Malo & Christianity
Bell ringing
Singing
Reverend Dave Passi:
And God said let us create. Let us make man in our own image.
God was working in the Torres Strait long before the 'Coming of the Light'. For it is God, we believe, that sent Malo to Murray Island.
Who is Malo? Isn't Malo the same as the Indians great spirit?
Isn't he the same that the Missionaries brought to Murray Island, to the Torres Strait?
The statue commemorates the coming of the missionaries to the Torres Strait. The bit here is Murray Island and the octopus represents Malo. The eight tentacles mean the eight tribes of Murray Island.
What I like about the octopus is it is looking beyond Murray Island... suggests that Malo is universal.
In worship, when the mask was worn by the priest, the high priest, the Zogo Le, it came out in worship with men wearing two sharks. And he would jump in front of him like that. And there was a rope behind we call 'Em Es' and two people behind that would carry that Em Es.
At the time of initiation, the candidates would lie flat on the ground with their hands outstretched like that one on top of the other, and Malo would come and stretch his legs three times over the candidates.
And the idea was that Malo now gave them his blessing so they'd become full fledged warriors.
Priest:
Let us remember that Christ died for us.
Reverend Dave Passi:
In the Anglican Church with all its regalia and rituals, ceremonials, my grandfather and others were saying that the Anglican Church is truly the fulfilment of Malo worship.
Singing
Narrator:
The Anglican Church was Murray Island's only church until the 1950's. Today however, the community has six different Christian denominations. But the Plaintiffs reject the Queensland Government's argument that arrival of Christianity extinguished belief in Malo.
They claim that Malo's teachings continue to affect island life and co-exist with the Christian faith.
Malo Dance
Topic
Sep, 19, 1995
ceremony, dancing, Las, Mabo, Benny, Mabo, Edward Koiki, Mabo family, Mabo, Maiga, Malo dance, Malo's laws, Mer, Meriam culture, Murray Island, reburial, sacred
Malo Dance 1967
Video
1967
dancing, Land Bilong Islanders, Las, Malo, Malo dance, Malo's laws, Meriam culture, sacred
The Malo-Bomai myth
Text
Las, Malo dance, Malo's laws, Malo-Bomai, Meriam culture, Meriam history, Papua New Guinea, sacred, Stars of Tagai, Torres Strait
The Coming Of The Light
Topic
Jul, 1871
Christianity, London Missionary Society, missionaries, Murray Island, religion
