The Poinciana Woman is the subject of an Australian urban legend that dates back to the 1950s. [1] There are multiple versions to the myth, but most follow the story of a woman who was raped and hanged, under a Poinciana tree, by a group of men in the East Point Reserve of Darwin, Northern Territory. It is said she haunts the East Point area, which has brought the attention of many media outlets such as the ABC and NITV.
The first mentions of the Poinciana Woman date back to the 1950s, with different versions of the myth having been created since. Roland Dyrting delves into these versions in his award-winning essay "The Poinciana Woman of East Point". [2] The essay's main depiction on the Poinciana Woman is that it is actually Pontianak (female vampiric ghost in Malay mythology) living in Darwin. This claim is backed with historical evidence of Asian migrants coming into Darwin in the late 1930s. There are many similar urban legends of women who died in tragic ways like that of the Poinciana Woman. These include the myths of the White Lady and the Lady in Red, which are ghosts that haunt public places which are directly related to the place of their demise. These two urban legends have become influential around the world and perhaps have formed an oral lore which has been transmitted into the myth of the Poinciana Woman.
The earliest mention of Poinciana Woman was in a book written by Maisie Austin, Quality of Life: A Reflection of Life in Darwin During the Post-war. [1] This version is a spirit who meets mothers that died in childbirth underneath a Frangipani tree. It also has another mention of a ghost found under a bridge at Daly Street, a road entering Darwin's CBD which is connected to the Stuart Highway and joins Darwin to Adelaide. An interview was held on ABC Radio, where one caller concurred saying she heard of the Poinciana Woman being a ghost on the Daly Street Bridge. [3]
Like other urban legends, the Poinciana Woman seems to have spread across Australia. An ABC article was written within a project called Curious Darwin, where locals can ask questions for journalists to report on. [4] The article contains an interview with a Darwin local who claims to have photographed the ghost at East Point Reserve. One writer from the project tells the version of the Poinciana Woman being Aboriginal and that the men who assaulted her were soldiers. This version of the story is the most popular among the Darwin locals, as it has ties with the Darwin Military museum which is in close proximity to the supposed location of the haunted Poinciana tree. The Northern Territory has the highest proportion of Aboriginals in Australia, and in the past has had racist community attitudes.
There have been some articles written in the Northern Territory News of an Indigenous man claiming the Poinciana Woman has strong ties to the folklore of the local Larrakia people. A response article was then written by former Lord Mayor George Brown, who confirmed that the Poinciana Woman was a story important to the Larrakia people. This is doubtful because there is a lack of sources containing information about the East Point Reserve being an important Larrakia site. [2] Also, the Poinciana tree is an introduced species from Madagascar planted in the 1900s. [5]
To summon the Poinciana Woman, it is said that one has to be at the right location on a moonless night and spin around three times while calling out her name. [6] This form of evocation is similar to other urban legend summoning practices such as Bloody Mary and Hanako-san, where some sort of action is repeated a number of times. A study by a PhD candidate at Durham University showed that people were attracted to stories with a survival threat and that they were likely to pass it on to another person. [7] For these reasons the myth of the Poinciana Woman has gone viral within the community leading to many visiting the East Point site.
The ghost of the Poinciana Woman is said to haunt the area of the East Point Reserve. This area, now a popular place for tourists and recreation, was fortified during World War II and was the site of naval and anti-aircraft guns which has now turned into the Darwin Military Museum. Directly east of the museum is the supposed exact location of the Poinciana Woman where many Delonix regia (Royal poinciana) are growing. The tree is considered an invasive weed which grows on the southern edge of the remnant monsoon rain forest. [8] This type of forest has the largest coverage in the Northern Territory and is under the protection of the government since it has a delicate ecosystem. Much of the rain forest was cleared for military purposes and there are now only small patches of this type of forestry in the area. [8]
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. The city has nearly 53% of the Northern Territory's population, with 139,902 at the 2021 census. It is the smallest, wettest, and most northerly of the Australian capital cities and serves as the Top End's regional centre.
Darwin Harbour is a body of water close to the city of Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is the traditional waterways of the Larrakia people.
Delonix regia is a species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae native to Madagascar. It is noted for its fern-like leaves and flamboyant display of orange-red flowers over summer. In many tropical parts of the world it is grown as an ornamental tree and in English it is given the name royal poinciana, flamboyant, phoenix flower, flame of the forest, phượng vĩ or flame tree.
Larrakeyah is an inner suburb of Darwin, the capital city of Australia's Northern Territory. It is the traditional country and waterways of the Larrakia people. It was one of the first parts of the city to be developed, and borders the Darwin Central Business District.
The Laragiya language, also spelt Larrakia, and also known as Gulumirrgin, is an Australian Aboriginal language spoken by just six people near the city of Darwin in northern Australia as of 1983. Only 14 people claimed to know the Laragiya language in 2016.
The Larrakia people are a group of Aboriginal Australian people in and around Darwin in the Northern Territory. The Larrakia, who refer to themselves as "Saltwater People", had a vibrant traditional society based on a close relationship with the sea and trade with neighbouring groups such as the Tiwi, Wadjiginy and Djerimanga. These groups shared ceremonies and songlines, and intermarried.
Fannie Bay is a middle/inner suburb of the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. It is the traditional country and waterways of the Larrakia people.
Tiwi is a northern suburb of the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. The suburb is bounded by Trower Road, Henbury Avenue and a coastal strip, separating Casuarina Beach and Lee Point Beach. It is in the Local Government Area of City of Darwin. It is home to Dripstone Middle School.
Brinkin is a northern suburb of Darwin, the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. It is located 12 kilometres (7 mi) north of Darwin's central business district, and is home to the Casuarina campus of Charles Darwin University. It is the traditional country and waterways of the Larrakia people.
Berrimah is an eastern suburb in the city of Darwin, in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is on the traditional Country and waterways of the Larrakia people.
East Point is an inner northern suburb of the city of Darwin, Northern Territory of Australia. It is the traditional country and waterways of the Larrakia people.
Lee Point refers to a coastal point north of the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
Leanyer is a northern suburb of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
Darwin City is a suburb in metropolitan Darwin which comprises the original settlement, the central business district, parkland and other built-up areas. It is the traditional country and waterways of the Larrakia people. It is original site of occupation and includes many of the city's important institutions and landmarks, such as Parliament, Government House, the Northern Territory Supreme Court, Bicentennial Park and the George Brown Darwin Botanic Gardens. The city centre is located in the local government areas of the City of Darwin and the Darwin Waterfront Precinct.
Teke Teke (テケテケ), also spelled Teke-Teke, Teketeke, or Teke teke, is a Japanese urban legend about the ghost of a schoolgirl who is said to have fallen onto a railway line undergoing a prank about a cicada, where her body was cut in half by a train after she had gotten stuck. She is an onryō, or a vengeful spirit, who lurks in urban areas and around train stations at night. Since she no longer has a lower body, she travels on her hands, dragging her upper torso and making a scratching or "teke teke"-like sound, produced either by her elbows or the end of her bisected body scraping the ground. If she encounters an individual, she will chase them and slice them in half at the waist, killing them in such a way that mimics her own disfigurement.
Casuarina Coastal Reserve is a protected area in the northern area of Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is on the traditional Country and waterways of the Larrakia nation.
Shoal Bay Coastal Reserve is a protected area in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Bagot Community is an Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory of Australia located in Ludmilla, a northern suburb of the city of Darwin. It was established in 1938 as the Bagot Aboriginal Reserve, when the Aboriginal residents were moved from the Kahlin Compound, it was also sometimes referred to as the Bagot Road Aboriginal Reserve.
East Arm is a suburb in the Northern Territory of Australia located in Darwin about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) east of Darwin City overlooking a part of Darwin Harbour known as the East Arm. It is the traditional land and waterways of the Larrakia people.