Torres Strait Islanders

This article is about one of the two ethnically distinct indigenous peoples of Australia, Torres Strait Islanders – the other being Aboriginal Australians. For an overview of these peoples together, see Indigenous Australians.

Torres Strait Islanders
A map of the Torres Strait Islands.
Total population
66,387[1]
Regions with significant populations
Torres Strait Islands 4,514[2]
Australia (mainland)61,873
Languages
Torres Strait Island languages, Torres Strait Creole, Torres Strait English, Australian English
Religion
Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Melanesians
Note difficulties with census counts.[2]

Torres Strait Islanders (/ˈtɒrɪs/ TORR-iss)[3] are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal peoples of the rest of Australia, they are often grouped with them as Indigenous Australians. Today, there are many more Torres Strait Islander people living in mainland Australia (nearly 28,000) than on the Islands (about 4,500).

There are five distinct peoples within the broader designation of Torres Strait Islander people, based partly on geographical and cultural divisions. There are two main Indigenous language groups, Kalaw Lagaw Ya and Meriam Mir. Torres Strait Creole is also widely spoken as a language of trade and commerce. The core of Island culture is Papuo-Austronesian, and the people are traditionally a seafaring nation. There is a strong artistic culture, particularly in sculpture, printmaking, and mask-making.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2016census was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b "3238.0.55.001 – Estimates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, June 2016". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Torres Strait. Oxford Dictionary Online". Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.