One Culture

My name is Rhett Loban and I was born in Brisbane on Turrbal Country. I was raised in both a Torres Strait and Scottish household. My father, Gehamat Loban, was born on Waiben or Thursday Island, however, we also have connections to Mabuyag and Boigu. Growing up as a Torres Strait Islander born on the mainland, I have learnt about many aspects of Torres Strait culture throughout my life. From everyday interactions such as walking out of the house to meet and greet visitors and farewelling them as they leave, to more significant events such as tombstone openings, to stories about the Dogai (female spirit). However, aspects of my cultural heritage that were always presented as an integral part of Torres Strait identity were Indonesian and broader Malay cultural practices.

I know from my father that our family has links back to Banda Neira, Timor and Singapore. These memories and knowledge come from his family, relations and reminiscences of growing up, as well as looking back through the family tree. In our household, I was always taught about both local Islander culture, and Indonesian and Malay culture. Stories about the Dogai were told along with those about Pontianak; words like makan (‘to eat’ or ‘food’) were used interchangeably with kai kai (also ‘to eat’), and semur was cooked alongside sop sop. For my family, these were all part of a distinctly Torres
Strait culture.

Introduction and selection © Samantha Faulkner 2024

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