Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Trade

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander trade involved the exchange of goods and resources between Indigenous Australian groups and, in some cases, with external visitors. Traditionally, Torres Strait Islander peoples were seafarers who engaged in fishing and traded items like feathers, turtle shells, pearl shells, tools, and canoes with other islands and coastal villages of Papua New Guinea.1

Aboriginal peoples also participated in extensive exchange networks. Scarce goods moved along defined routes across the continent, such as boomerangs traveling in one direction and red ochre in another. For instance, pearl shells from the Kimberleys reached the Great Australian Bight, and red ochre was exchanged for pituri. These exchanges were not market-driven but aimed at reinforcing social bonds and alliances. Before European settlement, Makassarese traders from Indonesia visited Arnhem Land to harvest sea cucumber, influencing local culture, while Papuan visitors to Cape York Peninsula introduced items like bows and arrows and dugout canoes.23