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Religious affiliations of Torres Strait islanders in localities with significant share of Torres Strait islander population [4] The Islanders refer to this event as "The Coming of the Light", also known as Zulai Wan, [ 47 ] [ 57 ] or Bi Akarida, [ 48 ] and all Island communities celebrate the occasion annually on 1 July.
The Torres Strait Islands' population was recorded at 4,514 in the 2016 Australian census, with 91.8% of these identifying as Indigenous Torres Strait Island peoples. Although counted as Indigenous Australians, Torres Strait Islander peoples, being predominantly Melanesian, are ethnically and culturally different from Aboriginal Australians.
The Torres Strait Islanders are Indigenous to the Torres Strait Islands, which are at the northernmost tip of Queensland near Papua New Guinea. The term "Aboriginal" has traditionally been applied to Indigenous inhabitants of mainland Australia, Tasmania, and some of the other adjacent islands.
The Torres Strait Islander people possess a heritage and cultural history distinct from Aboriginal traditions. The eastern Torres Strait Islanders in particular are related to the Papuan peoples of New Guinea, and speak a Papuan language. [54] Accordingly, they are not generally included under the designation "Aboriginal Australians".
Melanesian Meriam people are an Indigenous Australian group of Torres Strait Islander people who are united by a common language, strong ties of kinship and live as skilled hunter–fisher–gatherers in family groups or clans on a number of inner eastern Torres Strait Islands including Mer or Murray Island, Ugar or Stephen Island and Erub or Darnley Island. [1]
In Australia, the total population of Torres Strait Islanders, a Melanesian people, as of 30 June 2016, was about 38,700 identifying as being of Torres Strait Islander origin only, and 32,200 of both Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander origin (a total of 70,900). [31]
Related ethnic groups Papuans , Aboriginal Australian Papua New Guinean Australians ( Tok Pisin : pipol bilong Papua Niugini long Ostrelia ) are the citizens and residents of Australia (including the Torres Strait Islands , where 6.5% of all people claimed Papua New Guinean ancestry) [ 3 ] who were born in Papua New Guinea (PNG) or have Papua ...
In 2001 a federal court ruled to return the seven islands to Kaurareg control. [22] Administered by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) and the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA), the Kaurareg declared their independence from Australia in 2002, [27] after regaining native title over their ancestral land. They call ...