Torres Strait Islanders

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/torres-strait-islanders

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the cultural affiliation?Indigenous Melanesian people, ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal peoples of mainland Australia
2. Who are the Torres Strait Islanders?They are a seafaring people from the Torres Strait Islands, with a Melanesian heritage and a strong connection to the sea.
3. How many islands are in the Torres Strait?The archipelago has over 270 islands, but only a few are inhabited.

Melanesian: A broad ethno-linguistic and geographic grouping of peoples indigenous to the islands of Melanesia in the Pacific Ocean.
Lingua Franca: A language systematically used to make communication possible between groups of people who do not share a native language.
Diaspora: The dispersion of any people from their original homeland.
Self-determination: The right of a people to choose their own political status and freely pursue their economic, social, and cultural development.