Australian Aboriginal (Tiwi)AustraliaFolklore
Papinijuwari
Basic account
One-eyed giant spirits of Tiwi tradition who hunt with clubs and bags.
Account
In Tiwi tradition of the Tiwi Islands, the Papinijuwari are hostile giant beings - often one-eyed - who prowl for the sick and carry victims away. They belong to a rich island cosmology that also includes creation beings and strict ceremonial law. Their image in bark painting and story is stark: appetite and night on a scale larger than a person.
Continue the account
Free readers get the opening. Members unlock the rest of the history and the mystery note.
Unlock forever with Lifetime - $69Sources
- - Tiwi oral tradition
- - Published ethnographic summaries
Related giants
- Budj Bim GiantsAustralian Aboriginal (Gunditjmara related landscape) · Ancestral beings of giant scale in the volcanic landscape of Budj Bim.
- MurkupangAustralian Aboriginal · Giant figure in northern Australian story cycles of pursuit and country.
- Chinny-kinikAustralian Aboriginal · Giant being in Aboriginal narrative - sparse in print, strong in place.