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| population = '''66,387'''<ref name=2016census/>
| poptime =
| popplace = [[Torres Strait Islands]] 4,514<ref name=censusest>{{cite web|website=Australian Bureau of Statistics|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/mf/3238.0.55.001|title=3238.0.55.001
| region1 = {{flag|Australia}} (mainland)
| pop1 = 61,873
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}}
'''Torres Strait Islanders''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|
There are five distinct peoples within the broader designation of Torres Strait Islander people, based partly on geographical and cultural divisions. There are two main Indigenous language groups, [[Kalaw Lagaw Ya]] and [[Meriam Mir]]. [[Torres Strait Creole]] is also widely spoken as a language of trade and commerce. The core of Island culture is [[New Guinea|Papuo]]-[[Austronesian peoples|Austronesian]], and the people are traditionally a seafaring nation. There is a strong artistic culture, particularly in sculpture, printmaking, and mask-making.
==Demographics==
[[File:Torres Strait Islander Indigenous Status.jpg|thumb|Geographical distribution of people with Torres Strait Islander Indigenous status
[[File:Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Indigenous Status.jpg|thumb|Geographical distribution of people with both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Indigenous status
[[File:Torres Strait Islander ancestry.jpg|thumb|Geographical distribution of people with Torres Strait Islander ancestry
Of the 133 islands, only 38 are inhabited. The islands are culturally unique, with much to distinguish them from neighbouring [[Papua New Guinea]], [[Indonesia]] and the [[Pacific Islands]]. Today the islands are multicultural, having attracted Asian and Pacific Island traders to the [[Sea cucumber as food|beche-de-mer]], [[Nacre|mother-of-pearl]] and [[Tectus niloticus|trochus]]-shell industries over the years.<ref name="shire" />
The [[2016 Australian census]] counted 4,514 people living on the islands, of whom 91.8% were Torres Strait Islander or Aboriginal Australian people. (64% of the population identified as Torres Strait Islander; 8.3% as Aboriginal Australian; 6.5% as [[Papua New Guinea]]n; 3.6% as other Australian and 2.6% as "Maritime South-East Asian", etc.).<ref name=2016census>{{cite web|url= https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/LGA36960|website=Australian Bureau of Statistics|title=2016 Census QuickStats: Torres Strait Island (R)|access-date=27 December 2019}}</ref> In 2006
People identifying themselves as of Torres Strait Islander descent in the whole of Australia in the 2016 census numbered 32,345, while those with both Torres Strait Islander and [[Aboriginal Australians|Aboriginal]] ancestry numbered a further 26,767 (compared with 29,515 and 17,811 respectively in 2006).<ref>{{cite web|website=Australian Bureau of Statistics|url= https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0~2016~Main%20Features~Aboriginal%20and%20Torres%20Strait%20islander%20Population%20Article~12|title=2071.0
Five communities of Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal Australians live on the coast of mainland Queensland, mainly at [[Bamaga]], [[Seisia, Queensland |Seisia]], [[Injinoo, Queensland|Injinoo]], [[Umagico, Queensland |Umagico]] and [[New Mapoon, Queensland |New Mapoon]] in the Northern Peninsula area of Cape York.<ref>
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*the [[Torres Strait Island Region]], covering a large proportion of the Islands;
*the [[Northern Peninsula Area Region]], administered from [[Bamaga]], on the northern tip of Cape York; and
*the [[Shire of Torres]], which governs several islands as well as portions of [[Cape York Peninsula]], is effectively colocated with the Northern Peninsula Area Region, which covers a number of Deed of Grant in Trust
==Ethnicity==
{{Further|History of Indigenous Australians}}
[[File:Torres Strait Islander localities by Indigenous Status.jpg|thumb|Indigenous Status of population in localities with significant share of Torres Strait islander population
[[File:Torres Strait Islander localities by ancestry.jpg|thumb|Ancestry of population in localities with significant share of Torres Strait islander population (Torres Strait Islander or other)
Torres Strait Islander people are of predominantly [[Melanesians|Melanesian]] descent, distinct from [[Aboriginal Australians]] on the mainland and some other Australian islands,<ref name=bbc>{{cite news|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-34037235|title=The people and history of the Torres Strait Islands|date=24 August 2015|access-date=27 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://aiatsis.gov.au/about-us|title=Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies|access-date= 14 November 2019}}</ref> and share some genetic and cultural traits with the people of [[New Guinea]].<ref name=eb/>
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==Languages==
{{main|Torres Strait Island languages}}
[[File:Torres Strait Islander Languages used at home.jpg|thumb|Languages used at home by Torres Strait Islanders in localities with significant share of Torres Strait islander population
There are two distinct Indigenous languages spoken on the Islands, as well as a [[creole language]].<ref name=bbc/>
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Post-colonisation history has seen new cultural influences on the people, most notably the place of [[Christianity in Australia|Christianity]]. After the "Coming of Light" (see below), [[Artifact (archaeology)|artefacts]] previously important to their ceremonies lost their relevance, instead replaced by [[crucifix]]es and other symbols of Christianity. In some cases the missionaries prohibited the use of traditional sacred objects, and eventually production ceased. [[Missionaries]], [[anthropologist]]s and museums "collected" a huge amount of material: all of the pieces collected by missionary Samuel McFarlane, were in [[London]] and then split between three European museums and a number of mainland Australian museums.<ref name=artnetwork>{{cite web|url= https://australianartnetwork.com.au/regions/torres-strait-islands/ |website=Australian Art Network| title= Torres Strait Islands|access-date=8 January 2020}}</ref>
In 1898–1899, British anthropologist [[Alfred Cort Haddon]] collected about 2000 objects, convinced that hundreds of art objects collected had to be saved from destruction by the zealous Christian [[missionaries]] intent on obliterating the religious traditions and ceremonies of the native islanders. Film footage of [[ceremonial dance]]s was also collected.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00z50ml|title=BBC Two
During the first half of the 20th century, Torres Strait Islander culture was largely restricted to dance and song, [[weaving]] and producing a few items for particular festive occasions.<ref name=artnetwork/> In the 1960s and 1970s, researchers trying to salvage what was left of traditional knowledge from surviving elders influenced the revival of interest in the old ways of life. An Australian historian, [[Margaret Lawrie]], employed by the [[Queensland State Library]], spent much time travelling the Islands, speaking to local people and recording their stories, which have since influenced [[visual art]] on the Islands.<ref name=print>{{cite web| url=http://www.printsandprintmaking.gov.au/references/5070/ |title=Torres Strait Islander printmaking | via=Centre for Australian Art: Australian Prints + Printmaking |last=Robinson|first= Brian|date=2001| quote=Conference paper, [from] Australian Print Symposium. Canberra: National Gallery of Australia, 1987
===Art===
{{See also|Indigenous Australian art}}[[Image:Face mask torres strait.JPG|thumb|upright|Ritual face [[mask]] from a Torres Strait Island (19th century)
Torres Strait Islander people are the only culture in the world to make [[turtleshell]] masks, known as ''krar'' (turtleshell) in the Western Islands and ''le-op'' (human face) in the Eastern Islands.<ref name=nswart/>
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Prominent among the artforms is ''wame'' (alt. ''wameya''), many different [[string figure]]s.<ref name="LalFortune2000">{{cite book|editor1=Brij V. Lal|editor2=Kate Fortune|title=The Pacific Islands: An Encyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T5pPpJl8E5wC&pg=PA456|access-date=7 March 2016|year=2000|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|isbn=978-0-8248-2265-1|page=456}}</ref><ref>[[Alfred Cort Haddon]], along with one of his daughters, the pioneers in the modern study of Torres Strait string figures</ref><ref>[http://www.isfa.org/biblio.htm A string figure bibliography] including examples from Torres Strait.</ref>
Elaborate [[headdresses]] or [[dhari (headdress)|dhari]] (also spelt ''dari''<ref>{{cite web | last=Whitford | first=Maddie | title=Producers reflect on profound experience walking with Indigenous artists on country | website=ABC News | date=13 April 2020 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/about/backstory/regional/2020-04-13/making-abc-this-place-indigenous-artist-series/12017770 | access-date=14 April 2020}}</ref>), as featured on the [[Torres Strait Islander
The Islands have a long tradition of woodcarving, creating masks and drums, and carving decorative features on these and other items for ceremonial use. From the 1970s, young artists were beginning their studies at around the same time that a significant re-connection to traditional myths and legends was happening. Margaret Lawrie's publications, ''Myths and Legends of the Torres Strait'' (1970) and ''Tales from the Torres Strait'' (1972), reviving stories which had all but been forgotten, influenced the artists greatly.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lawrie|first1=Margaret Elizabeth|title=Myths and Legends of the Torres Strait/collected and translated by Margaret Lawrie|date=1970|publisher=University of Queensland Press|location=Brisbane}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Lawrie|first1=Margaret Elizabeth|title=Tales from Torres Strait|date=1972|publisher=University of Queensland Press|location=St Lucia Qld}}</ref> While some of these stories had been written down by Haddon after his 1898 expedition to the Torres Strait,<ref>{{cite book
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An exhibition of Alick Tipoti's work, titled ''Zugubal'', was mounted at the [[Cairns Regional Gallery]] in July 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cairnsartgallery.com.au/whats-on/exhibitions/zugubal|website=Cairns Art Gallery|title=Alick Tipoti: Zugubal|access-date=7 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | last=Tipoti|first= Alick | editor-last=Butler|editor-first=Sally | title=Alick Tipoti : Zugubal: ancestral spirits | date=2015 | publisher=Cairns Regional Gallery | isbn=978-0-9757635-6-8 }}</ref>
[[File:Christine Anu 1.jpg|alt=A picture of Christine Anu.|thumb|247x247px|Singer Christine Anu, who performed at the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics
===Music and dance===
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=== Sports ===
[[File:Jesse Williams 2015.jpg|alt=A picture of Jesse Williams in American football gear, showing their tattoos.|thumb|216x216px|Jesse Williams, who won [[Super Bowl XLVII|2013 Super Bowl]] with the [[Seattle Seahawks]]
Sports are popular among Torres Strait Islanders and the community has many sporting stars in Australian and international sports. Sporting events bring together people from across the different islands and help to connect the Torres Strait with mainland Australia and Papua New Guinea. Rugby league is especially popular, including the annual 'Island of Origin' tournament between teams from different islands. Basketball is also extremely popular.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Osmond |first=Gary |date=2020-05-23 |title=Sport and the Torres Strait: Thursday Island, Island Studies, the Archipelagic Turn, and Identity |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09523367.2020.1779704 |journal=The International Journal of the History of Sport |language=en |volume=37 |issue=8 |pages=651–669 |doi=10.1080/09523367.2020.1779704 |issn=0952-3367}}</ref>
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===Introduction of Christianity===
{{further|All Saints Anglican Church, Darnley Island#History}}
[[File:All Saints Anglican Church (2011).jpg|alt=A picture of a small white church with spires, nestled next to palm trees and bushes.|thumb|[[All Saints Anglican Church, Darnley Island|All Saints Anglican Church]] on [[Erub]] (Darnley Island)
From the 1870s, [[Christianity]] spread throughout the islands, and it remains strong today among Torres Strait Islander people everywhere. Christianity was first brought to the islands by the [[London Missionary Society]] (LMS) mission led by Rev. Samuel Macfarlane<ref name=slq/> and Rev. Archibald Wright Murray,<ref name=murray1888/><ref name=qhr/> who arrived on [[Darnley Island, Torres Strait|Erub (Darnley Island)]] on 1 July 1871 on the schooner ''Surprise'',<ref name=abc150/><ref name=logan2017>{{cite book| url=https://www.logan.qld.gov.au/downloads/file/363/sylvia-nakachi-iesu-ra-mir-giz-from-the-beginning| title=Iesu ra mir giz (from the beginning) ge omaida (when the Gospel came), Mer ge baziarda (it took root in Erub) igiare Torres Strait (and branched out to the whole of the Torres Strait) |publisher= [[Logan Art Gallery]]|date=2017| isbn=9780958711012 | access-date=31 July 2021}}</ref><ref name=adbmcf>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Gibbney |first=H. J. |entry=Macfarlane, Samuel (1837–1911) |encyclopedia=[[Australian Dictionary of Biography ]] | date=1974 | publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University |entry-url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/macfarlane-samuel-4090 | access-date=3 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Hammond | first=Philip | title=Performers mark Coming of the Light | website=[[The Courier Mail]] | date=30 June 2011 | url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/performers-mark-coming-of-the-light/news-story/8c1c1f1e50867d6c7e15d7f15855e5c2 | access-date=3 August 2021}}</ref> a [[schooner]]{{efn|''Surprise'', a schooner of 150 tons, was originally a French ship, acquired by a Sydney buyer around September 1868 at [[Circular Quay]], having sailed there from [[Tahiti]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13172894 |title=Advertising |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |volume=LVIII |issue=9460 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=15 September 1868 |access-date=4 August 2021 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}} </ref> It was chartered by Macfarlane and Murray under Captain Paget, leaving [[Lifu]] and Wave in the Loyalty Islands in May 1871.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5856308 |title=Cruise of the Jeannie Oswald. |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)]] |issue=7,914 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=21 October 1871 |access-date=4 August 2021 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}} </ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article245692254 |title=The New Guinea Expedition. |newspaper=[[The Herald (Melbourne)]] |issue=8118 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=13 January 1872 |access-date=4 August 2021 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}} </ref> The ship, under Captain Brews, was wrecked in a gale on 2 February 1874 near [[Nobbys Head]], off [[Newcastle, New South Wales]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13330963 |title=Loss of the schooners Yarra and Surprise — both crews saved. |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |volume=LXIX |issue=11,143 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=3 February 1874 |access-date=4 August 2021 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}} </ref>}} chartered by the LMS.<ref>{{cite journal | title=Missionary Ships | journal=Shipping Wonders of the World| issue=Part 51| date=26 January 1937| url=https://www.shippingwondersoftheworld.com/missionrary-ships.html | access-date=3 August 2021}}</ref><ref >{{cite web | title=The Coming of the Light | website=Anglican Board of Mission | url=https://www.abmission.org/resources.php/217/the-coming-of-the-light | access-date=3 August 2021}}</ref> They sailed to the Torres Strait after the [[French Third Republic|French Government]] had demanded the removal of the missionaries from the [[Loyalty Islands]] and [[New Caledonia]] in 1869.<ref name=qhr>{{cite QHR|15648|All Saints Anglican Church|600873}} Dated |20 January 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2021. [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)] licence.</ref> Eight teachers and their wives from Loyalty Islands arrived with the missionaries on the boat from [[Lifu]].<ref name=murray1888>{{cite book | title=The Bible in the Pacific| first=Archibald Wright |last=Murray |date= 1888| via=[[Google Books]]|publisher= James Nisbet and Company | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G6UMAAAAIAAJ&dq=%22The+Story+of+the+Lifu+Mission%22&pg=PA226 | access-date=4 August 2021| pages=226–228}}</ref>
Clan elder and warrior Dabad greeted them on their arrival. Ready to defend his land and people, Dabad walked to the water's edge when McFarlane dropped to his knees and presented the [[Bible]] to Dabad. Dabad accepted the gift, interpreted as the "Light", introducing Christianity to the Torres Strait Islands. The people of the Torres Strait Islands adopted the Christian rituals and ceremonies and continued to uphold their connection to the land, sea and sky, practising their traditional customs, and cultural identity referred to as ''Ailan Kastom''.<ref name=slq>{{SLQ-CC-BY|url=https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/coming-light-celebrating-150-years-christianity-torres-strait-1-july-2021|title='The Coming of the Light' Celebrating 150 years of Christianity in the Torres Strait 1 July 2021|date=28 June 2021|author(s)=Anne Scheu|access-date=29 June 2021}}</ref>[[File:Torres Strait Islander Religious affiliation.jpg|thumb|Religious affiliations of Torres Strait islanders in localities with significant share of Torres Strait islander population
However the coming of Christianity did not spell the end of the people's traditional beliefs; their culture informed their understanding of the new religion, as the [[Christian God]] was welcomed and the new religion was integrated into every aspect of their everyday lives.<ref name="creative" />
===Religious affiliation, 2016 census===
In the 2016 Census,{{Update inline|date=March 2024}} a total of 20,658 Torres Strait Islander people (out of a total of 32,345) and 15,586 of both Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal identity (out of 26,767) reported adherence to some form of Christianity. (Across the whole of Australia, the Indigenous and non-Indigenous population were broadly similar with 54% (vs 55%) reporting a Christian affiliation, while less than 2% reported traditional beliefs as their religion, and 36% reported no religion.)<ref>{{cite web|website=Australian Bureau of Statistices|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0~2016~Main%20Features~Religion%20Article~80|title=2071.0
=={{anchor|adoption}}Traditional adoptions==
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==See also==
{{Portal|Queensland|Australia}}
* [[Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts
* [[Australian frontier wars]]
* ''[[Blue Water Empire]]''
* [[Indigenous health in Australia]]
* [[List of Indigenous Australian firsts]]
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== Further reading ==
*[https://australianartnetwork.com.au/regions/torres-strait-islands/ Australian Art Network: Torres Strait Islands]
*[https://iview.abc.net.au/show/blue-water-empire Blue Water Empire]
*[http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/resources/atsi/contemporary-stories Contemporary stories] by and about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
*{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/05/25/asia/aboriginal-massacre-australia-intl/index.html|title=The 'forgotten people': When death came to the Torres Strait|first=Aaron|last=Smith|website=CNN|date=26 May 2018}}
==Footnotes== {{notelist}}
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