Mabo Day / Mabo Decision Comic Strip
Mabo Decision Comic Strip
Children learn the true story of the Mabo case from official resources, then retell its key facts in a four-panel comic strip.
How to run it
- Share the facts using resources from AIATSIS or the National Museum of Australia: Eddie Koiki Mabo was a Meriam man from Mer (Murray Island) in the Torres Strait.
- Explain that he and other Meriam people took a case to court in 1982 to have their ownership of their land recognised, and on 3 June 1992 the High Court agreed.
- Explain that the decision overturned the idea of terra nullius ('land belonging to no one') and led to the Native Title Act 1993; Eddie Mabo died in January 1992, months before the decision.
- Children draw four panels: Mer and its people, going to court, the decision, and what it means today, using places, maps and symbols rather than drawing real people.
You will need
- comic strip templates
- pencils and fine markers
- printed fact sheet from an official resource
- map of the Torres Strait
Make it easier or harderYounger children draw one picture of Mer with a caption; older children research and add a timeline of dates.
SafetyUse official sources for facts, and do not draw or imitate Eddie Koiki Mabo or other real people.
My Time Our Place · Outcome 2, Outcome 5Children learn about a significant event in Australian history and communicate key ideas through visual storytelling.
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