Melanesian Meriam people are an Indigenous Australian group of

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia, they are often grou ...

people who are united by a common language, strong ties of kinship and live as skilled hunter–fisher–gatherers in family groups or clans on a number of inner eastern

Torres Strait Islands The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait, a waterway separating far northern continental Australia's Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea. They span an area of , but their total land ...

including ''Mer'' or Murray Island, ''Ugar'' or Stephen Island and ''Erub'' or Darnley Island. The Meriam people are perhaps best known for their involvement in the

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is Australia's apex court. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified within Australia's Constitution. The High Court was established following passage of the ''Judiciary Act 1903''. It ...

Mabo decision ''Mabo v Queensland (No 2)'' (commonly known as ''Mabo'') is a decision of the High Court of Australia, decided on 3 June 1992.. It is a landmark case, brought by Eddie Mabo against the State of Queensland. The case is notable for first reco ...

which fundamentally changed land law in Australia - recognising native title. Although

gardening Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants as part of horticulture. In gardens, ornamental plants are often grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants, such as root vegetables, leaf vegetables, fr ...

takes priority, each Meriam family has sea rights, and on the

reefs A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock o ...

in front of their houses, which are mainly built above the beach, they maintain stone fish-weirs and

crayfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the clade Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. In some locations, they are also known as crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, rock lobsters, ...

holes.

Demographics

Melanesian Meriam people primarily reside in a small island of volcanic origin situated at the eastern end of Torres Strait, known as Mer ( Murray) Island. The Murray group also comprises two other islands, Erub ( Darnely) and Ugar (

Stephens Stephens is a surname. It is a patronymic and is recorded in England from 1086. Notable people with the surname include: *Alexander H. Stephens (1812–1883), Vice President of the Confederate States of America *Alison Stephens (1970–2010), Brit ...

) Islands in which traditional laws of boundary and ownership organise them. The three islands are considered as the Meriam cluster. While these Islands predominantly contain Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who associate as Meriam people, each Island differs in their population and

demographics Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as edu ...

. Mer homes eight tribes of the Meriam people, which have been around for thousands of years these include: * Komet * Zagareb * Meauram * Magaram * Geuram * Peibre * Meriam-samsep * Piadram * Dauer Meriam Table 1. Data collected from ABS (2016) Mer and Erub Island both have a large population hence ABS data regarding demographics is available on the two islands, Ugar Island only comprises a small population of 85 people. Hence not much ABS data is available. All that is known as of the 2016 ABS

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

is that there are 60.7% males and 39.3% females with the median age of 19 comprising the Ugar Island.

Culture

Meriam people have a distinct culture from other

groups. Indigenous cultural groups rituals and practices are characterised by their beliefs in the

Dreamtime The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal beliefs. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by his col ...

and

mythologies Myth is a folklore genre consisting of Narrative, narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or Origin myth, origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not Objectivity (philosophy), ...

. Meriam people differ from other Indigenous groups as many of their rituals are surrounded by their engagement in

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...

and farming. Hence Meriam people place great focus on enhancing individual garden productivity. Therefore, common with all Indigenous groups, the younger generation learn from their elders, hence Meriam fathers pass down their techniques of

cultivation to their sons which would be carried on throughout future generations. During certain

ceremonies A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin, via the Latin '' caerimonia''. Church and civil (secular ...

such as deaths, marriages and adoption ceremonies excess produce would be made available for exchange to sustain those engaged in the cultural rituals.

Totems

Totem A totem (from oj, ᑑᑌᒼ, italics=no or ''doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage (anthropology), lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan ...

s are important in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, as they are commonly adopted as a family or clan

emblem An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a king or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and ''symbol'' are often used in ...

used to maintain and continue connections with

Indigenous land Indigenous land rights are the rights of Indigenous peoples to land and natural resources therein, either individually or collectively, mostly in colonised countries. Land and resource-related rights are of fundamental importance to Indigenou ...

, the

and their ancestors. These totems play great significance from the moment an Indigenous child is born, as at the time of birth a child is given a totem in order to connect them to their physical and kin relatedness. Each Indigenous clan has different totems which are unique to them in their own ways. A shared totem among all eight Meriam tribes is a

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...

. This totem arises from a story in which a father and son got lost while hunting and waited for sharks to rescue them. Therefore, sharks are seen as a totem animal who would protect the Meriam people and not attack them. It is forbidden for men (who usually would hunt prior to European colonisation) to hunt sharks as they are seen as animals who would not harm the Meriam people. While individual clan's

totem A totem (from oj, ᑑᑌᒼ, italics=no or ''doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage (anthropology), lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan ...

s arise from

stories Story or stories may refer to: Common uses * Story, a narrative (an account of imaginary or real people and events) ** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting * Story (American English), or storey (British ...

, over time these stories have been lost as elders have been unable to communicate them to younger generations due to past policies that separated

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation The British Empire was composed of the dominions, coloni ...

. However, the following totems are known for the following tribes of the Mer people: * Komet, totems include

sardine "Sardine" and "pilchard" are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring family Clupeidae. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century, a folk etymology says it comes from the ...

and

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in several ...

* Zagareb, totems include

seagull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, ...

and

Torres Strait pigeon The Torresian imperial pigeon (''Ducula spilorrhoa''), also known as the nutmeg pigeon, white nutmeg pigeon, Australian pied imperial pigeon or Torres Strait pigeon (Meriam Mir: deumer), is a relatively large, Piebald, pied species of pigeon. I ...

* Meauram, totems include

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked ...

* Magaram, totems include

whale Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic placental marine mammals. As an informal and colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea, i.e. all cetaceans apart from dolphins and ...

and

snake Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more j ...

* Geuram, totems include

and

dove Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primaril ...

* Peibrem totems include

mantaray A manta ray is a large ray belonging to the genus ''Manta''. Manta Ray or Mantaray may also refer to: * ''Manta'' (platform), a South Korean digital comics platform * ''Manta Ray'' (film), a 2018 Thai film * ''Manta Ray'' (album), a 1994 album ...

* Meriam-samsep, totems include tiger shark,

and

driftwood __NOTOC__ Driftwood is wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea, lake, or river by the action of winds, tides or waves. In some waterfront areas, driftwood is a major nuisance. However, the driftwood provides shelter and fo ...

totems * Piadram, totems include tiger shark,

and

* Dauer Meriam totem includes Tagai constellation

Mythology/ Cosmogony

The stories told by elders to the younger generations allow for the transgenerational learning of the Meriam culture. Some of the stories explain why certain rituals or practices are important in Indigenous clans.Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. (n.d.). ''Sea country connections.'' https://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/4802/gbrmpa_ReefBeat_2010SCC_6.pdf

Torres Strait Islanders Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia, they are often grou ...

in particular the Mer people are seafarers, sea country was used as a place for

hunting Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/ tusks, horn/ a ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques ...

, art, music, dance and storytelling. The story of Nageg (pronounced Nar-gegg) and Geigi (pronounced Gay-gee) explains the importance of sea country. It explains how Nageg and Geigi, a mother and son became known as triggerfish and trevally, through a creation story of the Tig Dowareb Clan of Murray Island. The story begins with Geigi, the son disguising himself as a

kingfish Kingfish may refer to: Fish * ''Argyrosomus japonicus'' or Japanese meagre (Australia) * Opah or ''Lampris guttatus'' (United Kingdom) * Kingcroaker or ''Menticirrhus'' spp. * King mackerel or ''Scomberomorus cavalla'' * Yellowtail amberjack or ...

among many

s to fool an old man who would hunt for sardines. When the old man notices he is being fooled he takes Geigi disguised as the kingfish home one night for dinner and eats him, falling asleep soon after under a tree. Nageg, the mother cuts open the old man and takes Geigi out demanding him to live in the ocean to break the spears of those who try to spear him eventually becoming trevally. Whereas Geigi demands Nageg to live on the rock cave on the reef piercing anyone with her fin if they try to catch her, becoming triggerfish. The Gelam story explains the creations of the three islands – Mer, Waier and Dauar of the Murray group, which resulted due to Gelam's mother's trickery and Gelam's lies. Gelam was a boy who lived in Moa Island in the Torres Strait, he was known for his skilful hunting. The story begins by Gelam purposely keeping the fat birds he would hunt for himself and giving his mother the lean birds. After his mother noticed this, she decided to scare him one day while he was hunting by dressing up as a dogai by covering herself in mud, this worked and successfully scared Gelam as he ran home frightened. However, Gelam realised his mother played a trick on him as he noticed the residue of mud under her eyes when he reached home, this caused Gelam to leave his home, he gathered fruits, seeds and soils and set off in the canoe he carved himself. Gelam reached the

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

, where it is said today if you fly to the Torres Strait over Central Islands some of the reefs look like Gelam's tears from when he was leaving his home crying. This journey eventually led to the creation of three islands – Mer, Waier and Dauar.

Religion

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesu ...

is the most common religion preached on the Murray, Ugar and Erub Islands, with Anglicanism and

Pentecostalism Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestantism, Protestant Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christian movement Christianity has influenced Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander spirituality, as a result of past policies such as segregation and

assimilation Assimilation may refer to: Culture *Cultural assimilation, the process whereby a minority group gradually adapts to the customs and attitudes of the prevailing culture and customs **Language shift, also known as language assimilation, the progre ...

policies which separated Indigenous people from their families restricting them from practicing their spiritual beliefs, and instead raising them with Christian values. As a result, many

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples o ...

are Christian today. However Indigenous spirituality and Christian spirituality can peacefully coexist in Indigenous people's lives, particularly for the Meriam people. As quoted by an elder of Murray Island, "culture is very important…culture is identity" and "religion is very important…God taught spirit and wisdom". Meriam people both express their

cultural identity Cultural identity is a part of a person's identity, or their self-conception and self-perception, and is related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, locality or any kind of social group that has its own distinct cu ...

through their dreamtime stories and rituals, while still valuing their religion. Christianity was also easily accepted by the Meriam people because before religion the Mer people would follow the rule of Malo, which has principles and structure similar to Christianity.

Traditions

A significant tradition of the Meriam people that still remains significant today despite the influence of European colonisation is Meriam people's death rites.Guedes, C. B., Hamacher, D. W., Barsa, J., Day, E., Day, R., Passi, S. & Tapim, A. (2018). Death and maier: meteors and mortuary rites in the eastern Torres Strait. ''Australian Journal of Indigenous Issues, 21''(3), 39-59. In the death rituals and customs of Meriam people of the Murray Island, bright meteors play an important role which relate to spiritual elements of death rites. Maier, the name given to bright meteors is symbolic as it not only informs observers about the passing of a person in their community it also enables spirits of the dead to communicate with those alive. Maier therefore informs people about their life, social status and follows as a warning to follow traditional customs, while representing the dead or dying person's spirit. The brightness, colour and trajectory of the Maier further informs the observer about characteristics of the person and their life. The knowledge and meaning behind Maier's are passed down through oral tradition, such as storytelling and material culture as it is significant in serving as a means of culture

Mabo case

The Meriam people are most commonly known for their contribution to Native Title, which recognised their

rights Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical th ...

to their land and overturned the expanded doctrine of ''

terra nullius ''Terra nullius'' (, plural ''terrae nullius'') is a Latin expression meaning " nobody's land". It was a principle sometimes used in international law to justify claims that territory may be acquired by a state's occupation of it. : : ...

'' as applicable to domestic law. The five Meriam people who contributed to this were

Eddie Koiki Mabo Edward Koiki Mabo (''né'' Sambo; 29 June 1936 – 21 January 1992) was an Indigenous Australian man from the Torres Strait Islands known for his role in campaigning for Indigenous land rights in Australia, in particular the landmark decision o ...

, Reverend David Passi, Sam Passi, James Rice and Celuia Mapo Sale. The Mabo case began on 20 May 1982 primarily led by Eddie Mabo and the four other mentioned Meriam people. On 3 June 1992 ''terra nullius'' was overturned and native title was recognised by the High Court, recognising the Meriam people were entitled to all rights and use of the Murray Islands. The Murray Island returning to the traditional owners (Meriam people) is significant for Meriam people, as prior to European contact they had a strong sense of connection to their

island An island or isle is a piece of subcontinental land completely surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island in a river or a lake island may be ...

s, seas and

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic component, abiotic processes—deposition (geology), deposition of ...

s surrounding them. Hence being stripped of this not only resulted in loss of traditions but also a loss of

kinship In anthropology, kinship is the web of social relationships that form an important part of the lives of all humans in all societies, although its exact meanings even within this discipline are often debated. Anthropologist Robin Fox says th ...

ties. Mabo and the four other Meriam people's contribution were significant to rekindling their connection to the land, and as a result Meriam people celebrate the High Court's ruling of the Native Title every June third, paying tribute to Mabo. The Mer people gather together performing dances, prayers and feast to acknowledge the achievements of the applicants.

Notable Meriam people

Arts

Wasie Tardent and Clinton Naina are one of the few Meriam artists that narrate their storytelling traditions through

artwork A work of art, artwork, art piece, piece of art or art object is an artistic creation of aesthetic value. Except for "work of art", which may be used of any work regarded as art in its widest sense, including works from literature ...

Politicians

* The five Meriam people who contributed to the Mabo Case **

, land rights campaigner ** Reverend David Passi, Anglican priest, traditional landowner and land rights campaigner ** Sam Passi, school teacher and linguist ** James Rice ** Celuia Mapo Sale

Professionals/ Academics

* Dr Vanessa Lee – senior lecturer at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public university, public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one o ...

in behavioural and

social science Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soc ...

s * Thelma Weston – named Female

Elder An elder is someone with a degree of seniority or authority. Elder or elders may refer to: Positions Administrative * Elder (administrative title), a position of authority Cultural * North American Indigenous elder, a person who has and tr ...

of the Year for lifelong work as a nurse and health worker

References

* Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2016). ''2016 census quickstats.'' https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/SSC31822 * Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. (n.d.). ''The Mabo Case''. https://aiatsis.gov.au/explore/mabo-case * Bliege, B. R., Smith, A. E., & Bird, W. D. (2001). The hunting handicap: Costly signaling in human foraging strategies. ''Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 50''(1), 9–19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002650100338 * Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. (2012). ''Growing up in the Torres Strait region''. https://www.dss.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/05_2012/op17.pdf * Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. (30 October 2017). ''Murray Island Group, national heritage assessment.'' Murray Island Group proposed National Heritage Listing. https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/consultations/c3560a05-dc45-4deb-b723-63eeea204552/files/murray-island-group-assessment-history.pdf * Gardiner-Garden, J. (1999). ''From dispossession to reconciliation'' (Research paper 27 1998–99). Parliament of Australia. https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp9899/99Rp27 * Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. (2021). ''Language, totems and stories''. https://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/our-partners/traditional-owners/traditional-owners-of-the-great-barrier-reef/language-totems-and-stories * Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. (n.d.). ''Sea country connections.'' https://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0014/4802/gbrmpa_ReefBeat_2010SCC_6.pdf * Guedes, C. B., Hamacher, D. W., Barsa, J., Day, E., Day, R., Passi, S. & Tapim, A. (2018). Death and maier: meteors and mortuary rites in the eastern Torres Strait. ''Australian Journal of Indigenous Issues, 21''(3), 39–59. * Kelisi. (2006). Map of Torres Strait Island. mage In ''wikimedia commons''. TorresStraitIslandsMap.png * Meriam land returns to traditional owners. (7 January 2013). ''Torres News.'' https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/255245890?searchTerm=meriam%20people * Meriam people pay tribute to Mabo. (7 June 2002). '' Torres News.'' https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/255442648/28341215 * National Gallery of Australia. (2021). ''Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander art''. https://nga.gov.au/collections/atsi/gallery.cfm?displaygal=17b&mnuid= * Queensland Government. (2018). ''Mer (Murray Island)''. https://www.qld.gov.au/atsi/cultural-awareness-heritage-arts/community-histories/community-histories-m/community-histories-mer * Reconciliation Australia. (n.d.). ''Our culture''. http://www.shareourpride.org.au/sections/our-culture/index.html * Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care. (2021). ''What are the values and beliefs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people?'' https://www.supportingcarers.snaicc.org.au/connecting-to-culture/connections-to-value-and-belief/#:~:text=Totems%20connect%20people%20through%20their,is%20given%20totem(s). * Sharp, N. (1993). 'Stars of Tagai: The Torres Strait Islanders', Aboriginal Studies Press. Drawing partly on the work of H. Kitaoji, Miriam Perception of Themselves unpub. paper 1980, pp. 56–57; Cambridge Reports VI, 1908, p 174 * Tapim, E. (n.d.). ''Gelam''. ideo State Library of Queensland. https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/discover/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-cultures-and-stories/contemporary-stories/retold# * Torres Strait Island Regional Council. (2016). ''Mer''. http://www.tsirc.qld.gov.au/communities/mer * TSIMA Films. (24 December 2020). ''The story of Geigi & Nageg – Torres Strait animation.'' ideo YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMxweYkqI28 * University of Sydney. (n.d.) ''Dr Vanessa Lee.'' https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/about/our-people/academic-staff/vanessa-lee.html * Zhuang, Y. (6 July 2019). Legendary actor David Gulpilil wins top NAIDOC honour. ''Sydney Morning Herald.'' https://www.smh.com.au/national/legendary-actor-david-gulpilil-wins-top-naidoc-honour-20190706-p524sd.html

Notes

{{Torres Strait , state=autocollapse Torres Strait Islanders