It's Sunday on a remote Northern Territory Aboriginal island community, and the faithful are congregating for the biggest day of the year for what can only be described as Tiwi religion - Aussie rules football.
An event of biblical proportions, each year people from the Bathurst and Melville Islands open their arms to the world for the local grand final.
It's the one day of the year where outsiders don't need a permit to visit, and those from the mainland flock over in droves.
The islands, located about 90 kilometres north of Darwin, are a breeding ground for talented artists and footballers.
They've produced many AFL greats, including Richmond's 1982 Norm Smith medallist Maurice Rioli and Essendon's Michael Long, who won the same honour in 1993.
"We always punch above our weight for such a small population," Long told AAP.
"It's footy at its rawest. The flair, the speed of the game... it's the social fabric of the community, and really important for the next generation."
Football has literally been a matter of life and death for a community battling social dysfunction and shockingly high suicide rates.
A triumphant Tuyu Buffaloes fan cheershis team's 87-77 win over the Muluwurri Magpies. Source: AAP
Before the game, both teams linked arms in solidarity with the No More anti domestic violence campaign, a grassroots effort that started in Top End football teams but has since spread to entire communities, forcing men to take responsibility.
This year almost 2000 locals and tourists packed the Nguiu oval to see their heroes in action.
Fresh from their Sydney Mardi Gras debut earlier this month, the Tiwi transgender Sistagirls were cheerleading from the sidelines.
Senior Australian of the Year Sister Anne Gardiner, who has dedicated the past 62 years to championing Tiwi culture, soaked up the electric atmosphere, as did NT chief minister Michael Gunner.
Dogs had to be shooed off the field at times as kids splashed in the mud nearby, absorbed in their own footy games.
When the Muluwurri Magpies finally took out the title against the Tapalinga Superstars 57-47, hundreds of fans rushed onto the field.
The son of AFL Bulldogs legend Ted Whitten presented the medal for the league's best and fairest, named in his dad's honour, to both Harley Puruntatameri from the Ranku Eagles and Clement Kerinauia of the Tuyu Buffalos.
Ted Whitten Jr has travelled up from Melbourne for the game every year since his father, 'Mr Football', died in 1995.
"It's my 23rd trip to the Tiwis. My dad came up for many years before me," he said.
"They live and breathe it, football is their life. And it's a very proud day for me."
If footy is a religion for Tiwi Islanders, then art is their number one passion.
The annual art sale allows shoppers to buy discounted original works without the gallery mark-up, meet the artists and learn about the 40,000-year old Tiwi culture.
Long says art, like football, can bring white and black Australians closer together.
"We all speak the same language when we talk about football," he said.
Muluwurri Magpies cheer at their team's goal at the Tiwi Grand Final at Wurrumiyanga on Bathurst Island. Source: AAP
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