Eddie Koiko MaboPrint Page

The sculpture commemorates Eddie Koiko Mabo.  It was commissioned by Townsville City Council to commemorate Edward Koiki Mabo and the Mabo Decision.  The Mabo Memorial Sculpture is part of Townsville City Council's Pioneers Walk.

Features include a pebble mosaic symbolic of the ancestral Octopus that brought the laws of tradition (Malo) to the people of Torres Strait Islands, 10 of these laws written in the language of Miriam Mer are etched into bluestone banding; an enlarged playable bronze replica of a Warup drum carved by Eddie Mabo, this drum represents the strength and continuum of Eddie's voice – resonating the connection between the past, present and future; a large natural granite boulder positioned at the centre of the mosaic pattern, carved into this boulder is a large fingerprint symbolising the physical, spiritual and cultural connection between indigenous people and the land.

Eddie Koiki Mabo (c. 29 June 1936 – 21 January 1992) was a Torres Strait Islander who is known for his role in campaigning for Indigenous land rights and for his role in a landmark decision of the High Court of Australia that overturned the legal fiction of terra nullius which characterised Australian law with regards to land and title. That decision is now commonly called "Mabo" in Australia and is recognised for its landmark status.

Mabo was named Eddie Koiki Sambo but he changed his surname to Mabo when he was adopted by his maternal uncle, Benny Mabo. He was born on Mer (Murray Island) in the Torres Strait between Australia and Papua New Guinea.

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