Pacific Ocean, a native canoe meeting strangers off the Murray Islands, 1845

The Torres Strait, perceived by early explorers as unknown territory and requiring the production of maps and charts for safe navigation, sits in stark contrast to watercolours of Torres Strait Islanders in canoes, confidently moving around their own backyard and beyond without the need for maps. Today we are moving towards visual representations and perceptions of Torres Strait, which more closely align with Torres Strait Island people’s own understandings of their home, not as ‘unchartered territories’ or as simply ‘TI’. And just as the early charts and maps from Torres’ voyage in 1606 were kept out of the public domain for over a century, the Sea Claim maps recording Torres Strait Islanders’ ownership and unbroken possession of the region are highly charged and incredibly powerful documents. These are the maps which give an insider’s view of the Torres Strait and their evidentiary primacy and socio-economic and political capital will ensure they remain confidential for some time to come. Pacific Ocean, a native canoe meeting strangers off the Murray Islands, Watercolour by Edwin Porcher, 21 April 1845. Courtesy National Library of Australia