Names

Torres Strait dance collection

IDs

VC000044

http://emuseum.anmm.gov.au/code/emuseum.asp

Descriptions

This modest collection signifies that dance is one of the most important cultural expressions of the people of the Torres Strait. It forges and maintains links between the material and the spirit worlds and continues storytelling through the generations.

Each island and each clan has its own special performances and sets of costumes which are used on special occasions, funerals and marriages. Headdresses are central elements in the art, theatre and dance of the Torres Strait. Many of the headdresses, body ornaments and dance machines are decorated with totemic beings and relate to ancestral events, as well as specific historic events such as memories of World War II.

Some material included in this collection may be subject to copyright

By appointment only, please contact ANMM

Parts of this collection are digitised and available on the ANMM web site www.anmm.gov.au

Subjects

1990s; Armbands; Grass skirt; Headdresses; Indigeous artefacts; Rattles

Indigenous Australian peoples

Coverage Spatial

Torres Straight

Coverage Temporal

1990

1999

Related Collections

Dates

2012-05-30 23:40