The Torres Strait Islands have their own unique identity. Geographically, culturally and economically they have links with Melanesia, with Papua New Guinea to the north and Australia to the south. Many Dreaming tracks that originate in central and northern Australia join up with the Torres Strait Islands. Torres Strait Islanders traded raw materials and weapons with the people of Cape York Peninsula.

Contemporary Torres Strait Islander art follows two different paths, maintaining connections with the past and challenging colonial stereotypes.

An overlooked heritage

Until very recently Torres Strait Islander art has been almost completely overlooked. While Aboriginal art emerged to national and international acclaim, Torres Strait Islander art has remained little known and not well represented in national collections.

However the Torres Strait Islands were very well known to early European explorers:

• In 1606 Luis de Torres noted the unique turtle shell masks worn in ceremonial dances (Morphy Illus 213).
• In 1888 and 1898 the Cambridge University expeditions of Alfred Cort Haddon amassed a major collection of Torres Strait Islander art.
• In the early twentieth century the Torres Strait Islands inspired modern artists in Europe, especially the Surrealists.

Torres Strait Islanders are today embarked on a process of cultural revival. Eddie Mabo of Mer island fought and won a land rights case in 1991. The Torres Strait Islander flag was designed by Bernard Namok in 1992. Ilan Pasin (1999) was the first major regional exhibition of Torres Strait Islands art.

An outsiders view

Cochrane examines the distinctive character of Torres Strait Islander art through the artwork of several contemporary artists. Ellen Jose’s R.I.P. terra nullius 26 June 1788-3 June 1992 (1996) contains references to both Eddie Mabo and the tombstone ceremony unique to the Torres Strait Islands (see Reading 4.7 Fitzpatrick).

Island Dance is one of the major forms of creative expression on the Torres Strait Islands. Dance machines, hand held dance accessories, head-dresses and masks used in Island Dance are unique to the Torres Strait Islands. Ken Thaiday from Erub (Darnley Island ) is the best known maker of dance machines.

The development of printmaking at Cairns TAFE has catered to the needs of Indigenous students. The prints of artists such as Alik Tipoti, Brian Robinson and Dennis Nona depict ancestral beings, creation myths and historical events.

4.7 Fitzpatrick

How have Torres Strait Islanders incorporated Christianity into their own worldview?

Tombstone Ceremonies

Tombstone ceremonies are a distinctive feature of Torres Strait Islander culture practiced both on the islands and by Islander communities living on the mainland.

Following the arrival in 1871 of the London Missionary Society (an event known as the Coming of the Light) the majority of Torres Strait Islanders converted to Christianity. Islanders syncretised their own Indigenous practices with Christianity (discussed in module one).

The Tombstone Opening, when the headstone is unveiled, takes place three years after the death of a relative. The Tombstone Opening is a sign that the spirit of the deceased has joined the other ancestors and marks the end of the mourning period. The Tombstone ceremony brings together song, dance, the visual arts and the preparation and display of food in a ‘flamboyant and extravagant ceremony’.

The Valley of the Dolls

Indigenous anthropologist Marcia Langton discusses the satirical photography and installations of Torres Strait Islander artist Destiny Deacon.

In Destiny’s artwork European representations of gender and race are deftly satirised through the kitsch of popular culture: dolls, tea towels, garden ornaments and suburban fashion.

Looking at the diversity of Torres Strait Islander art

Look at the web site for the exhibition, Ilan Pasin and the diversity of Torres Strait Islander art.

Go to the Discussion Baord and discuss these differences. What are the factors contributing to this diversity?