Teacher Information

Below you can explore how Episode 1 of Blue Water Empire could be used as the foundation for a lesson in your classroom.

The info pack contains background information about the Torres Strait Islander peoples and their Country to support you in viewing this episode and exploring the topics featured in this episode with your students. You will also find additional links to help you plan your classroom activities and tips on setting classroom guidelines to ensure a supportive classroom environment during your investigation of this fascinating topic.

Information about the Blue Water Empire series:

Blue Water Empire is a 3-part dramatised-documentary series, giving a unique insight into the history of the Torres Strait Islands. Traversing the pre-colonial era through to contemporary times, this compelling history is centred on the key stories told by the men and women of the region, exploring how Torres Strait Islander peoples have sustained their cultural heritage throughout the impact of 200 years of European colonisation.

The series documents and reveals the impact of past and present government policies and gives insight into the social and economic paternalism that has affected the lives of Torres Strait Islander peoples - leading them to fight back or unite in strike action.

You can watch this episode on ClickView if your school has an account. You will need that login to access this clip.

The first episode of Blue Water Empire is also available for purchase here.

NOTE: This series has been given an M rating. You will need to follow your school protocols for screening an M film when viewing this series. This episode contains some brief scenes of violence that may upset some younger viewers; consider briefing students about the inclusion and content of these scenes before viewing with the class.

Episode 1 - Short Synopsis:

This episode provides an introduction to the Torres Straits, and a fascinating exploration of the concepts that shaped lives of Torres Strait Islander peoples, culture and customs before white settlement. Viewers are given the opportunity to explore aspects of Torres Strait Islander culture, such as language, connection to Country, spirituality, and family and community. The arrival and impact of the first European colonisers is also presented, with particular focus on the effects of European influence on trade and spirituality.

Episode 1 - Themes:

The themes of this episode can be distilled into three distinct categories:

SEA: Torres Strait Islander peoples travel their sea domain with their large sea-going canoes. No other people in this region had the technology and skills to construct and operate these vessels. The sea is at the heart of Torres Strait Islander peoples lives and religion.
TRADE: Torres Strait Islands are a trading people, using these large vessels Torres Strait Islander peoples travelled widely along the New Guinean coast, along the western edge of the Coral Sea and down the east coast of North Queensland exploiting the sea’s resources and trading with other peoples on the rim of their empire.
POWER: Torres Strait Islander peoples totally dominated this vast sea space. Within this domain they were unchallenged and masters of their own destiny - until the late 1800’s when pearls are discovered in their waters and thousands of foreigners from all over the world descend on the Torres Straits and everything changes.

Episode 1 - Characters:

DUPA (Jimi Bani) and PAMOY (Merwez Whaleboat): Husband and wife on Mer. Having lost two sons in a canoe accident they adopted two European boys who survived the Charles Eaton massacre. Pamoy cared for the boys and became especially close to the younger castaway. When the boys were rescued by Captain Lewis, Dupa became a celebrity, well-known to Europeans visiting Mer and Erub.
MELVILLE: An artist on HMS Bramble in 1845, Melville depicted aspects of Torres Strait life in a range of beautiful paintings and sketches. He executed an intimate portrait of Dupa and his family.
KEBISU (Jimi Bani): A great trader and warrior from Tutu/Iama, Kebisu dominated trade in the central Torres Strait and commanded trading expeditions to the Fly Delta in New Guinea. The discovery of pearl-shell at his island led to a rapid influx of pearling vessels.
BANNER (Ryan Corr): A roguish captain with experience fishing beche-de-mer in Vanuatu. The discovery of pearl-shell by Banner’s men at Tutu in 1869 changed Torres Strait history. Banner died at Tutu in 1871.

Episode 1 - Useful links:

In the production of Blue Water Empire, our partners at Bunya and Lone Star Productions consulted extensively with Torres Strait Islander communities and cultural experts. To assist in the creation of your lessons, we recommend the use of the following resources:

Timeline of significant times and events in the Torres Strait, some of which are covered in the Blue Water Empire series: Torres Strait Timeline.
Torres Strait Regional Authority - General History: https://www.tsra.gov.au/the-torres-strait/general-history
Torres Strait Regional Authority - Community Profiles: https://www.tsra.gov.au/the-torres-strait/community-profiles
Torres Strait Island Regional Council - History: https://www.tsirc.qld.gov.au/our-communities/torres-strait-history
The John Oxley Library at the State Library of Queensland has a large number of historical photographs of the Torres Strait Islands in its’ collection, many of which are freely accessible and out of copyright. Here is a sample of the collection: https://flic.kr/s/aHskApa36X
National Library of Australia - Torres Strait Islands Collection: https://www.nla.gov.au/research-guides/torres-strait-islands-collection
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies: https://aiatsis.gov.au/
Questions and Answers about Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Australian Human Rights Commission: https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/questions-and-answers-about-aboriginal-torres-strait-islander-peoples
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags: https://www.naidoc.org.au/about/indigenous-australian-flags
Reconciliation Australia: https://www.reconciliation.org.au/
Share Our Pride: https://shareourpride.reconciliation.org.au/

Classroom ground rules:

You may already have a set of ground rules for discussion within your class. When creating your lessons around the content of Blue Water Empire, we recommend that you remind students of these ground rules before commencing your lesson.

If you haven’t established a set of ground rules, it may be worth doing before beginning this documentary. Some of the content in Blue Water Empire can be confronting or sensitive, and ground rules help to develop mutual respect and understanding between the members of your classroom community.

Ground rules might include:

Own your contributions: Use “I think” rather than “you should”
Be respectful: each person has their own beliefs and values
Value diversity: each person has their own world views, experiences and opinions
Listen politely: each person has a right to contribute without pressure or intimidation
Act with honour and courage: be brave in sharing experiences, ideas and opinions
Appreciate privacy: each person has the right to uphold their privacy
Act responsibly: share feedback with thoughtful consideration and a positive attitude towards others.

Take it further:

Consider developing a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) at your school. A RAP is a formal statement of commitment to reconciliation. A school or early learning service can develop a RAP using the Narragunnawali platform to register existing initiatives or to begin a new journey. Find out more here: https://www.narragunnawali.org.au/raps/what-is-a-rap

Blue Water Empire - Episode 1

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