The Queensland Museum celebrates 30 years of recognizing the Australian South Sea Islanders' experience and distinct cultural group. The exhibition 'Say Our Name' explores their history, from forced labor in sugar and cotton industries to contemporary art reflecting their heritage and ongoing challenges.
A century and a half ago, Australia was coercing 60,000 South Sea Islanders into cheap labor.The Queensland Museum is commemorating 30 years since the formal recognition of the Australian South Sea Islanders' experience and their status as a distinct cultural group. They were commonly referred to as Kanakas, and their hard labor helped establish Queensland's sugar and cotton industries. The Kangaroos coach and former captain credits his heritage with his success.
'I'll always identify with being an Australian South Sea Islander. It's right to my core,' Mr Meninga said. 'It's how I live my life with the values I was brought up with as an Australian South Sea Islander. It was a great upbringing.''So we were the protectors of the chief and the people. So ironically enough, I ended up being a policeman,' he said.While many Islanders were forcibly removed to Australia, Mr Meninga said his great-grandfather chose to leave in 1889 to work in Queensland's cane fields. But Say Our Name exhibition curator Imelda Miller said discrimination and exploitation of the workers did occur. 'The treatment of those people was legislated with lots of different policies to control the movement of people, how long they worked here, what they wore, what they were given to eat,' she said.As well as historical records, the exhibition uses contemporary artworks to explore Australian South Sea Islanders' history, such as artist Luther Cora's timber cane cart overhung by knives used to cut the crop.'He talks about our history in an interesting way. Is it a blessing or a curse?' Ms Miller said.Now, 123 years after many were forced back to South Sea Islands, Australia's latest Pacific worker scheme is attracting allegations of exploitation, which are being investigated by the Anti-Slavery Commissioner in New South Wales, James Cockayn
AUSTRALIAN SOUTH SEA ISLANDERS HISTORY DISCRIMINATION EXPLOITATION HERITAGE
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