The Perfect Pearl

This piece pays homage to the beauty of the Torres Strait and its rich and unique cultures. At the centre of the image is a beautiful pearl shell, which grows in abundance on the seabeds across the beautiful waters of the Torres Strait. The pearl shell was heavily sought after last century, with its nacra used as a popular choice as buttons for garments at the time. Our men worked to dive the waters of the Coral Sea to seek these treasures, creating our people’s first foray into the local economy, employment and the ownership of Company Boats. The Maritime Strike of 1936, was our people’s first political stance against government authority, giving us a voice to negotiate our rights, to push for Islander leadership, with the subsequent creation of our own Act. This is why the perfect pearl best epitomises the Torres Strait Regional Authority.

The pearl shell, and its nacra, represents the hard work of the Torres Strait Regional Authority. This is through their work in providing us with agency by working together to support the true potential and aspirations of our people, who are represented as the pearl. This perfect pearl sits in the middle of its shell as the central piece.

The background colours are gold, rich browns and light blues. The gold represents the beauty of the islands, the brown the beautiful colour of our skin, the blue represents the colour of the sea and the linear details represent community, Ples, culture and the environment.

Artwork Type: (Digital Artwork using ProCreate)

About the Artist

My name is Deborah Belyea and I am the founder of Zeyawgub Consultancy.

I am a proud Torres Strait Islander woman of the Samuawgadhalgal people who descend from the Gudamaluilgal people of the Top Western Islands of the Torres Strait, with roots extending to the Dhoeybaw clan of Dauan, and the Bamaga-Saibai people of Cape York Peninsula.

Zeyawgub (zay-ow-goob) is the Southern Wind that belongs to the Samuawgadhalgal people, and is essential in informing my cultural identity.

I have a Bachelor of Arts (Visual Arts), Bachelor of Education (Secondary, Humanities) and a Master of Social Studies (majoring in Indigenous Studies) and bring to Zeyawgub’s services an extensive knowledge set. My teaching career spans over 20 years, as a: classroom teacher, Head of Department (English and Humanities) and Head of Curriculum, in school settings in remote Indigenous Australian communities and regional Queensland, as well as online teaching for universities in New South Wales.

As an artist, my art work has appeared in numerous exhibitions from the Brisbane Powerhouse through to Gab Titui Cultural Centre on Thursday Island. Most recently, I was awarded the winner of the 2024 NAIDOC Poster competition with my piece, Urapun Muy (One Fire).