Book chronicles the descendants of Filipino pearl divers and Australian Aborigines
THERE IS A generally unfamiliar connection between Australia and the Philippines — that there are Aboriginal Australians of Filipino ancestry, and their roots were traced in the recently launched
a book written by Filipino-Australian journalist and researcher Deborah Ruiz Wall.
The book recounts the story of the “Manila Men,” the first migrant Filipinos to arrive in northern Australia in the late 1800s working in the pearl industry. A large number of indigenous Australians are descendants of these Manila Men, and 21 individuals shared their stories in the book.
“Our book aims to be a platform for Filipinos and Australians alike to hear the voices of the descendants of Filipino pearl-divers who worked in the pearl-diving industry in Australia in the late 1860s,” Ms. Wall said during the launch of
on Oct. 18 at the Little Theater Lobby of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).
Held in conjunction with the book launch was an exhibit hosted by the Australian Embassy, in partnership with the CCP, to mark Indigenous People’s Month on Oct. 11-23.
Some of the indigenous Australians of Filipino descent were present during the event and, according to Ms. Wall, it was their first time to set foot to the land of their Filipino ancestors. “They, in the sense, are also our
— countrymen who are returning to our country. In the next few weeks, they will be rekindled with their relatives. It was generations ago since their forebears sailed away from the Philippines in the late 18th century, never to return,” Ms. Wall said.
In the hope that it would contribute a deeper understanding to what it means to be both Australian and Filipino, Ms. Wall said they followed the trail of legislative acts and strict policies in Australia that have had an impact on the lives of Asian aborigines and islanders. The book has a list of these laws and their impact, such as 1897 Immigration Restriction Act in Western Australia which prohibits the immigration of anyone without the prior approval from the Governor, and the 1944 Natives (Citizens Rights) Act in Western Australia which provided the acquisition of full rights of citizenship by aboriginal persons on application under strict conditions.
“There are many kinds of narratives. There are narratives that emphasize governance and state policy and economic development. There are narratives that tell the lives of ordinary people, whose lives are affected by the government legislation. Our book serves as a conversation between these two narratives,” she said.