Moa Island, Torres Strait
Encyclopedia
Moa Island is an island
40km north of Thursday Island, Queensland
, Australia
in the Banks Channel of Torres Strait
.
This island is one of the Torres Strait Islands
and is the largest within the "Near Western" group. It has 2, settlements, Kubin and St. Pauls, connected by bitumen and a gravel road.
; one group moving back to their Narupai (Horn Island) homeland and the remainder moved southeast to Kubin under the leadership of Wees Nawia. Kubin residents retain their links with the Thursday Island, Bamaga
and Cowal Creek (Injinoo
) communities and with their help have established a number of business enterprises.
Services in Kubin include: Ibis store, Health Centre, School (Tagai College), RTC with Mualgau Knowledge Centre
, Post Office, Disability Services, Childcare centre, Police, Mualgal Mineral Arts Centre and Torres Strait Island Regional Council office.
Accommodation is run by the Kubin Torres Strait Regional Island Council. When visiting the community you can stay at Aka Babeth-Na Mudth (Motel) and also dongers that are air conditioned.
St Pauls is the other settlement on Moa. After the forced repatriation of Pacific Islander labourers, following the federal government's introduction of a restrictive immigration policy in 1904, the Queensland Government set aside a reserve on Moa's eastern shore for those who had married Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal people. In 1908 the Anglican Church began developing St Pauls Mission. They also established the St Pauls Native Training College. A community council was established under the Torres Strait Islander Act 1939, and in 1985, the St Pauls community gained ownership of their land through a Deed of Grant in Trust.
The language of Kubin is Kala Lagaw Ya
(Muwalgau/Italgau and Kaiwalgau sub-dialects), while that of St Pauls is Brokan (Torres Strait Creole), though many people are bilingual in Kala Lagaw Ya
.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
40km north of Thursday Island, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in the Banks Channel of Torres Strait
Torres Strait
The Torres Strait is a body of water which lies between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is approximately wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost continental extremity of the Australian state of Queensland...
.
This island is one of the Torres Strait Islands
Torres Strait Islands
The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands which lie in Torres Strait, the waterway separating far northern continental Australia's Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea but Torres Strait Island known and Recognize as Nyumaria.The islands are mostly part of...
and is the largest within the "Near Western" group. It has 2, settlements, Kubin and St. Pauls, connected by bitumen and a gravel road.
Settlements
Kubin is a community largely made up of the original Italgal, the Mualgal from north Moa, some of the Kulkalgal of Nagi, and the Kaiwalgal (Kaurareg) people, who were moved to Poid, on the southwestern corner of Moa Island in 1921. Poid was abandoned after World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
; one group moving back to their Narupai (Horn Island) homeland and the remainder moved southeast to Kubin under the leadership of Wees Nawia. Kubin residents retain their links with the Thursday Island, Bamaga
Bamaga, Queensland
-Language:The community languages of Bamaga are Kalaw Kawaw Ya, Brokan , and English, particularly for education and government business.-Industry:...
and Cowal Creek (Injinoo
Injinoo
Injinoo refers to Australian Aborigine people in Cape York Peninsula.There are five communities which lie on the traditional country of the Injinoo peoples in the NPA of Cape York Peninsula: Bamaga, Seisia, Injinoo, Umagico and New Mapoon....
) communities and with their help have established a number of business enterprises.
Services in Kubin include: Ibis store, Health Centre, School (Tagai College), RTC with Mualgau Knowledge Centre
Indigenous Knowledge Centre
There are two library services operating in Australia that have adopted the appellation 'Knowledge Centres' in relation to the delivery of library services for Indigenous clients. The Northern Territory Library first developed the Indigenous Knowledge Centre model of service and later changed this...
, Post Office, Disability Services, Childcare centre, Police, Mualgal Mineral Arts Centre and Torres Strait Island Regional Council office.
Accommodation is run by the Kubin Torres Strait Regional Island Council. When visiting the community you can stay at Aka Babeth-Na Mudth (Motel) and also dongers that are air conditioned.
St Pauls is the other settlement on Moa. After the forced repatriation of Pacific Islander labourers, following the federal government's introduction of a restrictive immigration policy in 1904, the Queensland Government set aside a reserve on Moa's eastern shore for those who had married Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal people. In 1908 the Anglican Church began developing St Pauls Mission. They also established the St Pauls Native Training College. A community council was established under the Torres Strait Islander Act 1939, and in 1985, the St Pauls community gained ownership of their land through a Deed of Grant in Trust.
The language of Kubin is Kala Lagaw Ya
Kala Lagaw Ya
Kala Lagaw Ya is a language belonging to all the western and central Torres Strait Islands, Queensland, Australia. On some islands it has now largely been replaced by Brokan...
(Muwalgau/Italgau and Kaiwalgau sub-dialects), while that of St Pauls is Brokan (Torres Strait Creole), though many people are bilingual in Kala Lagaw Ya
Kala Lagaw Ya
Kala Lagaw Ya is a language belonging to all the western and central Torres Strait Islands, Queensland, Australia. On some islands it has now largely been replaced by Brokan...
.