Mabuiag Island

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mabuiag Island (aka "Mabuyag Island", also formerly "Jervis Island") is an island in the Bellevue Islands, 100km North of Thursday Island Queensland, Australia in the Napoleon Passage and Arnolds Passage Torres Strait.

This island is one of the Torres Strait Islands, originally named by Captain William Bligh, "Jervis Island", and so labelled on early English language maps[1]

Contents

[edit] History

The "Footprints before me - Torres Strait Island Missions and Communities" webpage tells the following history of Mabuiag Island and the people living there[2]

"The Mabuiag people had a reputation for hostility to outsiders until their acceptance of Christianity in the early 1870s. In 1877 the mission moved to Bau where the water supply was better. Later, the missionaries persuaded the people to join them at Bau, which became the main settlement. By 1898, Mabuiag people were labouring on pearling luggers for wages, while many followed work to Thursday Island and further to the mainland. An official presence on Mabuiag began during the mid-1920s when Queensland Government posted teachers there. An Island Industries Board store opened in 1946"

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Queensland Place Names entry on Mabuiag Island Accessed 9 May 2008
  2. ^ Mabuiag Island mission history from State Library of Queensland website


Coordinates: 9.954° S 142.181° E

Languages