Torres Strait Islanders

Torres Strait Islanders are the Indigenous peoples of the Torres Strait islands and nearby parts of northern Australia, with distinct languages, cultures, and enduring connections to land and sea.

Torres Strait: A sea passage between Cape York Peninsula and New Guinea containing hundreds of islands. Its islands and surrounding waters are the homeland at the center of Torres Strait Islander identity.
Papuan peoples: The diverse Indigenous peoples of New Guinea and nearby islands. Torres Strait communities have longstanding cultural and ancestral connections across the strait.
Torres Strait Islander dance: A diverse tradition of ceremonial and social dance performed in Torres Strait communities. Dance carries stories, identity, and community history through movement and performance.
Torres Strait Islanders Act 1939: Queensland legislation that recognized Torres Strait Islanders as a distinct people and established local councils. It marked a major change in the legal administration of island communities.
Saibai Island: A low-lying island in the northwestern Torres Strait near the coast of Papua New Guinea. Saibai is a major island community with longstanding ties across the strait.
Torres Strait Islander languages: Languages spoken by Torres Strait Islander communities, including Meriam Mir and Kala Lagaw Ya. Distinct language traditions reflect the cultural diversity among island communities.
Aboriginal Australians: The Indigenous peoples of mainland Australia and Tasmania, comprising many distinct nations and cultures. Torres Strait Islanders are distinct Indigenous peoples, though some communities also identify as Aboriginal.
Torres Strait Islander music: Musical traditions of Torres Strait communities, combining local forms with later influences. Songs transmit cultural knowledge and accompany ceremony, dance, and community life.
Mabo v Queensland (No 2): A 1992 High Court of Australia decision recognizing native title and rejecting terra nullius in Australian law. The case grew from Meriam people's land rights claim on Mer.
Murray Island: The English name for Mer, an inhabited island in the eastern Torres Strait. Mer is central to Meriam identity and the Mabo land rights case.

Linked from 10 pages