According to Tiwi belief, the Tiwi Islands were formed millennia ago by the creator-ancestor, Murtankala. Tiwi have lived on Country ever since and have fiercely defended their lands from intruders. There were some wars with neighbouring mainland peoples, but also intermarriage. The Dutch were the first Europeans to land on Tiwi Country, but they came without permission, so the Tiwi fought them. Then the British attempted to create a settlement in the 1820s, but again the Tiwi fought them and sent them away.
