Torres Strait Islanders
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Torres Strait Islanders ( ) are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the
Torres Strait Islands The Torres Strait Islands are an archipelago 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 tot ...
, which are part of the state of
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal peoples of the rest of Australia, they are often grouped with them as
Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...
. Today, many more Torres Strait Islander people live in mainland Australia than on the Islands. Five distinct peoples exist within the broader designation of Torres Strait Islander people, based partly on geographical and cultural divisions. Kalaw Lagaw Ya and Meriam Mir comprise the two main Indigenous language groups;
Torres Strait Creole Torres Strait Creole (), also known as Torres Strait Pidgin, Brokan/Broken, Cape York Creole, Lockhart Creole, Kriol, Papuan, Broken English, Blaikman, Big Thap, Pizin, and Ailan Tok, is an English-based creole language (a variety of Pidgin ...
is also widely spoken as a language of trade and commerce. The core of Island culture is Papuan, and the people are traditionally a seafaring nation. The Torres Islanders exhibit a strong artistic culture, particularly in sculpture, printmaking, and mask-making.


Demographics

Of the 133 islands, only 38 are inhabited. The islands are culturally unique, with much to distinguish them from neighbouring
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
and the
Pacific Islands The Pacific islands are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of several ...
. Today the islands are multicultural, having attracted Asian and Pacific Island traders to the beche-de-mer,
mother-of-pearl Nacre ( , ), also known as mother-of-pearl, is an organicinorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer. It is also the material of which pearls are composed. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent. Nacre is ...
and trochus-shell industries over the years. The
2021 Australian census The 2021 Australian census, simply called the 2021 Census, was the eighteenth national Census of Population and Housing in Australia. The 2021 Census took place on 10 August 2021, and was conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). ...
counted 4,124 people living on the islands, of whom 86.7% were Torres Strait Islander or Aboriginal Australian people. (86.7% of the population identified as Torres Strait Islander; 16.9% as Aboriginal Australian; 2.3% as Australian; 1.8% as English, etc.). In 2006, the Australian
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the department of the Australian government responsible for foreign policy and international relations, development aid (under the name Australian Aid), consular services, overseas trad ...
had reported 6,800 Torres Strait Islanders living in the
Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes ( Kalaw Lagaw Ya#Phonology 2, ˆzen̪ad̪ kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, ...
area. People who identified themselves as being of Torres Strait Islander descent in Australia as a whole in the 2021 census accounted for 4.2% of those who identified themselves as being of Indigenous origin (39,538), while those with both Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal ancestry made up a further 4.4% (42,516). Five communities of Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal Australians live on the coast of mainland Queensland, mainly at Bamaga, Seisia, Injinoo, Umagico and New Mapoon in the Northern Peninsula area of Cape York. In June 1875, a
measles Measles (probably from Middle Dutch or Middle High German ''masel(e)'', meaning "blemish, blood blister") is a highly contagious, Vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccine-preventable infectious disease caused by Measles morbillivirus, measles v ...
epidemic killed about 25% of the population, with some islands suffering losses of up to 80% of their people, as the islanders had no natural immunity to European diseases.


Administration

Until the late 20th century, Torres Strait Islanders had been administered by a system of elected councils, a system based partly on traditional pre-Christian local government and partly on the introduced mission management system. Today, the
Torres Strait Regional Authority The Torres Strait Regional Authority is an Australian Government body established in 1994 to administer the Torres Strait Islands. It consists of 20 elected representatives. The primary function of the authority is to strengthen the economic, ...
, an
Australian government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the pr ...
body established in 1994 and consisting of 20 elected representatives, oversees the islands, with its primary function being to strengthen the economic, social and cultural development of the peoples of the Torres Strait area. Further to the TSRA, there are several Queensland LGAs which administer areas occupied by Torres Strait Islander communities: *the Torres Strait Island Region, covering a large proportion of the Islands; *the
Northern Peninsula Area Region The Northern Peninsula Area Region is a local government area in Far North Queensland, Australia, covering areas on the northwestern coast of Cape York Peninsula. It was created in March 2008 out of three Aboriginal Shires and two autonomous Is ...
, administered from Bamaga, on the northern tip of Cape York; and *the Shire of Torres, which governs several islands as well as portions of
Cape York Peninsula The Cape York Peninsula is a peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth's last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación Sierra Madre, ...
, is effectively colocated with the Northern Peninsula Area Region, which covers a number of Deed of Grant in Trust areas on the peninsula, and the Torres Strait Island Region and administers those sections of its area which are not autonomous.


Ethnicity

Torres Strait Islander people are of predominantly Melanesian descent, distinct from
Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia (co ...
on the mainland and some other Australian islands, and share some genetic and cultural traits with the people of
New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...
. The five-pointed star on the
national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and national symbol, symbolizes a given nation. It is Fly (flag), flown by the government of that nation, but can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanin ...
represents the five cultural groups; another source says that it originally represented the five groups of islands, but today (as of 2001) it represents the five major political divisions. Pre-colonial Island people were not a homogeneous group and until then did not regard themselves as a single people. They have links with the people of
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
, several islands being much closer to PNG than Australia, as well as the northern tip of Cape York on the Australian continent. Sources are generally agreed that there are five distinct geographical and/or cultural divisions, but descriptions and naming of the groups differ widely. *''
Encyclopaedia Britannica An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into article (publishing), articles or entries that are arranged Alp ...
'': the Eastern ( Meriam, or Murray Island), Top Western (Guda Maluilgal), Near Western (Maluilgal), Central (Kulkalgal), and Inner Islands (Kaiwalagal). *''Multicultural Queensland 2001'' (a
Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the state government of Queensland, Australia, a Parliament, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Government is formed by the party or coalition that has gained a majority in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, ...
publication): five groups may be distinguished, based on linguistic and cultural differences, and also related to their places of origin, type of area of settlement, and long-standing relationships with other peoples. these nations are: Saibailgal (Top Western Islanders), Maluilgal (Mid-Western Islanders), Kaurareg (Lower Western Islanders), Kulkalgal (Central Islanders) and Meriam Le (Eastern Islanders). *Torres Shire Council official website (Queensland Government): Five major island clusters – the Top Western Group ( Boigu, Dauan and Saibai), the Near Western Group ( Badu, Mabuiag and Moa), the Central Group (Yam, Warraber, Coconut and Masig), the Eastern Group ( Murray, Darnley and Stephen), and the TI Group (
Thursday Island Thursday Island, colloquially known as TI, or in the Kalaw Lagaw Ya, Kawrareg dialect, Waiben or Waibene, is an island of the Torres Strait Islands, an archipelago of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait. TI is located approximately ...
, Tabar Island, Horn, Hammond,
Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...
and
Friday Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO 8601-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth ...
). Ethno-linguistic groups include: * Badu people, based on the central-west
Badu island Badu or Badu Island (; , ; also Mulgrave Island), is an island in the Torres Strait north of Thursday Island, Queensland, Australia. Badu Island is also a suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Torres Strait Island Region, and Waka ...
* Kaurareg, lower Western Islanders, based on the Muralag (Prince of Wales Island) group. * Mabuiag (or Mabuygiwgal) people, across a number of the islands. * Meriam people, who living on a number of inner eastern islands, including Murray Island (also known as Mer Island) and Tabar Island.


Languages

There are two distinct Indigenous languages spoken on the Islands, as well as a
creole language A creole language, or simply creole, is a stable form of contact language that develops from the process of different languages simplifying and mixing into a new form (often a pidgin), and then that form expanding and elaborating into a full-fl ...
. The Western-central Torres Strait Language, or Kalaw Lagaw Ya, is spoken on the southwestern, western, northern and central islands; a further dialect, Kala Kawa Ya (Top Western and Western) may be distinguished. It is a member of the Pama-Nyungan family of languages of Australia. Meriam Mir is spoken on the eastern islands. It is one of the four Eastern Trans-Fly languages, the other three being spoken in Papua New Guinea.
Torres Strait Creole Torres Strait Creole (), also known as Torres Strait Pidgin, Brokan/Broken, Cape York Creole, Lockhart Creole, Kriol, Papuan, Broken English, Blaikman, Big Thap, Pizin, and Ailan Tok, is an English-based creole language (a variety of Pidgin ...
, an English-based
creole language A creole language, or simply creole, is a stable form of contact language that develops from the process of different languages simplifying and mixing into a new form (often a pidgin), and then that form expanding and elaborating into a full-fl ...
, is also spoken.


Culture

Archaeological, linguistic and folk history evidence suggests that the core of Island culture is Papuo- Austronesian. The people have long been agriculturalists (evidenced, for example, by
tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
plantations on Aureed Island) as well as engaging in hunting and gathering.
Dugong The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest ...
,
turtle Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...
s,
crayfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the infraorder Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. Taxonomically, they are members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea. They breathe through feather-like gills. Some spe ...
, crabs, shellfish, reef fish and wild fruits and vegetables were traditionally hunted and collected and remain an important part of their subsistence lifestyle. Traditional foods play an important role in ceremonies and celebrations even when they do not live on the islands.
Dugong The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest ...
and
turtle Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...
hunting as well as fishing are seen as a way of continuing the Islander tradition of being closely associated with the sea. The islands have long history of trade and interactions with explorers from other parts of the globe, both east and west, which has influenced their lifestyle and culture. The Indigenous people of the Torres Strait have a distinct culture which has slight variants on the different islands where they live. Cultural practices share similarities with
Australian Aboriginal Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia (co ...
and Papuan culture. Historically, they have an
oral tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication in which knowledge, art, ideas and culture are received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another.Jan Vansina, Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (19 ...
, with stories handed down and communicated through song, dance and ceremonial performance. As a seafaring people, sea, sky and land feature strongly in their stories and art.


Post-colonisation

Post-colonisation history has seen new cultural influences on the people, most notably the place of
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
. After the "Coming of Light" (see below), artefacts previously important to their ceremonies lost their relevance, instead replaced by
crucifix A crucifix (from the Latin meaning '(one) fixed to a cross') is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the (Latin for 'body'). The cru ...
es and other symbols of Christianity. In some cases the missionaries prohibited the use of traditional sacred objects, and eventually production ceased.
Missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...
,
anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...
s and museums "collected" a huge amount of material: all of the pieces collected by missionary Samuel McFarlane, were in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and then split between three European museums and a number of mainland Australian museums. In 1898–1899, British anthropologist Alfred Cort Haddon collected about 2,000 objects, convinced that hundreds of art objects collected had to be saved from destruction by the zealous Christian
missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...
intent on obliterating the religious traditions and ceremonies of the native islanders. Film footage of ceremonial dances was also collected. The collection at
Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
is known as the Haddon Collection and is the most comprehensive collection of Torres Strait Islander artefacts in the world. During the first half of the 20th century, Torres Strait Islander culture was largely restricted to dance and song,
weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...
and producing a few items for particular festive occasions. In the 1960s and 1970s, researchers trying to salvage what was left of traditional knowledge from surviving elders influenced the revival of interest in the old ways of life. An Australian historian, Margaret Lawrie, employed by the Queensland State Library, spent much time travelling the Islands, speaking to local people and recording their stories, which have since influenced
visual art The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and texti ...
on the Islands.


Art

Mythology and culture, deeply influenced by the ocean and the natural life around the islands, have always informed traditional artforms. Featured strongly are
turtle Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...
s, fish,
dugong The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest ...
s, sharks, seabirds and
saltwater crocodile The saltwater crocodile (''Crocodylus porosus'') is a crocodilian native to saltwater habitats, brackish wetlands and freshwater rivers from India's east coast across Southeast Asia and the Sundaland to northern Australia and Micronesia. It ha ...
s, which are considered totemic beings. Torres Strait Islander people are the only culture in the world to make turtleshell masks, known as ''krar'' (turtleshell) in the Western Islands and ''le-op'' (human face) in the Eastern Islands. Prominent among the artforms is ''wame'' (alt. ''wameya''), many different
string figure A string figure is a design formed by manipulating twine, string on, around, and using one's fingers or sometimes between the fingers of multiple people. String figures may also involve the use of the mouth, wrist, and feet. They may consist o ...
s. Elaborate headdresses or dhari (also spelt ''dari''), as featured on the Torres Strait Islander flag, are created for the purposes of ceremonial dances. The Islands have a long tradition of woodcarving, creating masks and drums, and carving decorative features on these and other items for ceremonial use. From the 1970s, young artists were beginning their studies at around the same time that a significant re-connection to traditional myths and legends was happening. Margaret Lawrie's publications, ''Myths and Legends of the Torres Strait'' (1970) and ''Tales from the Torres Strait'' (1972), reviving stories which had all but been forgotten, influenced the artists greatly. While some of these stories had been written down by Haddon after his 1898 expedition to the Torres Strait, many had subsequently fallen out of use or been forgotten.In the 1990s a group of younger artists, including the award-winning Dennis Nona (b.1973), started translating these skills into the more portable forms of
printmaking Printmaking is the process of creating work of art, artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand proces ...
,
linocut Linocut, also known as lino print, lino printing or linoleum art, is a printmaking technique, a variant of relief printing in which a sheet of linoleum (sometimes mounted on a wooden block) is used for a relief printing, relief surface. A design i ...
and
etching Etching is traditionally the process of using strong acid or mordant to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design in intaglio (incised) in the metal. In modern manufacturing, other chemicals may be used on other type ...
, as well as larger scale
bronze sculpture Bronze is the most popular metal for Casting (metalworking), cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as w ...
s. Other outstanding artists include Billy Missi (1970–2012), known for his decorated black and white linocuts of the local vegetation and eco-systems, and Alick Tipoti (b.1975). These and other Torres Strait artists have greatly expanded the forms of Indigenous art within Australia, bringing Melanesian carving skills as well as new stories and subject matter. The College of Technical and Further Education on
Thursday Island Thursday Island, colloquially known as TI, or in the Kalaw Lagaw Ya, Kawrareg dialect, Waiben or Waibene, is an island of the Torres Strait Islands, an archipelago of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait. TI is located approximately ...
was a starting point for young Islanders to pursue studies in art. Many went on to further art studies, especially in printmaking, initially in
Cairns, Queensland Cairns (; ) is a city in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. In the , Cairns had a population of 153,181 people. The city was founded in 1876 and named after Sir William Welling ...
and later at the
Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...
in what is now the School of Art and Design. Other artists such as Laurie Nona, Brian Robinson, David Bosun, Glen Mackie, Joemen Nona, Daniel O'Shane and Tommy Pau are known for their printmaking work. An exhibition of Alick Tipoti's work, titled ''Zugubal'', was mounted at the Cairns Regional Gallery in July 2015.


Music and dance

For Torres Strait Islander people, singing and dancing is their "literature" – "the most important aspect of Torres Strait lifestyle. The Torres Strait Islanders preserve and present their oral history through songs and dances;...the dances act as illustrative material and, of course, the dancer himself is the storyteller" (Ephraim Bani, 1979). There are many songs about the weather; others about the myths and legends; life in the sea and
totem A totem (from 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 system. While the word ...
ic gods; and about important events. "The dancing and its movements express the songs and acts as the illustrative material". Dance is also major form of creative and competitive expression. "Dance machines" (hand held mechanical moving objects), clappers and headdresses (dhari/dari) enhance the dance performances. Dance artefacts used in the ceremonial performances relate to Islander traditions and clan identity, and each island group has its own performances. Artist Ken Thaiday Snr is renowned for his elaborately sculptured dari, often with moving parts and incorporating the
hammerhead shark The hammerhead sharks are a group of sharks that form the family Sphyrnidae, named for the unusual and distinctive form of their heads, which are flattened and laterally extended into a Hammerhead shark#Cephalofoil, cephalofoil (a T-shape or " ...
, a powerful totem. Christine Anu is an ARIA Award-winning singer-songwriter of Torres Strait Islander heritage, who first became popular with her
cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of the song " My Island Home" (first performed by the Warumpi Band).


Sports

Sports are popular among Torres Strait Islanders and the community has many sporting stars in Australian and international sports. Sporting events bring together people from across the different islands and help to connect the Torres Strait with mainland Australia and Papua New Guinea. Rugby league is especially popular, including the annual 'Island of Origin' tournament between teams from different islands. Basketball is also extremely popular.


Religion and beliefs

The people still have their own traditional belief systems. Stories of the Tagai, their spiritual belief system, represent Torres Strait Islanders as sea people, with a connection to the stars, as well as a system of order in which everything has its place in the world. They follow the instructions of the Tagai. Some Torres Strait Islander people share beliefs similar to the Aboriginal peoples' Dreaming and "Everywhen" concepts, passed down in
oral history Oral history is the collection and study of historical information from people, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people who pa ...
.


Oral history

One of the stories passed down in
oral history Oral history is the collection and study of historical information from people, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people who pa ...
tells of four brothers (''bala'') named Malo, Sagai, Kulka and Siu, who paddled their way up to the central and eastern islands from Cape York (''Kay Daol Dai'', meaning "big land"), and each established his own tribal following. Sagai landed at Iama Island (known as Yam), and after a time assumed a god-like status. The
crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large, semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term "crocodile" is sometimes used more loosely to include ...
was his
totem A totem (from 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 system. While the word ...
. Kulka settled on Aureed Island, and attained a similar status, as god of hunting. His totem was the fish known as ''gai gai'' (
Trevally The Carangidae are a family of ray-finned fish that includes the jacks, pompanos, jack mackerels, runners, trevallies, and scads. It is the largest of the six families included within the order Carangiformes. Some authorities classify it as the ...
). Siu settled on Masig, becoming god of dancing, with the
tiger shark The tiger shark (''Galeocerdo cuvier'') is a species of ground shark, and the only extant member of the genus '' Galeocerdo'' and family Galeocerdonidae. It is a large apex predator, with females capable of attaining a length of over . Popula ...
(''baidam'') as his totem. The eldest brother, Malo, went on to Mer and became responsible for setting out a set of rules for living, a combination of religion and law, which were presented by Eddie Mabo in the famous Mabo native title case in 1992. The cult of Kulka was in evidence on Aureed Island with the finding of a "skull house" by the rescuers of survivors two years after the wreck of '' Charles Eaton'', in 1836.


Introduction of Christianity

From the 1870s,
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
spread throughout the islands, and it remains strong today among Torres Strait Islander people everywhere. Christianity was first brought to the islands by the
London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed tradition, Reformed in outlook, with ...
(LMS) mission led by Rev. Samuel Macfarlane and Rev. Archibald Wright Murray, who arrived on Erub (Darnley Island) on 1 July 1871 on the schooner ''Surprise'', a
schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...
chartered by the LMS. They sailed to the Torres Strait after the
French Government The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...
had demanded the removal of the missionaries from the
Loyalty Islands Loyalty Islands Province (, ) is one of the three top-level administrative subdivisions of New Caledonia. It encompasses the Loyalty Islands () archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, located northeast of the New Caledonian mainland of Grande Terre. ...
and
New Caledonia New Caledonia ( ; ) is a group of islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, southwest of Vanuatu and east of Australia. Located from Metropolitan France, it forms a Overseas France#Sui generis collectivity, ''sui generis'' collectivity of t ...
in 1869. Dated , 20 January 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2021. Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
licence.
Eight teachers and their wives from Loyalty Islands arrived with the missionaries on the boat from Lifu. Clan elder and warrior Dabad greeted them on their arrival. Ready to defend his land and people, Dabad walked to the water's edge when McFarlane dropped to his knees and presented the
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
to Dabad. Dabad accepted the gift, interpreted as the "Light", introducing Christianity to the Torres Strait Islands. The people of the Torres Strait Islands adopted the Christian rituals and ceremonies and continued to uphold their connection to the land, sea and sky, practising their traditional customs, and cultural identity referred to as ''Ailan Kastom''.The Islanders refer to this event as "The Coming of the Light", also known as Zulai Wan, or Bi Akarida, and all Island communities celebrate the occasion annually on 1 July. ''Coming of the Light'', an episode in the 2013 documentary television series '' Desperate Measures'', features the annual event. However the coming of Christianity did not spell the end of the people's traditional beliefs; their culture informed their understanding of the new religion, as the Christian God was welcomed and the new religion was integrated into every aspect of their everyday lives.


Religious affiliation, 2016 census

In the 2016 Census, a total of 20,658 Torres Strait Islander people (out of a total of 32,345) and 15,586 of both Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal identity (out of 26,767) reported adherence to some form of Christianity. (Across the whole of Australia, the Indigenous and non-Indigenous population were broadly similar with 54% (vs 55%) reporting a Christian affiliation, while less than 2% reported traditional beliefs as their religion, and 36% reported no religion.)


Traditional adoptions

A traditional cultural practice, known as ''kupai omasker'', allows adoption of a child by a relative or community member for a range of reasons. The reasons differ depending on which of the many Torres Islander cultures the person belongs to, with one example being "where a family requires an
heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...
to carry on the important role of looking after land or being the caretaker of land". Other reasons might relate to "the care and responsibility of relationships between generations". There had been a problem in Queensland law, where such adoptions are not legally recognised by the state's ''Succession Act 1981'', with one issue being that adopted children are not able to take on the surname of their adoptive parents. On 17 July 2020, the
Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the state government of Queensland, Australia, a Parliament, parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Government is formed by the party or coalition that has gained a majority in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, ...
introduced a bill in parliament to legally recognise the practice. The bill was passed as the ''Meriba Omasker Kaziw Kazipa Act 2020'' ("For Our Children's Children") on 8 September 2020.


Notable people

* Activism **
Eddie Koiki Mabo Edward Koiki Mabo ( ; 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 of t ...
, land rights campaigner who played a major role in a landmark decision which now characterises Australian law on land and title ** Tanya Hosch, social activist based in
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
, South Australia ** Muara (Lifu) Wacando, who was awarded a gold medal by the Royal Humane Society for her sea rescue during the 1899 Cyclone Mahina * Arts ** Christine Anu, pop singer and actress, known for her song " My Island Home" ** Ken Thaiday Snr, artist based in
Cairns Cairns (; ) is a city in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. In the , Cairns had a population of 153,181 people. The city was founded in 1876 and named after William Cairns, Sir W ...
* Education ** Martin Nakata, the first Torres Islander PhD degree graduate (1998), proponent of Indigenous Standpoint Theory ** Vanessa Lee-AhMat, the first female Torres Strait Islander
PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
graduate (2016) from
Griffith University Griffith University is a public university, public research university in South East Queensland on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of Australia. The university was founded in 1971, but was not officially opened until 1975. Griffith ...
School of Medicine * Sports ** Athletics *** Harry Mosby, 1976 Paralympian field athlete ** American football *** Jesse Williams, 2013 Super Bowl winner ** Australian rules football *** Robert Ahmat, Australian Football League player with and *** Ben Davis, Australian Football League player with *** Fabian Francis, Australian Football League player with , , *** Delma Gisu, AFLW player with *** Alicia Janz, AFLW player with MESSAGE FROM COLLEGIAN ALICIA JANZ (2007)
/ref> *** Sam Powell-Pepper, Australian Football League player for *** Albert Proud, Australian Football League player for *** Peter Ware, WAFL premiership winning footballer with Swan Districts and AFL Queensland Hall of Famer. ** Rugby League *** Dane Gagai, Australian National Rugby League player for the
Newcastle Knights The Newcastle Knights are an Australian professional rugby league team based in Newcastle, New South Wales that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership. Playing in red and blue, the Knights joined the top-tier competition in New ...
*** Sam Thaiday, Australian National Rugby League player for the
Brisbane Broncos The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Red Hill, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Founded in April 1987, the Broncos compete in the National Rugby League (NRL) and play their home games at ...
*** Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Australian National Rugby League player for the
Dolphins A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...
** Basketball *** Michael Ah Matt, 1964 Olympic basketballer *** Nathan Jawai, basketball player *** Patty Mills, NBA champion (2014, San Antonio Spurs) and captain for the Australian Boomers first Olympic medal win *** Danny Morseu, 1980 and 1984 Olympic basketballer ** Soccer *** Allira Toby, soccer player in the W-League. * Politics ** Cynthia Lui, the first Torres Strait Islander elected to the
Parliament of Queensland The Parliament of Queensland is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature, legislative body of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists o ...
* Religion ** Kwami Dai, Assistant Bishop in the Anglican Diocese of Carpentaria **
Ted Mosby Theodore Evelyn Mosby is a fictional character and the protagonist in the American sitcom '' How I Met Your Mother'', portrayed by Josh Radnor. He serves as the show's narrator from the future, voiced by Bob Saget, as he tells his children ...
, Assistant Bishop in the Anglican Diocese of North Queensland *Other ** Kapiu Masi Gagai, pearler, boatman and mission worker who served in World War II


See also

*
Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts The Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (ACPA) is a national Australian institution for the culturally sensitive training of Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people in the performing arts. Founded in 1997, it has been loca ...
*
Australian frontier wars The Australian frontier wars were the violent conflicts between Indigenous Australians (including both Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders) and mostly British settlers during the colonial period of Australia. The first conflic ...
* '' Blue Water Empire'' * Indigenous health in Australia *
List of Indigenous Australian firsts Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australia (continent), Australian continent and nearby islands. The Torres Strait Islanders are Indigenous to the Torres Strait Islands, which are at the northernmost tip of Queensland ...
*
Papuan people Papuans may refer to: * Indonesian Papuans – the Native Indonesians of Papua-origin * Papua New Guineans – the nationals of Papua New Guinea * Indigenous people of New Guinea {{Disambiguation Language and nationality disambiguation page ...
* * Torres Strait 8, relating to climate change and the Australian Government


Further reading


Australian Art Network: Torres Strait IslandsBlue Water Empire
– ABC TV 3-part dramatised documentary about Torres Strait Islands, its history and people
Contemporary stories
by and about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people *


Footnotes


References


External links


Torres Strait Regional Authority'The Coming of the Light' Celebrating 150 years of Christianity in the Torres Strait 1 July 2021
– John Oxley Library Blog, State Library of Queensland.
ReTold: a retelling of stories and songs from Myths and Legends of the Torres Strait by Margaret Lawrie 2010
– State Library of Queensland
Strait Home / State Library of Queensland
{{Authority control Culture of the Torres Strait Islands