Mary was born in the bush between Mudlow and Karslake on Wulirankuwu Country – the Country of her father’s family. Her parents Ally and Polly Miller were strong cultural elders and leaders of ceremony in the area. Mary was taken to the mission on Bathurst Island at a very young age for education. She returned to Milikapiti, on Melville Island, aged 18. 

At the time Mary believed her parents had passed away but, arriving back in Milikapiti her father took her to a Kulama [Coming of Age] ceremony. She learnt to dance and listened to her father sing. At first, she did not understand as she had only learnt English at the mission, but Ally and Polly taught her to speak Tiwi and to understand the Tiwi song-lines. They also taught her to carve and weave pandanus for ceremonial body ornaments, during this time in her early adulthood.

Mary is a Traditional Land-Owner of Milikapiti and the surrounding area to Karslake, an area known as Wulirankuwu Country. She paints with locally sourced ochres on paper, canvas, bark and also weaves with pandanus found on the island. She draws on memories of her father’s paintings, as well as finding inspiration in the rich natural harvest of the island. Mary is a strong culture woman, who can speak hard Tiwi and takes pride in handing down Tiwi culture and knowledge to the youth of the Tiwi Islands.