Broome culture' and its historical links to the Japanese in the pearling industry

Authors

Lorna Kaino, Edith Cowan University

Document Type

Journal Article

Publisher

Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

Faculty

Faculty of Regional and Professional Studies

School

School of Communication and Arts

RAS ID

12324

Comments

Kaino, L. M. (2011). 'Broome culture' and its historical links to the Japanese in the pearling industry. Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies, 25(4), 479-490. Available here

Abstract

The Broome Shire Council's decision in 2009 to suspend the sister-town relationship because of controversy over Taiji's practice of culling dolphins galvanized Broome's Asian and Asian-Aboriginal community (hereafter referred to as poly-ethnic community) to oppose this move. This, and other examples explored in this paper, attests to the strong connection between these two groups that has shaped a distinctive `Broome culture'. This paper explores ways in which Japanese working in the pearling industry contributed to the emergence of a Broome culture through their historic ties with Aborigines. Some of these ties are through family lineage; others are through vast interlocking familial and friendship networks in Broome's Asian-Aboriginal community. Recent interviews attest to the enduring nature of these networks.

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