South Sea Islanders facts for kids
Flag of the South Sea Islanders
|
|
 South Sea Islander labourers on a Queensland pineapple plantation, 1890s |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Sydney · Brisbane · Gold Coast · Melbourne | |
| Languages | |
| Australian English · | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Melanesians |
In Australia, South Sea Islanders are people whose families came from islands in the South Seas. These islands include places like the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu.
Most of their ancestors were brought to Australia in the mid to late 1800s. They came to work in the sugarcane fields of Queensland. Some people were tricked or forced to come. This was sometimes called "blackbirding". At one point, more than half the adult men from some islands were brought to Australia.
About 60,000 people were brought to Australia this way. They were often called "Kanakas," which means "man." However, many South Sea Islander people today find this word offensive. It reminds them of how their ancestors were treated.
Over time, many Australian South Sea Islanders married people from other groups. This includes Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders.
Around 55,000 to 62,500 Islanders were brought to Australia. By 1901, about 10,000 remained. The Australian Government sent most of them back to their home islands between 1906 and 1908. This was part of a law called the Pacific Island Labourers Act 1901. This law was connected to the White Australia policy, which aimed to keep Australia mostly for people of European background.
Some Islanders were allowed to stay, and others managed to avoid being sent back. These people formed the basis of the South Sea Islander community in Australia today. This group is now Australia's largest non-Indigenous Black ethnic group. In 1992, about 10,000 descendants lived in Queensland.
It is still debated how many Islanders were forced to come to Australia. It is hard to know for sure if they were legally recruited, persuaded, tricked, or forced. Official records from that time often do not match the stories passed down through families. Stories of violent kidnapping mostly happened in the first ten years of this trade.
Famous South Sea Islanders
In recent years, Australian South Sea Islanders have faced similar challenges to Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders. They have become important leaders in civil rights and politics.
- Faith Bandler
- Evelyn Scott
- Bonita Mabo (the wife of Eddie Mabo)
These people are well-known Indigenous activists who also have South Sea Islander family. Stephen Andrew was the first South Sea Islander elected to the Queensland Parliament.
Australian South Sea Islanders have also done very well in sports. Many have become famous in rugby league. Some well-known players include:
Gallery
-
South Sea Islander woman at Farnborough, Queensland, around 1895
-
South Sea Islander children at Innisfail, Queensland, around 1902–1905
-
South Sea Islands liku (a type of necklace)
-
Robert Long. Leader of the South Sea Island Mission at Nambour.
-
South Sea Islanders waiting to be sent back home from Cairns, 1906. This was the first group of Polynesians sent back under the new law.
