Boneta-Marie Mabo transcript

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The views and opinions expressed in this recording do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Logan City Council. Logan City Council does not make any representation of the accuracy of any such views and opinions.

Narrator:

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Deadly Digital Communities logo with handprint.

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers and listeners should be aware that this narrated story may contain names, images and voices of deceased people.

Robert Ah Wing:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers and listeners should be aware that this narrated story may contain names, images and voices of deceased people.

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Our words our stories.

The way I speak:

a story by Boneta-Marie Mabo

Recorded on the 4th of December 2019

Robert Ah Wing:

Our words our stories.

The way I speak:

a story by Boneta-Marie Mabo

Recorded on the 4th of December 2019

Description:

On the left is the Deadly Digital Communities logo (comprising of the words and a large white handprint on the top). In the centre of the screen is an image of a smiling Boneta-Marie Mabo wearing a black printed t-shirt featuring the white Deadly Digital Communities logo.

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The way I speak by Boneta-Marie Mabo

Boneta-Marie Mabo:

Hello my name is Boneta-Marie Mabo. I am a Meriam and Manbarra woman.

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On the left is the Deadly Digital Communities logo (comprising of the words and a large white handprint on the top). In the centre of the screen is a map of the Torres Strait Islands highlighting the areas of different language dialects.

Boneta-Marie Mabo:

Meriam is the language group of the eastern islands of the Torres Strait, and the Torres Strait Islands is situated in between North Queensland, the tip, and Papua New Guinea. And Manbarra is the traditional lands…

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On the left is the Deadly Digital Communities logo (comprising of the words and a large white handprint on the top). In the centre of the screen is a map displaying Palm Island and Townsville.

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Palm Island (Bwgcolman)

Traditional Custodians: Manbarra People

Boneta-Marie Mabo:

And the colonised name is Palm Island, which is off the coast of Townsville about 40 kilometres away.

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The way I speak by Boneta-Marie Mabo

Boneta-Marie Mabo:

I am also a mother, a prison abolitionist and a human rights advocate, and also a visual artist. As I have grown older, decolonising has become more and more important to me. One way I decolonise is through language and the way I speak. It's not necessarily just verbal, it's through non-verbal particularly through visual arts. Through art I speak.

This is a universal language that doesn't matter where you are from or what language you speak. Visual arts can speak to everyone.

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Boneta-Marie spent her childhood living in the City of Logan with her father, and in Townsville with her mother. She completed high school in Logan.

Boneta-Marie Mabo:

As an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artist living on colonised lands, it is extremely important for me that my people, especially my sisters, my aunties, my elders and my daughters, are seen and heard the way that we want to be. Not the way the majority think it more desirable or appropriate or palatable, but the way that we want to be seen and heard. And for us to have agency over our identities.

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Now residing in Meanjin (Brisbane), Boneta-Marie still has a strong connection with Logan, supporting young women and girls in the city through her Sisters Inside youth programs.

Boneta-Marie Mabo:

Empowering young women and girls to express themselves through art is important. For me growing up, I was disconnected from culture and I didn't really have a voice or a language to speak my truth. Art was my language and through art, that grew my confidence, and it continues to be my language I speak my truth. Since being a mother, I have a two year old, nearly three, and her name is Poipe - a verbal language has become extremely important! Not because I have to be careful what I say because she's a parrot and a sponge, but I want to teach her and surround her with tradition and culture, and it started with her name, ‘Poipe’.

Description:

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Poipe, Traditional Piadram woman’s name

Boneta-Marie Mabo:

‘Poipe’ is a traditional Piadram woman's name. One Poipe has to pass before the next can be named Poipe.

Description:

On the left is the Deadly Digital Communities logo (comprising of the words and a large white handprint on the top). In the centre of the screen is a diagram showing a part of Boneta-Marie Mabo’s family tree going back to her Great Grandmother.

Boneta-Marie Mabo:

The last Poipe was my grandfather, Eddie Koiki Mabo's mother. She passed the day after giving birth to my grandfather. So that made the name then his, to then pass on, or to use. But he passed it on to my dad which he didn't use. And then my father didn't use it and then he gave it to me and that's how she got her beautiful name.

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“For many thousands of years, Mer has been, and continues to be, home to the 8 tribes of the Meriam [Meri-am] people; the Komet, Zagareb, Meuram, Magaram, Geuram, Peibre, Meriam-Samsep, Piadram and Dauer Meriam.”

Queensland Government. (2020). Mer (Murray Island). Retrieved from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community histories.

Boneta-Marie Mabo:

So even my last name, Mabo, is a traditional Piadram man's name and because of colonisation, or when colonisation happened on Mer, Mabo was the head of our clan. So they named everybody, all of his children and everyone else in the clan, had the last name Mabo.

And so that's how, so that was a Piadram man's name. And so in the Torres Straits, so well in from Mer, each clan had specific names so that other clan groups knew what clan they belonged to, by just knowing their name. And so you would never have two Mabo's or you would never have people with the same name, it would only be one person with that name. So for instance Poipe is the only Piadram woman. And even when we have gatherings with older Murray Island people, they know exactly who she belongs to or where she comes from, because of her name.

Description:

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The way I speak by Boneta-Marie Mabo

Boneta-Marie Mabo:

When I was younger my parents divorced, and I grew up most of my early years with my Caucasian Mum. So I didn't have the opportunity to learn Meriam Mer or my Aboriginal language, Manbarra, at a younger age. And since having my daughter it has become extremely important and a priority to learn Meriam Mer, for my daughter, and we do this together. She knows most of her body parts in both English and Meriam Mer.

Description:

On the left is the Deadly Digital Communities logo (comprising of the words and a large white handprint on the top). In the centre of the screen is an image of an eye.

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Meriam Mer: Poni

Pronounced: Pun-ee

Means: Eyes

Boneta-Marie Mabo:

Like ‘Poni’ is her ‘eyes’.

Description:

On the left is the Deadly Digital Communities logo (comprising of the words and a large white handprint on the top). In the centre of the screen is an image of ears.

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Meriam Mer: Talinga

Pronounced: Ta-ling-ga

Means: Ears

Boneta-Marie Mabo:

‘Talinga’: ‘ears’.

Description:

On the left is the Deadly Digital Communities logo (comprising of the words and a large white handprint on the top). In the centre of the screen is an image of an underarm.

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Meriam Mer: Kenani

Pronounced: Koon-ee

Means: Underarm

Boneta-Marie Mabo:

‘Kenani’: ‘underarms’. And we do a lot of our learning through song and dance.

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The way I speak by Boneta-Marie Mabo

Boneta-Marie Mabo:

Although colonisation has diluted a lot of the Manbarra language, I teach my daughter everything I can, so that it keeps the language alive and also to decolonise. Language in all its forms is a powerful tool. It has the power to connect people. It has the power to make people be seen and to be heard.

Description:

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Torres Strait Creole: Esso

Pronounced: Es-so

Means: Thanks

Boneta-Marie Mabo:

And I will continue every day to use language to decolonise. Esso.

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The Our words our stories project is a Deadly Digital Communities program supported through funding from the State Library of Queensland and Telstra.

(Telstra logo, State Library of Queensland logo, Queensland Government logo)

Dream big with State Library of Queensland and Telstra in partnership with Indigenous Knowledge Centres and local councils.

Robert Ah Wing:

The Our words our stories project is a Deadly Digital Communities program supported through funding from the State Library of Queensland and Telstra. Dream big with State Library of Queensland and Telstra in partnership with Indigenous Knowledge Centres and local councils.

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The Our words our stories project is in recognition of the United Nations International Year of Indigenous languages.

(International Year of Indigenous Languages logo)

Logan City Council Libraries acknowledges that language heritage and knowledge always remains with the traditional owners, elders, language custodians and other community members of their respective language nation.

Robert Ah Wing:

The Our words our stories project is in recognition of the United Nations International Year of Indigenous languages. Logan City Council Libraries acknowledges that language heritage and knowledge always remains with the Traditional Owners, Elders, language custodians and other community members of their respective language Nation.

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Logan City Council gratefully acknowledges the time, resources, stories and support of the following:

Boneta-Marie Mabo

Robert Ah Wing - Logan City Council Libraries’ Deadly Digital Communities Project Officer

Queensland Narrating Service - for providing digital recording equipment, sound production and quality assurance

Nyeumba-Meta Advisory Group.

This recording features didgeridoo music performed by Gregg Dreise.

Robert Ah Wing:

Logan City Council gratefully acknowledges the time resources stories and support of the following:

Boneta-Marie Mabo, Robert Ah Wing (Logan City Council Libraries Deadly Digital Communities Project Officer), the Queensland Narrating Service for providing digital recording equipment, sound production and quality assurance, the Nyeumba-Meta advisory group.

This recording features didgeridoo music performed by Gregg Dreise.

Text on screen:

For Mobo Jarjum - tomorrow's children.

(Logan City Council logo)

Robert Ah Wing:

For Mobo Jarjum - tomorrow's children.

End of transcript

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