The Impact of Colonisation or Invasion Process on Torres Strait Island People - Essay Example

Name: Tutor: Title: the impact of Colonisation/Invasion process on Torres Strait Island People Course: Date: Introduction Indigenous Australians were the first human inhabitants to live in Australia and its nearby islands. This major group of people includes two other distinct groups of people known as Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders. British colonization/invasion process took place in the Australian continent during the early European settlement in January 1788. The colonizers did not recognize the sovereignty of the people who were the original inhabitants of the country. This made Indigenous people to resist against the treaties set by Britain colonies because they never allowed any negotiation over settlement and ownership of land. Therefore, the colonizers made a legal fiction known as ‘terra nullius’ purposely to justify their violent invasion of Australia. However, the colonization or the invasion process had different impacts on Aboriginal people compared to Torres Strait Islander people (Reconciliation Australia Timeline 2007, pp1-3). This essay critically analyzes the impact of colonization or invasion on the people of the Torres Strait Island, with particular focus on the time of contact, religion, law and land or economies. A summative conclusion of own reflection and reactions to and feelings about how colonization or invasion has affected the people of the Torres Strait Island is provided. Part A The impact of colonization/invasion on the people of the Torres Strait, with particular reference to the time of contact, religion, law and land/economies Time of contact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are considered as the first people to live in Australia. Rock art and other significant historical sites clearly show that the earliest Australian had the most surviving cultures in the world, with over 60,000 years people settling on the mainland and about 10,000 years others living on the Torres Strait Islands. Between 1500 and 1800, a number of Western European countries began to spread out whilst taking control of the lands that were initially owned by Indigenous people. For 400 years prior to the arrival of the British, Indigenous people who were living in the northern part of Australia had regular contact and participated in trade with fishermen from Indonesia. However, with the arrival of the first colonization group in January 1788, Britain officially took control of Australia without compromising with the original inhabitants. Therefore, the British declared Australian continent as ‘terra nullius’ which meant empty land or land that did not belong to anyone. The colonizers made this legal fiction so as to justify their violent invasion of Australia. The settling of the colonies across the continent, led to the dispossession and displacement of Aboriginal people from their lands while others were killed in battles to protect their land. When the Queensland Government took possession of the Torres Strait Islands in the mid 19th century, the Torres Strait Islanders like Aboriginal people lost their independence. Although this group of people was not displaced from their original lands like Aboriginal people, they were fairly denied the right to full citizenship until 1967 (Reconciliation Australia 2007, pp.9-13). Torres Strait Islanders have permanently settled in 18 communities out of the 100 islands, and in locations within every Australian state. The annexing of Torres Strait enabled the Island to be considered as part of the Queensland during the time islands changed the name to crown land (Garvey 2000.p.31). It seems that Aboriginal people resisted so much against the ruling of Britain colonies in particular the issue of terra nullius’ which declared empty land or land that did not belong to anyone as a legal fiction to justify their violent invasion of Australia. Thus, dispossession and displacement of Aboriginal people from their lands while others were killed in battles to protect their land. Perhaps, majority of Torres Strait Islanders were cooperative in the invasion process. This could be the reason to argue for their permanent settling in various communities out of different islands, and in locations throughout Australian state. Religion The religious history of Torres Strait can be divided into two major periods-the ‘bepo time’ or the time before Christian and the ‘the time after’ or the Christian time. Generally, the Strait was perceived as a strategic waterway because its population favored the objectives of Christian missionaries particularly the London Missionary Society (Nakata 2007, p.128). The main negative influences of the missionary include the interference with the traditional cultural and religious practices. However, there were also positive consequences associated the Christian Missionaries’ activities, for example, the hybridization that was offered in different forms of religious as well as secular music. In addition, Christianity promoted a shared identify that was achieved by ensuring unity among Christians through encouraging inter-island church gatherings, church arenas and religious festivals (Lawrence 2004, p. 46). Law From the time when colonization took place, Torres Strait Islanders have been subjected to different and more restricting government policies and procedures which have caused detrimental effects on both their rights and liberties. Greater powers were transferred to the Island Councils and to Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) that was formulated in 1994. Nakata (2007, p. 129) explains that the bodies of Islanders were regulated and restricted through a number of bureaucratic and discursive mechanisms that promoted the interests of church, commercial and government sectors which were based on specific ways of addressing the needs of ‘natives’. As a result, the new order was enacted in the early twentieth century through the legislative and regulatory policies and official directives. This created new limits and boundaries regarding how they were required to reach their workplaces, plan their domestic lives as well as determine the exact places they could visit and the kind of people whom they could relate to. The Torres Strait Islanders Protection Act 1939 was passed to distinguish Islanders from Aboriginal people, and this caused changes in community administration. For example, Island Councils took over the power of local government, while policemen and permits were no longer need at the Islands or for inter-island travel. The inaugural Island Councilors’ conference that took place in 1937 resulted in the amendment of the Aboriginal Protection Act 1939 which offered Islanders greater authority regarding their affairs (McGrath 1995, p.104). Land Land is the most fundamental factor in the lives of Torres Strait Islander people, both at the individual and collective level. However, the systems of indigenous land ownership are essentially different from the legal systems of Europe. In regard to cultural seascape, Sharp (1996, p.190) argues that a culturally developed unity of land and sea space based on saltwater coastal and people from the Island is clearly defined using key terms such as cultural seascapes, sea and saltwater country. The invasion of Cadigal people’s right was considered a major step in the world-wide process towards Europeans’ efforts to grab land, resources or people. Eddie Mabo was an activist who defended passionately for the rights of his people. In 1982, Mabo and some four other Meriam activists in Murray Islands in Torres Strait Islander emerged to protect their traditional land rights through the High Court. The activists claimed that their land was largely inhabited and possessed by individuals who had come to live within the permanent settled communities under their social and political systems referred to as Creative Spirits. It seems their land rights had not been recognized by the annexure of various islands by the Queensland government. Therefore, the case was investigated for ten years even though Mabo and three other petitioners had died (Refer to the YouTube link for the video). A small dance group known as Koranga Saibai Kodhal from the Torres Strait Island represents one of the significant parts of the local Khodal or the crocodile clan from Brisbane. In this case, Koranga symbolizes the sea eagle that specifically watches over the Kodhal. Therefore, land, Sea and Sky as contemporary art features which embraces both the cultural and practical value of land, sea and sky to the people of Torres Strait Island. Visiting artists and groups specifically from Torres Strait come to perform together with the local community groups as well as new performers to produce different and engaging events across the cultural center of the Island. Basically, the exhibition promotes the rich and complex cultural knowledge for Torres Strait Islanders such as performance and oral history to different audiences (Refer to the YouTube video). Economies Since mid-19th century onwards, Torres Strait Islanders experienced significant changes as a result of their increased contact with Europeans. The establishment of maritime industries such as fishing and pearling became centers of tourist attractions. This change made Islanders to adjust to the lately introduced lifestyle to their region particularly in government administration, maritime industries and religion. According to McGrath (1995, p.104) the various historical events that greatly affected Islanders life include; the maritime strike that occurred in 1936, marked the turning point in the entire Islander assertiveness in working against government repression. The inaugural Island Councilors’ conference that took place in 1937 resulted in the amendment of the Aboriginal Protection Act 1939 which offered Islanders greater authority regarding their affairs. There was also 1960 large-scale southward movement to the Australian mainland following the collapse of the pearling industry. The quest for independence in the early 1980s as a way of raising the concerns of Islander against the slow pace of enhancing basic infrastructure within their communities was considered a major historical event that affected the life of Islanders. Finally, the 1992 Mabo Case is a situation that confirmed Meriam’s control over their land (McGrath 1995, p.104). Currently, the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) has 20 representatives who are in charge of different economic and cultural issues. It is important to note that the establishment of TSRA was a significant approach to enhance economic development because it has controlled demands for greater autonomy. Although the contemporary economy in the Island is based on fishing, a number of people depend still depend on welfare services (Minority Rights Group International 2008, pp.2). The pearling industry that was established in the 1860s marked the Torres Straight’s entry into the global economy. Most of the Torres Strait Islanders had appropriate seafaring skills and knowledge about seas and seasons. Therefore, Islanders participated in the development of Pearling industry in Torres Straits. The pearl-shell industry largely contributed to the economic and cultural life of the people of Torres Strait between 1860 and 1970. Specifically, the industry exported pearl shell and trochees shell to boost up the button manufacture. It is also important to note that the establishment of Pearl-shell industry enabled the Islander men to know different mainland cities such as Cairns, Mackay and Townsville (Queensland Government 2010). Part B A summative conclusion or reflection of own reactions to, and feelings about, the effects of colonization/invasion on the people of the Torres Strait Although much of the early provided history among Europeans and Torres Strait Islanders was interrupted by cases of attacks and revenge. It is necessary to point out that the various efforts aimed at enhancing long-term working relationships with Islanders today, suggests the need for visitors to respect Islander ways of working. This implies that the privileges or rights of this group of people should not be misdirected or assumed by other people in power. It is apparent that the most significant impact of European invasion process on Torres Strait Islanders was to annex and consider them as part of the Queensland particularly. This can be seen at the time when the colonies decided to change the island’s name to crown land. Probably, this can be used to explain how the Islanders have permanently settled in different communities of different islands, and in every location within Australian state. Generally, colonization or invasion process greatly improved the lifestyle of Torres Strait Islanders, with economic and cultural development taking lead compared to other sectors. It is notable the pearling industry that was established in the early 1860s enabled the Torres Strait to enter the global economy. It would be important to carry out more investigations about the major historical events that shaped the lives of Torres Strait Islander people before the white invasion in 1788 to the present. This will help to analyze and compare the impact of colonization or the invasion process between the earlier times people of Torres Strait lived and their current lifestyle in terms of cultural, economic and social developments. It can be noted that laws such as Aboriginal Protection Act 1939, which gave the Islanders greater authority over their affairs and community development skills-small dancing groups encourage indigenous people to work as a team. Bibliography Garvey, D 2000, ‘The history and health of Torres Strait Islander people’, in working with Indigenous Australians: A handbook for psychologists (pp.31–38), Granada Press, Perth. Lawrence, H 2004, ‘Agents of religious and musical change in eastern Torres Strait’, in R. Davis (Ed.), Woven histories, dancing lives: Torres Strait Islander identity, culture and history (pp. 46–72), Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra. Minority Rights Group International 2008, World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Australia: Torres Strait Islanders, viewed 3 October 3 2013,   McGrath, A 1995, What is ‘Aboriginal history? Australian Aborigines under the British crown (pp. 109–397), Allen & Unwin, Sydney. Nakata, M 2007, Disciplining the savages, savaging the disciplines, Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra. Reconciliation Australia Timeline 2007, History Fact Sheet, viewed 3 October 2013, Sharp, N 2006, Saltwater People: the Waves of Memory, Crows Nest, Allen & Unwin, New South Wales (NSW). Queensland Government 2010, Exhibition and Awakening: Stories from the Torres Strait, viewed 3 October 2013, Eddie Mabo Case Koranga Saibai Kodhal Dance Read More