Index to Australian South Sea Islanders 1867-1908
This Index was compiled from a wide variety of sources including Immigration Department records, Inspectors of Pacific Islanders across Queensland, the Crown Solicitor’s Office and the Chief Secretary’s Department.
Presently there are 48,738 entries in this index; Queensland State Archives (QSA) staff hope to add more to the Index in the future.
Please click to view the Source List
Background
South Sea Islanders were first brought to Queensland for work in the cotton fields. However, by 1868 South Sea Islanders were mainly recruited to work on sugar plantations. They played a significant role in the development of this industry but also contributed to the development of farming, grazing and the maritime industry.
The first South Sea Islanders to arrive in Queensland were brought in the ‘Don Juan’ which arrived in the Brisbane River in August 1863. Between the years 1863 and 1904 an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 South Sea Islanders had entered Queensland. Recruited mainly from the New Hebrides (Vanuatu) and the Solomon Islands, the contribution of these South Sea Island labourers to the economic development of Queensland was an important one. Rapid growth in recruitment numbers and the reports of abuse and kidnapping (“blackbirding”) by certain recruiters led to the introduction of the Polynesian Labourers Act of 1868. Soon after, the government introduced further legislation and amendments to legislation that aimed at specifying conditions of recruitment, indenture, deportation, repatriation etc.
Records held in the QSA collection referring to South Sea Islanders include: Recruitment, Transportation and Arrival in Queensland; Registers of Agreement; List of Pacific Island Labourers; Empolyment; Payment and Wages; Education; Legal Issues; Health and Medical; Deportation and Repatriation; those who remained in Queensland after 1906; Miscellaneous records and Maps.
Please refer to Mini Pathways: South Sea Islanders and the Kanaka Trade for additional information.
The images below (click for larger image) depict pages from some of the records used to compile this Index.
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| Page 8 from Item ID 18829 (IPI3/2) | Page 11 from Item ID 17674 (GOV/26) |
Explanatory Notes
- The Index has been alphabetically arranged by Name.
- Check all possible spelling variants as many names have been spelt phonetically in the original record
- All given names are written or abbreviated as they appear in the original record
- ? or … indicate difficulty in interpreting the handwriting
- - or a blank cell indicates that there is no information recorded in the original
- Please note that the majority of names have been capitalised
- When searching for names please be aware that many individuals had their names changed by Government Agents and Recruiters [no references to the former family or tribal name may be found], spellings may be phonetic or anglicised.
Search the Indexes
| A - B |  282 KB |
N | 116 KB |
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| C - D | 142 KB |
O - Q | 142 KB |
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| E - G | 124 KB |
R - S | 196 KB |
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| H - K | 173 KB |
T | 290 KB |
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| L - M | 368 KB |
U - Z | 217 KB |
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Costs and Ordering
The cost for each item requested is $6.00. For this fee you will receive a copy of the relevant page. Please quote the Name of the person, Page/Ref, Prev Sys Loc and Microfilm.
Please quote the Name of the person or family group, Ship and date, Location and page number.
To order copies of an item, click here for an order form.
