Mabo Day
The man himself…
Eddie Koiki Mabo
(1936-1992)
Eddie was born on Mer Island,
in the North of Australia.
He was a
Torres Strait Islander.
He was brought up immersed
in his culture,
but his life
was regulated
by the government of Queensland.
His
behaviour saw him exiled
and sent from the island.
He worked on pearling boats
and then for the Townsville railway.
He was the spokesperson
for the Torres
Strait Islander
railway gangs and mixed with
Australian trade union officials.
A few years and a few jobs later,
he took up a post
at the Townsville
University.
Working as a gardener,
he often had time to sit
in on lectures.
Using
the library there,
he read a lot of books,
especially those written
about his people
and his culture
– written by white people.
Having a chat over lunch
with university professors,
Mabo was speaking
about his land,
his Island, Mer Island.
The professors realised that
Mabo
believed that he owned
the land on the island…
they set out to explain to him
that he did not own the land.
The land
was Terra Nullis
- No Man’s Land –
so named on the arrival of the
first white
men to Australia.
Naturally, Mabo was shocked
and angered.
And so, the Mabo
story
really begins…
He wanted his land.
In 1981, a Land Rights
Conference
was held and Mabo spoke.
A lawyer suggested he may
have a case he
could win.
Over ten years,
the case was fought,
reaching the
High Court of
Australia.
In 1992, Eddie Koiki Mabo
died of cancer.
Five months later,
his
case was won.
Native Title existed
and it was up to the
Aboriginal or Torres
Strait Islanders
to decide who owned the land.
Three years
after Mabo was buried,
traditional
mourning time
was over and Eddie’s
Mer Island people gathered.
His people “stole” his body
and took him
home,
to Mer Island,
where he was buried
in a traditional ceremony
fit for a
king.
This special ceremony had
not been
seen on the island
for 80 years.
Today marks the day
that Eddie,
though dead,
won
his case.
Information from here.
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