TORRES STRAIT ISLANDS – HISTORY AND CULTURE

1. TORRES STRAIT ISLANDS – HISTORY AND CULTURE “Torres Strait Islander flag” (ABC TV, 2012) Prepared by: Talya Collins Corrine Conneely Jodie Costas (14494215)

2. IDENTITY Torres Strait Islands Flag The Torres Strait Islander Flag is an official flag of Australia, along with the Australian National Flag and the Australian Aboriginal Flag. The Torres Strait Islander Flag stands for the unity and identity of all Torres Strait Islanders. It is flown to celebrate and promote greater understanding of Indigenous peoples and their culture (Australian and Torres Strait Islander Commission, 2000). This flag was designed as a symbol to represent identity and unity of the Torres Strait islander people and each piece of the flag was designed to symbolize their culture. Green: Represents the land Blue: Represents the sea White: Represents peace Black: Represents the Indigenous peoples The Dhari or headdress represents Torres Strait Island people and the five pointed star represents each of the 5 major Island groups. The star was included to highlight the seafaring traditions of the Torres Strait (ATSIC, 2000). The Torres Strait stretches for 150km between Cape York and the coast of Papua New Guinea, north of Queensland. The strait occupies over 100 Islands, reefs and sandbanks ( Stuart, 2011). Although the Torres Strait Islands lie between Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) , it is the country of PNG that Torres Strait Islander people identify with (Lui, 1996). Torres Strait Islanders are not mainland Aboriginal people and often are misidentified. They are separate in many factors such as origin history and way of life (Maximillan, 2001). 91% of Torres Strait Islanders traditional area is open ocean. The sea is known to be central to their sense of identity having determined their way of life, subsistence practices and ceremonial life ( Lui,1996). The sea remains the source of inspiration for many of their songs, stories and is treated with a high amount of respect. “Map of Torres Strait Islands” (Commonwealth of Australia, 2009) “Shark Dance” (Native Title, 2012) “Torres Strait Islander flag” (ABC TV, 2012)

3. HISTORY

4. CULTURE

5. EDUCATION - TEACHING

6. References ABC TV. (2012). Torres Strait Islander flag [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/indigenous/education/torres_strait_islander_flag.htm Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission(2000) retrieved http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/fastfacts/tsiFlag.html Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (2012). The Torres Strait Islands Flag. Retrieved from http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/fastfacts/tsiFlag.html Charles Stuart University (2011). Social Justice and Human Rights Issues: A Global Perspective. Retrieved fromhttp://hsc.csu.edu.au/ab_studies/rights/global/social_justice_global/sjwelcome.responsenew2.html. Commonwealth of Australia. (2009). Map of Torres Strait Islands [Image]. Retrieved from http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/about/publicationsarticles/research/occasional/Documents/op17/sec1.htm Lui, L (1996) Cultural Identity and Development in the Torres Strait Islands. Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts, New Delhi. Retrieved from http://ignca.nic.in/ls_03009.htm Native Title. (2012). Shark dance[Image]. Retrieved from http://nativetitle.org.au/profiles/profile_TSI_Mer_Gedkem_Le.html Maximilian, B. (2001). Multicultural Queensland 2001: 100 years, 100 communities, A century of contributions. Brisbane, Queensland: The State of Queensland (Department of Premier and Cabinet.