Mabo, Eddie Koiki (1936-1992), was a Torres Strait Islander man who worked to secure Indigenous (native) land rights in Australia. The Torres Strait Islands are part of the Australian state of Queensland, and Torres Strait Islander peoples are among the Indigenous peoples of Australia.
In 1770, Britain (now called the United Kingdom) had declared Australia terra nullius, meaning land belonging to no one, and had taken control of the land. In 1982, Mabo and four other Meriam people from Mer Island (Murray Island), in the Torres Strait, began a legal case to establish Indigenous ownership of the island. In 1992, the Australian High Court ruled that the Meriam people of Mer Island had owned the island before the British colonized it. The Mabo Decision resulted in the Native Title Act 1993, which recognized and protected Indigenous peoples’ rights to their traditional lands.
Edward Koiki Mabo was born on June 29, 1936, on Mer Island in the eastern Torres Strait, off the northeastern coast of mainland Queensland. Mabo’s aunt and uncle adopted him when he was a young child, and Mabo spent his childhood on Mer Island. In 1957, Mabo moved to mainland Queensland, where he held various jobs as a laborer.
During the 1960’s, Mabo became involved with the Australian labor movement. He served as a labor union representative for railway workers. He also joined several political organizations, including the Aborigines Advancement League, that promoted the interests of Indigenous peoples. In addition, Mabo worked on a successful campaign to amend the Australian Constitution. In a 1967 nationwide referendum (public vote on the issue), Australians approved changing the Constitution to include Indigenous peoples in government censuses, and to allow the federal government to pass laws regarding Indigenous peoples.
From 1967 to 1975, Mabo worked at James Cook University in Townsville, Queensland. He worked as a gardener, and also as a guest lecturer for various university courses. In 1973, in response to the poor treatment of Indigenous children at local schools, Mabo helped establish the Black Community School in Townsville. He served as the school’s director from 1973 to 1985.
While working at James Cook University, Mabo learned that Mer Island was part of the lands controlled by the Queensland government. This information was not being widely taught on the Torres Strait Islands in the mid-1900’s. The Meriam people had lived on the island for thousands of years before the British colonized Australia. Like many other Torres Strait Islander people, Mabo thought the Meriam people were entitled to own their traditional lands.
In 1981, Mabo helped organize an academic conference to discuss Indigenous land rights. In 1982, on advice from academics and legal scholars, Mabo and four other Meriam people sued Queensland for Meriam ownership and control of Mer Island. While the case moved through the legal system, Mabo worked as an educator.
Mabo died on Jan. 21, 1992, in Brisbane, Queensland. Four months later, the Australian High Court ruled in favor of Mabo and his fellow plaintiffs. As a result of the ruling, Mabo became widely known in Australia. In 2007, a memorial honoring Mabo’s contributions to the fight for Indigenous land rights was unveiled in Townsville.
