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Fitzpatrick, Judith --- "Book Review - Edward Koiki Mabo: His Life and Struggle for Land Rights" [1997] IndigLawB 106; (1997) 4(7) Indigenous Law Bulletin 22


Book Review -

Edward Koiki Mabo:
His Life and Struggle for Land Rights

by Noel Loos and Koiki Mabo

University of Queensland Press, St Lucia, 1996

ISBN 070222059

Reviewed by Judith Fitzpatrick

This compact book, the life story of a Torres Strait Islander, resonates with courage, determination, and love. The historian Noel Loos weaves a provocative narrative with Koiki Mabo's diaries, personal papers and interviews which 'are part of the love story between Koiki, Mer and the Meriam people which expands and embraces broader social and political issues' (p 172). Posthumously awarded a Human Rights Award by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, declared the 1992 Australian of the Year, and having received numerous other awards, Mabo's repute in the Torres Strait Island community during his life time was less certain. He was banned from his home island as a youth and later, as a result of local Island politics. According to Loos, he was the quintessential political activist. From an early age after departing his homeland in the eastern Torres Strait, he championed the cause of social justice for blacks within the mainland white dominated society of northern Queensland. For much of his working life he challenged 'black/white' relations in labour and education. His most significant cause, however, was that of indigenous land rights, his activism ultimately culminating in the now famous High Court 'Mabo' decision in favour of customary law (Mabo v Queensland [No. 2] [1992] HCA 23; (1992) 175 CLR 1). This ruling changed the face of Australian land tenure, in its rejection of the concept of terra nullius. Eddie Mabo, one of the five plaintiffs in the case, will have his name indelibly associated with the 'High Court acknowledgement that native title existed on Murray Island and throughout Australia since time immemorial' (p 142).

Yet, as unlikely as it may seem, Mabo's life experiences on the mainland were not particularly unique for a Torres Strait Islander of his generation. His sometimes contentious relationships with fellow Murray Islanders epitomise the social and political difficulties encountered today by many Torres Strait Islanders who have migrated away from their island homes to be resident on the mainland. Employment opportunities drew him, like these others, to the north Queensland mainland at an early age. Later, education and health care for his family encouraged his continued residence away from his home in Torres Strait. At the same time, other Islanders who remained residents of the small islands scattered across the archipelago separating Australia and Papua New Guinea contended with sub-standard housing, water and sanitation, health and education services, government regulations instituted to control their social life, and the lack of economic opportunities. These differences in experience between mainland and home island residents have led to lasting tensions which are reflected in present day politics, and exacerbated by the demographic reality of Torres Strait Islander population figures: a majority reside on the mainland while barely 6,000 occupy the Torres Strait. In fact, the Islands would have difficulty in sustaining a larger population.

These present day realities, however, are not considered in the story of Koiki Mabo. Rather, the story of Eddie Mabo's life provides a poignant view of Torres Strait Islander identity in and around the vicinity of Townsville during the 1950s to the 1980s. A major dilemma for many Island parents on the mainland was, and continues to be, the need to instill a strong sense of Tones Strait Islander cultural identity in their children. A nationalistic Torres Strait Islander, Mabo, reflecting on raising children away from the islands, stated 'I need to strengthen my kids with their own heritage before they could [sic] accept the overall society's values' (p 56).

This story of a now famous Australian offers an entertaining and readable view of the Torres Strait indigenous experience within Queensland during the post World War If period. There are many humorous personal reflections and anecdotes related by Mabo that contribute to a moving life history about a special human being. Loos has skillfully assembled transcripts of interviews and written materials of Mabo into a biography and narrative. The book contains maps, archival photographs and over two dozen other black and white photographs portraying historical materials about the Meriam people and the family life of Koiki and his wife, which are now held in the Bonita Mabo Collection.

This is a very useful monograph not only for secondary students, undergraduate classes in anthropology, history, law, race relations, sociology, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies, but also for a wider popular audience. The most distressing part of the Mabo story is a sad reflection upon contemporary race relations in Queensland. On 3 June 1996, the morning after the Mabo 'Tombstone Opening' (a customary secondary funeral ceremony practiced by Torres Strait Islanders some months after burial whereby an engraved and decorated tombstone is unveiled), it was discovered that Eddie Mabo's grave site had been desecrated with racist slogans. This easily read book may assist in providing a better understanding about indigenous people in Australia.


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