Torres Strait Islanders are the
indigenous people of the
Torres Strait Islands, part of
Queensland,
Australia. They are
Melanesians culturally akin to the coastal peoples of
Papua New Guinea. They are regarded as being distinct from other
Aboriginal peoples of the rest of Australia, and are generally referred to separately. There are also two Torres Strait Islander communities on the nearby coast of the mainland at
Bamaga and
Seisia.
Population
There are 6,800 Torres Strait Islanders who live in the area of the Torres Strait, and 42,000 others who live outside of this area, mostly in the north of Queensland, particularly in
Townsville and
Cairns.
Culture
The indigenous people of the Torres Strait have a distinct culture which has slight variants on the different islands where they live. They are a sea-faring people, and engaged in trade with peoples of
Papua New Guinea. The culture is complex, with some Australian elements, some papuan elements, and some Austronesian elements, just like the languages. The Islanders seem to have been the dominant culture for many centuries, and neighbouring Aboriginal and Papuan cultures show some Island influence in religious ceremonies and the like. Archaeological, Linguistic and Folk History evidence suggests that the core of Island culture is Austronesian. Unlike the indigenous peoples of mainland Australia, the islanders were traditionally agriculturalists although they supplemented their food supplies through
hunting and gathering.
Languages
Kalaw Lagaw Ya,
Kalau Kawau Ya,
Kulkalgau Ya and
Kawalgau Ya, which are all dialects of the
Western-central Torres Strait Language (
Kala Lagaw Ya, are spoken on the southwestern, western, northern and central islands. These are related to
Aboriginal languages.
Meriam Mir, related to
Papuan languages, is spoken on the eastern islands.
Notable Islanders
Famous Torres Strait Islanders include
External results
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