Tiwi Birds by Bede Tungatalum
Bede first created this ‘Tiwi Bird’ motif in the 1970s; its first iteration was as a woodblock print, and it soon became incorporated into the Tiwi Design logo. The Tiwi Bird textile design was created in 1990.
Alan Kerinauia, Tiwi screen printer, explains, “The Tiwi Bird is a Jabiru - there’s lots of Jabirus around Tiwi Islands. The dots and lines around the bird are like Jilamara - a piece of art.
Each line, triangle and curve means something else - a thick line is a creek or river, a dot is a waterhole or a person, and a triangle with a dot can be a snake.”
Blog posts
Closing a Chapter with Gratitude
After three incredible years in our beautiful King Street home, we've made the difficult decision to close the doors to our Magpie Goose flagship store.
We Made a Mistake - but was it a Happy Accident?
Sometimes mistakes turn into something beautiful. When producing Woven in History by Kyra Mancktelow, we accidentally ordered our old quantity of fabric — around 500 metres. The result? More garmen...
We're in the running for a NIFA Award
Finalists again! 🎉 Magpie Goose x Quandamooka Artists are honoured to be named finalists in the 2026 National Indigenous Fashion Awards for the Community Collaboration Award, celebrating strong par...
Magpie Goose acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live, work and trade. We acknowledge their ongoing connection and custodianship for Country.
We pay our deep respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly those who we work and collaborate with.
Always was, always will be.