18-639: South Sea Islanders , formerly referred to as Kanakas , are the Australian descendants of Pacific Islanders from more than 80 islands – including the Oceanian archipelagoes of the Solomon Islands , New Caledonia , Vanuatu , Fiji , the Gilbert Islands , and New Ireland – who were kidnapped or recruited between the mid to late 19th century as labourers in
36-737: A Government Savings Bank account. The majority were repatriated by the Australian Government in the period between 1906 and 1908 under the Pacific Island Labourers Act 1901 , a piece of legislation related to the White Australia policy . There was resistance to repatriation, and controversy regarding the manner in which it was done. Those exempted from repatriation, along with a number of others who escaped deportation, remained in Australia to form
54-491: Is a direct descendant of Australian South Sea Islanders (ASSI), people who were forcibly brought to Australia at the turn of the century as indentured labour [REDACTED] This Misplaced Pages article incorporates text from Sugar slaves (15 April 2021) published by the State Library of Queensland under CC BY licence , accessed on 19 May 2021. Pacific Islander Too Many Requests If you report this error to
72-830: Is a prominent visual artist. For many years, Queensland's South Sea Islander communities sought acknowledgement for past treatment, and recognition as a distinct cultural group. After decades of community advocacy, the Commonwealth Government finally recognised that distinction on August 25, 1994. State Library of Queensland holds several collections pertaining to the history of Australian South Sea Islanders in Queensland, two significant collections pertain to their long fight for recognition. The Australian South Sea Islanders United Council Records 1975-2008, 2021 (Acc. 28617) includes documents, research papers, photographs, recorded interviews and other material relating to
90-465: Is difficult to evaluate and also controversial. Official documents and accounts from the period often conflict with the oral tradition passed down to the descendants of workers. Stories of blatantly violent kidnapping tend to relate to the first ten or so years of the trade. With time, owing to intermarriage, many Australian South Sea Islanders also claim a mixed ancestry, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, along with immigrants from
108-830: The Barrier Reef Institute of TAFE in North Queensland , achieving a Certificate IV in Visual Arts in 2005, followed by a Diploma of Visual Arts in 2007. She studied dance at the Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre in Sydney from 1984 to 1987. Before beginning her studies in art, Mabo had a career in dance, choreography , and acting. Her performing credits include Tracey Moffat 's short films Nice Coloured Girls (actor) and Watch Out (dancer and choreographer), and
126-646: The Queensland Parliament , was the first South Sea Islander to be elected to parliament. Federal MP Terry Young 's grandfather was a South Sea Islander. Another area Australian South Sea Islanders have excelled in is sport, especially the game of rugby league . Australian international representatives Sam Backo , Mal Meninga , Gorden Tallis and Wendell Sailor are all members of the Australian South Sea Islander community. Gail Mabo , daughter of Bonita and Eddie Mabo,
144-554: The sugarcane fields of Queensland . Some were kidnapped or tricked (or " blackbirded ") into long-term indentured service. At its height, the recruiting accounted for over half the adult male population of some islands. Under the Polynesian Labourers Act 1868 (Qld), recruited labour was indentured for three years in exchange for a small wage of £6 per year as well as rations, accommodation and clothing. Employers were required to deposit their employees wages into
162-585: The 1991 Sydney production of Jimmy Chi 's Bran Nue Dae . In 2005 she directed Koiki , a stage performance based on the life of her father. Her work has since been exhibited in institutions across the country in both solo and group exhibitions. She is a founding member of the Murris in Ink artist collective, a group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists in North Queensland. In 2014, Mabo
180-1058: The South Pacific Islands and European Australians . Blackbirded and recruited islanders were generally referred to as Kanakas (from "man" in Hawaiian ). However many Islander descendants now regard the term as pejorative and an insulting reminder of their ancestors' exploitation at the hands of white Australians, and it is now regarded in Australian English as an offensive term. In recent generations, facing many similar forms of discrimination in Australia as Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, Australian South Sea Islanders have been prominent figures in civil rights and politics. Faith Bandler , Evelyn Scott , and Bonita Mabo (widow of Eddie Mabo ) are prominent Indigenous activists who are also descendants of South Sea Island plantation workers. Stephen Andrew , who represents Katter's Australian Party in
198-560: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.237 via cp1104 cp1104, Varnish XID 207790379 Upstream caches: cp1104 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:44:23 GMT Gail Mabo Gail Mabo (born 1965) is an Australian visual artist who has had her work exhibited across Australia. She is the daughter of land rights campaigner Eddie Mabo and educator and activist Bonita Mabo . She
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#1732779863346216-566: The basis of what is today Australia's largest non-indigenous black ethnic group. Today, the descendants of those who remained are officially referred to as South Sea Islanders. A 1992 census of South Sea Islanders reported around 10,000 descendants living in Queensland. Fewer than 3,500 were reported in the 2001 Australian census. The question of how many Islanders were "blackbirded" is unknown and remains controversial. The extent to which Islanders were recruited legally, persuaded, deceived, coerced or forced to leave their homes and travel to Queensland
234-720: The generations. It is important for navigation , and seen as a man in the constellation of the Southern Cross, with his left hand pointing south. Her interactive 2021 exhibition, House of Cards , was held at the Umbrella gallery in Townsville , and explored Mabo's home, memories and family relationships. Mabo has been experimenting with cast bronze , empowered by her 2021 residency at Urban Art Projects. She has also worked with schools in New South Wales as
252-675: The work of the Australian South Sea Islanders United Council (ASSIUC) from the mid 1970s. Formed by a group of first descendants at Tweed Heads in 1975, the ASSIUC was the first national body to represent Australian South Sea Islanders, advocating for national recognition and promoting cultural awareness. A second iteration of the ASSIUC was re-registered in Townsville in 1991 and grew to fourteen branches including two in New South Wales . This body
270-635: Was commissioned to create two huge murals at the James Cook University 's Singapore campus, using linocut printing. In 2017, she was the featured artist at the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair , and her work honouring her father and her Mer home was bought by the National Gallery of Victoria , and earned an Innovation Award. During 2017 and 2018, she co-curated Legacy: Reflections on Mabo , an exhibition that
288-677: Was formerly a dancer and choreographer . Mabo was born in 1965, the daughter of Eddie and Bonita Mabo. She is of the Piadram language group and clan of Mer (Murray Island), an island of the Torres Strait Islands group, which is part of Queensland , Australia. She attended the first school for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Townsville , which had been opened by her father. Mabo attended Kingscliff TAFE in Sydney from 1998 to 2003, and from 2004 went to
306-669: Was instrumental in bringing communities together and advocating for change. The Australian South Sea Islanders 150 Commemoration and Festival 2013 Papers (Acc. 29744) also include documents such as meeting minutes and correspondence relating to the Australian South Sea Islanders Secretariat Inc., and photographs and interviews conducted by Nic Maclellan on 13 August 2013 at the Australian South Sea Islander 150th Anniversary event at Ormiston House, Brisbane. State Library of Queensland's Nasuven Enares Oral History and Digital Story . Nasuven Enares
324-558: Was mounted in Townsville in 2019, followed by a four-year tour across the country. In the 2021–2022 Tarnanthi exhibition at the Art Gallery of South Australia , her sculpture named Tagai , constructed of bamboo sticks and string and a representation of the Southern Cross , was mounted on a wall. it is based on the story of Tagai , which is part of Torres Strait Islanders' tradition al belief system, and passed down through
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