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Broken curved fishhook point, with base and part of shaft remaining.

Broken shank with head, knob and part of shaft remaining.

Broken fishhook, curved base portion remaining, possibly from one-piece fishhook point.

Broken shank, with only base remaining.

Middle piece of tab

Middle piece of tab

Kete woven from undyed harakeke (flax). This kete has been woven initially as a flat piece in a takirua (over two, under two) pattern, with the base being woven together after the initial weaving. The kete was then inverted to hide the base join internally. It has been finished with a tapiki (finish) where the whenu have been folded internally before being trimmed. X2 four ply round whiri (braids) have been introduced to act as handles.

Piece of twisted muka cord

Set of fire oven stones.

Paua shell containing ground kōkōwai (red ochre). Perforation drilled at one end.

Complete mōkihi (raft) made of reeds and other plant material, bundled together and tied with unscraped flax. Pieces of twisted flax and other fibre attached in the centre and at one end. Lenticular shape. Interior is very shallow, with a deeper portion cut at each end.

Complete korowai (cloak with twisted tags). The kaupapa (main body) is flax with twisted whenu (strands) tags added across the surface. The side borders are ornamented with paru-dyed flax and edged with feathers. The weft strands of the side borders are alternating blocks of red and green wool, and blocks of natural fibre. The bottom of the side panels have degraded and much of the dyed flax has been lost. The bottom edge of the kaupapa is ornamented by a tasselled woollen edging alternating dark purple, brown, yellow and cream. Woven into the base of the kaupapa are five whenu (strands) of wool, alternating red and dark purple, finishing with a whiri (plait) of red and green woven together. The top edge is ornamented with whenu of both wool and flax and a flax tasselling. At the top corners additional coloured wool tags have been added, along with longer flax tags for securing the garment.

Long shaft of light coloured wood. Circular in cross section with many knots. The sides of the proximal end are squared. Distal end split into quarters, with wooden wedges pushed between. There is a length of twine wrapped around the distal end.

Small teka (footrest) from a kō (digging stick). Mid-brown wood. Surface is smooth, with chisel marks visible. One side is sawn flat and there is a perforation in the centre for lashing to the kō. The step platform is slightly curved upward and has decorative notches on the two side edges.

Complete tatā (canoe bailer). Elongated and narrow, made from mid brown rimu with a dark red stain. Handle formed in two curved pieces, joining together at a face carving on the butt. Proximal end of the scoop has a pakura design around the exterior surface of the rim. Horizontal grooves on the exterior bottom of the proximal end of the scoop. The interior surface and distal end of the exterior surface of the scoop are smooth and undecorated. The interior of the scoop has a ridge at about the midpoint, tapering to the pouring lip.

Complete taiaha. Dark brown wood with surface worked smooth. One end has a large head and tongue carving, with a simplistic spiral pattern on the tongue. Blade flattens and flares out, with a lenticular cross-section. Some chips and notches on blade, possibly usewear?

Mostly complete straight fishhook point. Tip missing. Two notches near base on outside.

Complete curved fishhook point. Two notches near base; slightly in curved point.

Bone curved fishhook point. Lower remaining. Tip broken off.

Tokwampini was the messenger in Pukumani mythology. He became a jabiru (native crane) but tokwampini is a common Tiwi name for birds., Patrick Freddy Puruntatameri is a Tiwi artist, born on Melville Island, north of Darwin. He is a printmaker and master carver, known to begin work on his ironwood sculptures with a chainsaw, before finishing them with hand tools and painted details., He said, “My father taught me everything about carving, how to use carving tools, what wood to use and what colours. He was the late great Murrunungumirri (Paddy Freddy)”