Episode of Series “This Land Australia with Ted Egan”.
Torres Strait is a treacherous waterway between Cape York, the northern most tip of the Australian mainland and Papua New Guinea. The shallow strait is dotted with Islands and coral outcrops. From Possession Island at the southern extremity, Captain James Cook formally laid claim to the Australian colonies in the name of England. Later the Queensland Government moved to control the Islands of the Strait and their people. Once, the islanders currency of trade was human heads, and headhunting raids between the islands and mainland Papua New Guinea was part of life. On this journey through the islands, Ted Egan meets some old friends, sees dugout canoes being built and meets the keeper of the legendary Drums of Mer.
Content notification
Our collection comprises over 40,000 moving image works, acquired and catalogued between the 1940s and early 2000s. As a result, some items may reflect outdated, offensive and possibly harmful views and opinions. ACMI is working to identify and redress such usages.
Learn more about our collection and our collection policy here. If you come across harmful content on our website that you would like to report, let us know.
How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
324481
Language
English
Audience classification
G
Subject categories
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Australia - Description and travel
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Egan, Ted
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Papua New Guinea
Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Torres Strait Islands (Qld.)
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)