Wadjemup - Beyond the Shore

Memories of their country and loved ones were constantly on the minds of the prisoners.  They continued to maintain their deep connection to their homelands through ceremonial observation. Fellow prisoners, unaccustomed to the different dances and languages spoken, were invited to participate resulting in an exchange of cultural knowledge.  Secular corroborees were staged for visiting dignitaries and government officials from time to time.

The manufacture of implements such as glass spear points and boomerangs was foreign to many prisoners. Though predominately utilised for hunting purposes the later were also used with great skill to the amazement of officials and the ever-increasing tourist market.

Intricately carved wooden message sticks were also produced depicting a vast range of subjects ranging from the eventful journey to the island through to letters of love to family and intended wives.  Such items were spirited ‘home’ by kinsmen as they were released.

Pearl shells too, gathered by the inmates were fashioned and utilized for personal adornment and ceremonial purposes.  Meticulously inscribed, these valued possessions often ending up in the remotest part of the state, traded by the prisoners on their return home.