Child protection laws threaten Tiwi cultural transmission, teenagers warn
Shanina Kantilla and Tahni Thompson are worried. New child protection laws might cut off cultural knowledge that passes from families to young people.
On the Tiwi Islands, culture moves from grandparents and aunties to children through hands-on teaching. Young people learn how to weave baskets from paper bark.
They learn which sacred sites matter. They learn which family and skin group each person belongs to.
Shanina Kantilla, 17, learned to hunt and fish as a child. Tahni Thompson, also 17, came back to the islands after growing up away and felt her sense of self come alive again.
The two teenagers know something important. Past government policies stopped cultural knowledge from passing down.
The Stolen Generations and early missions did the same thing a century ago. "I wouldn't want to be taken away from my family," Tahni said.
When families stay together, culture stays alive.
- 17 years old
- Shanina Kantilla
- 17 years old
- Tahni Thompson
- Tiwi Islands
- Location
Why it mattersIf cultural knowledge stops passing between generations, teenagers lose their sense of identity, language and belonging.
AustraliaThe NT already has the nation's highest suicide and acute mental illness rates. Breaking cultural ties would worsen mental health in a region already in crisis.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 12 d ago
