Mabuiag Island facts for kids
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Landsat image of the Bellevue Islands, with Mabuiag in the centre
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Arafura Sea |
| Archipelago | Bellevue Islands |
| Total islands | 11 |
| Administration | |
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Australia
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| State | Queensland |
| Local government area | Torres Strait Island Region |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 251 (2006) |
| Ethnic groups | Mabuiag people |
| Mabuiag Island Queensland |
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 Mabuiag Island
Location in Queensland
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| Population | 210 (2016 census) | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 33.3/km2 (86/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4875 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 6.3 km2 (2.4 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Torres Strait Island Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Cook | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Leichhardt | ||||||||||||||
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Mabuiag (also called "Mabuyag") is a beautiful island in Queensland, Australia. It is one of the many Torres Strait Islands. Mabuiag Island is also the name of a town and a local area within the Torres Strait Island Region. In 2016, about 210 people lived on Mabuiag Island. It was once known as "Jervis Island".
Contents
Discovering Mabuiag Island
Mabuiag Island is part of the Bellevue Islands group. It is located about 100 kilometers north of Thursday Island. The island is found in the Napoleon Passage and Arnolds Passage of the Torres Strait. It also has other traditional names, like Gumu.
Island Naming History
Captain William Bligh originally named this island "Jervis Island". This name appeared on early English maps.
A Glimpse into Mabuiag's Past
People have lived on Mabuiag Island for a very long time. Scientists have found proof that people arrived here at least 7,300 years ago. These early islanders were skilled at fishing and hunting dugong.
Ancient Life on the Island
Small communities continued to live on Mabuiag for the next 5,000 years. Pottery, often linked to Melanesian people, has been found at two sites. These sites are Mui (on the east coast) and Mask Cave (on a nearby small island called Pulu). The pottery dates back about 2,000 years.
In the last 1,000 years, more areas of the island were used. Several important villages were formed, including Goemu, Wagadagam, and Dabangay. Over the past 400 to 500 years, large mounds of dugong bones, shells, and stone arrangements show how the community grew. They also show how different family groups, called totems, began to form.
Language and Culture
Kalaw Lagaw Ya is one of the main languages of the Torres Strait. It is also known as Kala Lagaw Ya or KLY. This language belongs to the people of the Western and Central Torres Strait islands. The area where Kala Lagaw Ya is spoken includes the Torres Shire Council region.
Mabuiag has its own dialect, or version, of Kala Lagaw Ya. This dialect is also called Mabuiag or Mabuyag. It is the traditional language of Mabuiag and Badu islands. The Mabuiag language region covers Mabuiag Island itself.
European Contact and Missionaries
In 1606, Luís Vaz de Torres sailed through the Torres Strait islands. He explored the southern coast of New Guinea.
The people of Mabuiag were known for being cautious of outsiders. However, they welcomed Christianity in the early 1870s. In 1877, the mission moved to Bau because it had a better water supply. Missionaries encouraged people to join them at Bau, which became the main settlement.
By 1898, many Mabuiag people worked on pearling boats for money. Others moved to Thursday Island or the mainland for work. The Queensland Government began to have an official presence on Mabuiag in the mid-1920s. They sent teachers to the island. An Island Industries Board store opened in 1946.
Education on Mabuiag
Mabuiag Island State School first opened its doors on January 29, 1985. On January 1, 2007, this school became part of Tagai State College. Tagai State College is a group of 17 schools across the Torres Strait Islands.
Getting Around Mabuiag
Mabuiag Island is one of the few islands in the Torres Strait with an airport. However, its runway is quite small. The runway at Mabuiag Island Airport is only 390 meters long. It is the smallest runway in Australia that has commercial flights.
Island Facilities
The Torres Strait Islands Regional Council runs a special library on Main Street. It is called the Ngalpun Ngulaygaw Lag Resource Centre. This name means 'Our Place of Learning'. It is an Indigenous Knowledge Centre that offers public library services.
Learning on the Island
Tagai State College has 17 campuses throughout the Torres Strait. The Mabuiag Island campus is called Mabuygiw Ngurpay Lag. It provides primary education for children from early childhood up to Year 6. This campus is located on School Street.
There is no high school on Mabuiag Island. The closest high school for older students is on Thursday Island.
