POSITION: Machinist, Designer
BORN: 1953, Nguiu, Bathurst Island
SKIN GROUP: Wantarringuwi
CLAN: Jamulampi
STARTED WORK AT BIMA WEAR: 1969
MEDIUMS: Fabric design, Linocuts, Etching
DESIGNS: Pamajini
ABOUT:
My name is Antoinette Tipiloura. I am married to John Bosco who is a Deacon for our local Catholic church. I am the mother of 2 daughters and grandmother of one grandson.
I like spending my non-work time with my family. Together we go out hunting for mangrove worms (yuwurli), long bum (piranga), mud mussels (jukwarringa), mud crabs (kirimpika), clams, (jiparima), fish (muputi), turtle eggs (pajipajuwu), oysters (arrayi) and dugong (marntuwunyini). To find yuwurli, piranga and tukuwaringa, we walk into the mangroves, into the mud. We split open the mangrove roots to find yuwurli.
Piranga are shellfish which sit in the mud. We collect them and put them in bags. Mud mussels are hard to find and we must dig for them. It's very hot, hard work hunting but we have a great feast afterwards.
I started working at Tiwi Design when it was first established by Bede Tungutalum, Giovanni Tipungwuti and Madeline Clear. I then moved to Bima Wear later in the 1970s.