Kurlama yams are only eaten after the ceremony.
Malinki	Peanut Tree	Sterculia quadrifida	Tiyari	The black seeds, which taste like raw peanuts, are eaten when the fruit are ripe and split open.
Minta	Cycad	Cycas armstrongii	Kumunupunari	The orange seeds, kwaka, are roasted in ashes, cracked, dehusked and pounded. The pulp is soaked in water for three days and nights before it can be eaten. If the seeds are eaten raw they may cause severe vomiting and sickness.
Miyaringa	Pandanus	Pandanus spiralis	Kumunupunari	The seeds, temelepama, inside the fruit, wurranya, are eaten after roasting.
Muranga	Long Yam	Dioscorea transversa	Kumunupunari	Muranga yam may be eaten raw or roasted. It is considered excellent food and is a staple. The timing of its use is the same as for Kurlama.
Parntirringa	White Currant	Flueggea virosa	Jamutakari	The fruit is eaten when ripe and pink and is very tasty compared to other Bush Apples. Pinyama is one of the most highly regarded Tiwi foods.
Pinyawini	Red Bush Apple	Syzygium suborbiculare	Tiyari	The red fruit is eaten but not the seed. Pinyawini is not considered to be as sweet or tasty as Pinyama.
Pirlamunga	Billy Goat Plum	Terminalia ferdinandiana	Jamutakari	Pirlamunga fruit are eaten when they ripen to a pale green to yellow colour.
Purnarrika	Water Lily	Nymphaea violacea	Kumunupunari	The tuberous roots of Purnarrika are dug out the of the mud, cleaned, peeled and eaten. The seeds and flowers are also eaten.
Rani	Wild Carrot	Abelmoschus moschatus	Jamutakari	The carrot-like tuber is dug up, cleaned and eaten.
Tiyoni	Cheeky Yam	Amorphophallus galbra	Kumunupunari	The tuber is dug up when the above ground stems have gone yellow and then covered in coals and cooked overnight. The tuber is eaten on the first night of the Kurlama ceremony.
Wakajini		Eriosema chinense	Late Jamutakari/ early Kumunupunari	The small tubers are dug up and eaten after roasting on ashes.
Wupwarna	Bush Pumpkin	Amorphophallus paeoniifolius	Jamutakari	The tuber is eaten after extensive preparation, which includes overnight cooking.
Wurnika	Black Plum	Vitex glabrata	Jamutakari	Wurnika fruit, which are eaten when black, are very sweet and highly regarded as a food source.
Yankumwani	Green Plum	Buchanania obovata	Jamutakari	Yankumwani fruit are eaten when ripe - green but soft to touch. New sucker shoots, which appear after fire, are red and fleshy. The red skin is peeled off and the inner green stem eaten.

Tiwi Food: Plants

Tiwi Name

Common Name

Scientific Name

Tiwi Season

Use