About

What is Ginar?

Ginar (an Eastern Torres Strait word meaning dance) is a raw, cultural production of unsung Indigenous Australian artistry that weaves together live dance with music and documentary vignettes, to present a very natural introduction to the cultural styling of this tropical region.

Be among the first to experience this vibrant mosaic of cultural and historical knowledge from the Torres Strait Islands to its bonded communities in north eastern Australia. Surrender to the rhythm of the drums and the kulap shakers. Inhale the song and tales relating to the traditional language groups of kala lagaw ya, meriam mer and kala kawo ya. Experience the marriage of antiquity and modernity in this love letter born in the sapphire strait.

Let us welcome you as a friend, to tropical north east Australia.

 

Where are the Torres Strait Islands and related communities?

The Torres Strait lies between mainland Australia's most northerly point and Papua New Guinea's southern coastline. From atop the Great Barrier Reef, many small islands dot the sea waters from the sapphire east to the rich silt mangroves of the top west. The traditional owners of the region are the Torres Strait Islander peoples, and here the distinct melanesian people also find bonding points with Aboriginal Australia in some islands and mainland communities.

The modest geographic footprint of the Torres Strait conceals a rich cultural, historical and linguistic diversity. The constellation of cultural groups within the region enjoy fruitful relationships that have grown also into communities, that also have some of their own style, through the Cape York Peninsula, extending along the mainland and to the regional cities of Cairns, Townsville and Mackay, which have significant communities.

Both through individual marriages and a greater cultural need, the Torres Strait communities exercise a great bond with Aboriginal Australia, so that they may encourage the health and regrowth of each.

The Torres Strait Islands

Image credit: Ratzer1