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EdwardKoikiMabo19361992|Factsheet

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Fact sheets
Edward Koiki Mabo 1936 - 1992
TorresStraitIslander(53.html)EddieKoikiMabowasanIndigenouscommunityleaderandhumanrightsacvistwhoachievednaonalprominence
asthesuccessfulprincipalplaininthelandmarkHighCourtofAustraliarulingonnavelandtle.In1992thehistoricMabo(19.html)decisionof
theHighCourtofAustraliarecognisedtradionallandrightsforAustralianIndigenousPeople.
EdwardKoikiSambowasbornin1936onMer,(MurrayIsland)intheTorresStraitbetweenAustraliaandPapuaNewGuinea.Hewasthesonof
RobertZezouSamboandAnnieMaboofthePiadaramclan.Hismotherdiedinchildbirthandhewasadoptedundercustomarylawbyhismother's
brother,BennyMabo,andhiswife,Maigatoraiseastheirson.HebecameEdwardKoikiMaboandfromanearlyage,helearnedabouthisfamily's
land,tradionsandheritage.
Koikiwenttoprimaryschoolontheislandwithoutthoughtoffurthereducaon.Hewasabrightstudentandoneofhisteachersencouragedhimto
learnEnglishwithaviewtopossiblelateremploymentonthemainland.
WhenKoikiwassixteenaromanceledtohisbeingexiledtothemainlandbythedisapprovingeldersoftheMeriamIslandCouncil.Hefoundwork
onpearlingboatsbutwhenhisexilewasextendedhejumpedshipinCairnsandworkedatvariousjobsincludingcanecuerandrailwayfeler.
In1959,attheageoftwentythree,KoikimarriedBonitaNehowwhosefamilyhadbeenbroughtfromVanuatutoworkinthecaneelds.Koikiand
BonitaeventuallyseledinTownsvilleandraisedninechildren.
InTownsville,KoikiMabobecameaspokespersonfortheTorresStraitIslandercommunityandwasinvolvedwiththetradeunionmovementand
theAboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderAdvancementLeague.Hehelpedfoundthecity'sAboriginalandIslanderHealthServiceandwasco
founderanddirectoroftheTownsvilleBlackCommunitySchoolfrom1973to1983.TheschoolwasamongtherstofitskindinAustraliawherenot
onlythestatecurriculumwastaughtbutalsothelanguageandcultureoftheTorresStraitIslanderpeople.Bonitaalsotaughtattheschool.From
1981to1984hestudiedforaDiplomaofTeachingatTownsvilleCollegeofAdvancedEducaonandJamesCookUniversity.
MabowasaskilledperformerandteacherofMeriamsonganddance,whichledtohisappointmenttotheAboriginalArtsBoardoftheAustralia
Council,andinthemid80shebecameamemberoftheNaonalAboriginalEducaonCommiee.
From1967to1971,MabowasemployedasagardenerwithJamesCookUniversityinTownsvillewherehejoinedinuniversitylifeandwouldoen
sitinonseminarsorgotothelibraryandread.Hewasparcularlyinterestedinthehistory,andanthropologists'views,ofhispeople.Mabowas
alsoregularlyinvitedtolecturestudentsstudying"RaceandCulture"attheuniversity.AertheReferendumonAboriginalRights(../../about
racism/meline/index1900s.html#y1967)succeededin1967hehelpedorganiseaseminarinTownsvilleon"WetheAustralians:Whatistofollowthe
Referendum?"
In1973,MaboandhisfamilytravelledtoThursdayIslandenroutetoMertovisithisdyingfatherbuttheyweredeniedentrytoMerbytheMeriam
IslandCouncil.Mabowasbythismeconsideredanagitatorbytheauthories.Hewasdevastatedbythedecision.
In1974,adiscussionwithProfessorNoelLoosandHenryReynoldsatJamesCookUniversitywasaturningpoint.Mabowasspeakingabouthis
familylandonMerwhenthetwomenrealisedhethoughtheownedthatland.TheyexplainedthatthelandbelongedtotheCrownandnottohis
family.
In1977,MabohiredaboatandwenttoMerwithhisfamily.HewasappalledbytheideathathislandcouldbeconsideredCrownlandandsawthe
ghttowintherighttohislandasthemostimportantcauseofhislife.
In1981,aLandRights'ConferencewasheldatJamesCookUniversity.MabomadeaspeechaboutlandownershipandinheritanceonMer.Alawyer
attheconferencesuggestedthereshouldbeatestcasetoclaimlandrightsthroughthecourtsystem.FiveMeriammen,EddieKoikiMabo,Sam
Passi,FatherDavePassi,JamesRiceandCeluiaMapoSalee,decidedtheywouldchallengeforlandrightsintheHighCourtofAustralia.InMay
1982,ledbyMabo,theybegantheirlegalclaimforownershipoftheirlands.
TheHighCourtrequiredtheSupremeCourtofQueenslandtodeterminethefactsonwhichtheclaimwasbasedbutwhilethecasewaswiththe
QueenslandCourt,theQueenslandStateParliamentpassedtheQueenslandCoastIslandsDeclaratoryAct1985whichstated"AnyrightsthatTorres
StraitIslandershadtolandaertheclaimofsovereignty(byQueensland)in1879isherebyexnguishedwithoutcompensaon".Achallengetothe
ActwasthentakentotheHighCourtandthedecisionin1992,knownasMaboNo.1,wasthattheActwasinconictwiththeCommonwealth
RacialDiscriminaonAct(11.html)of1975andwasthusinvalid.
Anothersetbackcamein1989whenaJusceoftheSupremeCourtofQueenslandwenttoMertoestablishtradionallawsofinheritance.In1990
hetoldtheHighCourtthatKoikiMabowasnotadoptedbycustomandthereforehisclaimsonMerweredenied.
In1985whileworkingasaeldocerattheTownsvilleAboriginalLegalAidServiceMabohadreceivedaresearchgranttostudylandtenureinthe
TorresStraitIslands.TheformalknowledgehehadgainedbecameinvaluableinthelongghtforlandownershipandtheMeriamgroupmeteach
newchallengetotheirclaim.
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EdwardKoikiMabo19361992|Factsheet

However,itwasnotunl3June1992thatMaboNo.2wasdecidedupon.Bythisme,tenyearsaerthecaseopened,bothCeluiaMapoSaleeand
KoikiMabohaddied.
SixofthejudgesagreedthattheMeriampeopledidhavetradionalownershipoftheirland,withonejudgedissenngfromthemajority
judgment.ThejudgesheldthatBrishpossessionhadnoteliminatedtheirtleandthat"theMeriampeopleareentledasagainstthewhole
worldtopossession,occupaon,useandenjoymentofthelandsoftheMurrayIslands".Thisdecisionalteredthefoundaonoflandlawin
Australia.
OnAustraliaDay1993,theAustraliannewspapernamedEddieKoikiMabotheir1992AustralianoftheYear.
FollowingtheHighCourtdecisioninMaboNo.2,theCommonwealthParliamentpassedtheNaveTitleAct(20.html)in1993,enablingAboriginal
andTorresStraitIslanderPeoplethroughoutAustraliatoclaimtradionalrightstounalienatedland.
InJune1995,threeyearsaerEddieKoikiMabo'sdeath,thetradionalmourningperiodwasoverandthemehadcometocelebratehislife.The
simplewoodencrossthathadmarkedhisgraveatTownsvilleCemeterywasreplacedwithamarbleheadstone.AsamarkofrespectmanyTorres
StraitIslanderPeopleandothersfromalloverAustraliatravelledtoTownsvilleforaspecialceremonywithTorresStraitIslandritualsperformedby
theMabofamily.
ThenightaertheceremonyKoikiMabo'sgravesitewasdesecrated.Hisheadstonewasvandalised,redswaskaswerepaintedonitanda
sculpturedimageofhisfacewassmashedo.HisdistraughtfamilytookhisbodybacktoMerwherehewasreburiedonthelandhelovedandhad
foughtsolongandhardfor.TheIslandersperformedatradionalceremonynotseenontheislandforeightyyearswhichsigniedthatEddieKoiki
Mabohadbeenburiedasaleader.
On3JuneeachyearMaboDayiscelebratedintheTorresStraitIslands(53.html).Apublicholidaywithgreatrejoicingcommemoratesthedaythe
Islandersregainedcontroloftheirtradionallands,andthemen,ledbyMabo,whomadeitpossible.
Source
MaboLifeofanIslandMan,[StudyGuideandvideo]TrevorGraham,FilmAustralia,1997
EncyclopaediaofAboriginalAustralia,DrDavidHortonGeneralEditor,AboriginalStudiesPressforAIATSIS,1994
Reynolds,Henry,TheLawoftheLand,Penguin,Melbourne,(2nded.),1992
DocumenngademocracyAustralia'sStory,MabovQueenslandNo.21992(Cth)(hp://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/places/cth/)
AustralianBroadcasngCorporaon,Behindthenews,Mabo(hp://www.abc.net.au/btn/australians/)
Source:ReserveBankofAustralia,CurrencyNotes/NotesInCirculaon.(hp://www.rba.gov.au/)
Theme:AboriginalpeopleandTorresStraitIslandersAustralianhistoryandracerelaons.

NSWGovernment,DepartmentofEducaon2015.

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