Squiz Kids acknowledges the traditional owners of the lands on which we podcast, the Turrbal and Kombumeri people.
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It started more than 60 ,000 years ago when the first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples walked this land.
It was taken away during colonisation when Captain Cook claimed that the land belonged to no -one.
Then along came Eddie Marbo and everything changed.
This is your Squizz Kids Shortcut to Eddie Koike Marbo and Native Title, the podcast where we dive into the who, what, where, when, why and how of the big news stories.
I'm Christi Kigerina and I'm Bryce Corbett.
Hey, Bryce? If you found out that the land that your family had lived on for generations didn't legally belong to you, what do you think you'd do?
Wow, uh, well I'd be shocked, confused, and I'd definitely be angry.
And maybe, just maybe, I'd do what Eddie Marbo did and take that fight all the way to the High Court of Australia.
It's reconciliation week and it always ends on June 3, the anniversary of what is known as the Mabo decision.
So today, we're exploring who Eddie Mabo was, what made his case so ground -breaking and why it still matters today.
So grab your judges' wig and you gabble, and let's get started.
And listen carefully, there's a squiz at the end!
Who? So Bryce, Eddie Koike Mabo was a Torres Strait Islander man born in 1936 on Murr Island, that is also known as Murray Island.
Now, it's part of the Torres Strait Islands between the tip of Queensland and Papua New Guinea and it's a small, tropical island paradise with a strong sense of community and deep traditions.
And he didn't grow up with his parents, right?
Oh, that's right! Sadly, his mother died shortly after he was born and he was adopted by his uncle and his aunt in keeping with the islander tradition.
So, from a young age, he was taught traditional law and stories, especially by his grandfather, learning who owned what land and why land was central to identity and to culture.
So, land ownership was personal and passed down through families even though that wasn't recognised by Australian law.
Exactly. Then Eddie moved to mainland Australia as a young man working in Queensland and eventually settling in Townsville.
Now, he became a gardener at James Cook University, but he was really passionate about education and about politics.
And that's where something happened that changed everything.
Ooh, I know this bit.
One day at lunch, Eddie was talking about his land at home to some academics in the history department.
They mentioned to Eddie that under Australian law, he didn't actually own the land that he thought belonged to his family on Murray Island.
He was stunned. Yeah, he must have been shocked.
It's kind of unbelievable.
Isn't it? So Kristy, what did Eddie Marbo do?
What? Eddie started asking questions, big questions about fairness, truth, and how a country could ignore the land rights of its first peoples.
He was actually already active in indigenous rights and he actually campaigned in the 1967 referendum.
Ah, that was the one where Australians voted to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the census.
Mm -hmm, that's the one.
And then in 1981, Eddie gave a speech at a land rights conference at the university.
It was all about land inheritance, that's passing it on through generations on Mer Island.
A lawyer in the audience heard him and thought he has a case.
And so in 1982 Eddie and four other Merriam people launched a case in the High Court of Australia.
Ah, and that of course is the famous Mabo case.
The Merriam people were trying to prove that their families had owned and passed down land on Mer island long before the arrived and that the idea of terra nullius, which is an ancient Latin term meaning land belonging to no one, was wrong.
That's right. In 1770, Captain Cook had claimed the east coast of Australia for Britain, using an ancient Latin term terra nullius, meaning that the land belonged to no one and therefore new arrivals could just claim it as their own.
But hang on – Captain Cook saw Aboriginal people here when his ship landed at Botany Bay.
I mean he knew the land wasn't empty.
Exactly but the British called indigenous people uncivilised so they could just claim the land for the crown.
It was convenient for them but it was false.
Eddie's case aimed to change that.
And the case took 10 years is that right?
Oh such a long time.
It went through all sorts of delays, arguments, setbacks but Eddie never gave up.
However sadly he died in January of 1992, just months before the court made its decision.
So Kristie what actually happened on June the 3rd of 1992?
Why is it still so important today?
Why?! On June 3 1992 the High Court ruled in favor of Eddie Mabo and the Merian people.
They said that terra nullius was wrong, that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had rights to the land before, during and after colonisation.
And of course that represented a massive shift and one of the judges even called a terra nullius, and I quote, the darkest aspect of our nation's history.
The ruling led to something called the Native Title Act in 1993.
It's a law that allows traditional owners to have their land rights officially recognized.
It was a win for truth and for justice.
But not everyone was happy, were they, Kristy?
Oh that's right. So mining companies and farmers were worried about losing land or access to the land.
So there were debates and more court cases to figure things out.
Things like how land could be shared, things like fishing rights and the protection of sacred and culturally important spaces.
That work is still happening today.
And what about Eddie's family?
Well, his wife Benita continued to share his story and their 10 children have carried on his legacy, yep!
You might have even heard of his great nephew, Olympian and NBA star Paddy Mills!
No way! And every year on Mabo Day June 3 we remember the man who stood up, spoke out and changed Australia for the better.
Time for the...s...quiz!
This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you've been listening.
Question number one.
What is the name of the island that Eddie Marbo came from?
Yeah, well done if you said Mur Island, or I'll also accept Murray Island.
Question number two.
What ancient Latin term did Captain Cook use to falsely describe Australia This was a tricky one.
It is terra nullius, meaning land belonging to no one.
Well honestly I want that one.
How good is your Latin Kristy?
Question number 3. On which date do we remember Eddie Marbo and his legacy?
And I'll give you a hint.
Have a look at the calendar today.
Yep, that's right. Okay, it's June 3!
Well, that's all we have time for today.
Thank you for joining us as we explored the who, what, where, when, why and how of Eddie Koiki Mabo and native title.
Now get out there and have yourselves a most excellent day.
Over and out!
