AustLit
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View of sunset from Palm IslandState Library of Queensland315232assertion~ Currently in development ~
The Manbara people and the Indigenous Bwgcolman people are the traditional owners of Bwgcolman (Palm Island), off the coast of North Queensland. Manbara people are also known as Wulgurukaba people (AUSTLANG Y135), speakers of Wulguru language.
AUSTLANG identifies two languages spoken on Palm Island: Buluguyban and Mulgu, both dialects of Wulguru (also known as Manbara).
Representatives of over 40 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tribes were displaced and relocated to Palm Island as a control tactic during the "Protection Era" (Aboriginals Protection and Restriction of the Sale of Opium Act 1897 Qld). In 1914 Palm Island was classed as an Aboriginal reserve. Bwgcolman has been known as Palm Island, the Mission, Palm Island Settlement, and Palm Community (Palm Council). State Library of Queensland notes that there 3,950 'documented removals' to Palm Island between 1918 and 1972. See SLQ's Community History of Palm Island, for a full history.
Today, Palm Island has over 5000 residents and is governed by the Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council.
The BlackWords team have so far identified over 11 writers, creators and storytellers who were born on Bwgcolman, including Bob Maza, and Monty Prior (father of Boori Pryor, who also spent time on Palm Island).
Readers are advised to explore resources available at the Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) website and the zoomable map of Indigenous Australia, developed as a part of the Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia.
Discover all Bwgcolman writers | Discover references to Palm Island in BlackWords | Discover all records related to Palm Island in AustLit
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Warning: Please be aware that this work may contain images of people who are now deceased.
Sources include AustLang, AIATSIS, Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council, and State Library of Queensland.
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Cast of Beautiful One Day. (Source: Crikey Website)See full AustLit entry'Palm Island. An Aboriginal man is arrested, allegedly for insulting a police officer. Within 90 minutes, he lies dead on the watchhouse floor, his liver cleaved in two. The community protests, the police station is torched. A Senior Sergeant stands trial for manslaughter but is acquitted. Questions are raised about manipulation of evidence and a court suppression order. A protestor, jailed for inciting a riot, is out on parole on condition that he speaks to no-one.
"Beautiful One Day" is a theatrical documentary made by a group of Australians (black and white) seeking to interpret these events against the full sweep of the island's history.
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Part of The Wailing collection of memories.
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'There is a new generation of warriors coming out of Palm Island, a place with a dark history and a less than stellar reputation. A new era of hope, strength and courage is about to show the world that the kids from Palm Island are fighting back and have the makings of champions, but within this gilded cage come stories of generational poverty, stories of disadvantage, stories of the vicious cycle of intergenerational trauma. This group of boxers are defying stereotypes and taking the future into their own hands with the help and support of Uncle Ray - the man who has brought boxing back to Palm Island. (...more)See full AustLit entry
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Image courtesy of Black Ink PressSee full AustLit entry'Dulcie grew up under 'The Act'. She was a fifteen year old girl in 1957, when her home of Palm Island in North Queensland was disturbed by a strike. On that day, her family's life changed forever, as Dulcie records in words and pictures. Essential reading for Queensland history.' (Source: Black Ink Press website)
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Cameron Doomadgee died in police custody while being held in a cell at the Palm Island watch house. His death sparked riots and a period of unrest on Palm Island.See full AustLit entry
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This unique CD features stereo recordings of traditional Australian Aboriginal music and stories, and is presented by Aboriginal writer and performer Bob Maza.
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'Strike of 57' is based on the recollections of playwright Dulcie Isaro who is the daughter of striker Willie Thaiday. Dulcie was 14 years of age at the time of the strike.
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This image has been sourced from BooktopiaSee full AustLit entry'Going to boarding school can be a difficult transition for many students, but for Indigenous students from remote communities, it can be quite a culture shock. In Two Ways Strong, Indigenous students from Concordia Lutheran College have combined to tell their experience in a story about Jaz a young girl from Palm Island who goes to boarding school at the age of fourteen. Jaz has many challenges to face, not least having to speak English and make herself understood.
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'Her fellow Indigenous students help to ease the way for her but ultimately it's up to Jaz to make the most of what boarding school has to offer. -
This image has been sourced from online.See full AustLit entry'From the cops and the crocs of 1960s Palm Island to the blood-spattered dance floors of Melbourne in the '70s, Wrong Kind of Black is the personal story of Boori Monty Pryor (Clarence Ryan, in a career-making performance) and his brother Paul (Aaron McGrath). This four part high end digital drama comedy series brings a rare perspective to a tumultuous era in Australia’s history, one that resonates just as strongly today.
'At the height of the ‘70s disco inferno, Monty is Melbourne’s hottest DJ.
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Yasmin Johnson is a descendant of the Wulgurukaba, BirriGubba and Bwcolgman people of North Queensland and her totem is the barracuda. She has worked with the Townsville Aboriginal and Islanders Health Services and after attending the fourth World Indigenous Youth Conference, Yasmin played a major role in helping to establish the National Indigenous Youth Council.See full AustLit entry
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