Ken and Paul Thaiday on their remarkable artworks from the Torres Strait
The pivotal First Nations celebration that is NAIDOC Week celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.
National celebrations are held across Australia during NAIDOC Week to recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It’s a great chance for us all to learn about First Nations cultures and histories, and celebrate the incredible legacy we have from the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth.
This half a century of NAIDOC is a significant milestone—recognising a powerful movement by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people calling for rights and recognition, that has now evolved into a national celebration of culture and resilience.
The 2025 theme—The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy—encourages us all to look to the future while also remembering the achievements of the past.
And that theme has inspired this episode of Streets of Your Town.
Renowned Torres Strait Islander artist Ken Thaiday is a cultural custodian whose remarkable kinetic sculptures have featured in exhibitions around the world.
Together with his son Paul Thaiday, they are restoring and creating these intricately detailed ceremonial headdresses for this year’s Cairns Indigenous Art Fair or CIAF, which started on July 10.
“I’m doing hammerhead shark headdress. That’s my totem. That’s why I love doing it,” Uncle Ken said.
“I love to design. I do my own things to the design. I use black bamboo to make it look more stunning. You make the bamboo shape, you make the shape of the shark on the bamboo. Because when you see the shark in the water, you see the black in the water."
Born and raised on Darnley Island—also known as Erub Island—the man affectionately known as Uncle Ken has spent decades interpreting traditional Torres Strait Islander ceremonies through these striking moving sculptures, dance masks and headdresses that move with the dancer and appear to come to life.
He uses a mix of modern and traditional techniques and materials to keep his culture alive, continuing a tradition that has been handed down over thousands of years.
Even now in his senior years, with his mobility declining, Uncle Ken cuts bamboo to exact proportions on his lap ready for assembly, with the armrests of his wheelchair also showing the saw marks from his work.
“I can do maybe six headpieces, it would take me maybe three months to finish it,” he said.
He’s incredibly proud of his Torres Strait heritage, and his connection to Country.
“Torres Strait is a beautiful place. They got all good things up there. That’s what we do with fishing. I’ve been fishing all my life.”
Ken’s work has been exhibited all around Australia and the world, in more than 50 different museums.
“My last place I went to was Washington DC—I went to Virginia and John Denver had just passed away—he’s from there, Virginia. I spent three months in Paris. Wow. What a place. I love it. I said to my wife, this is my hometown, Paris, but I work in Cairns. It’s such a beautiful place.”
As well as new creations Ken and his son Paul are also restoring some older headdresses for display.
His son Paul is treasuring these times learning from his Dad, and preparing for the time he will continue the chain from thousands of generations before him, and pass on his knowledge to the next generation to come.
“I come here as much as I can with him for the artwork to exhibit for CIAF,” Paul said.
“I’ve been learning as I go along. I helped him for a bit and then as you’re young, you’re in school and so you want to go out and do your own thing.
“As life has gone on, I moved to WA with my family and I’ve been in touch with him. He tells me what he’s been up to and where he has been travelling and stuff, where his art has been taking him. I’m really keen on picking up more of his skills and learning more about his works being passed down.
“What’s that saying? You’re older, you’re wiser. But yeah, learn from a lot of mistakes. I guess that’s part of life.”
“The one that I really enjoy making the most, that would be the hammerhead sharks. There’s a lot of time and you need to have a lot of patience and to put into that type of works and as you develop techniques and everything, speed and everything will come along as you start to progress.
“It’s an honour to this, do this with Dad while he’s still here. Make the most as I can and learn as much as I can and hopefully everything will turn out as we plan to.”
Thanks for your enduring support my wonderful Wandering Journo tribe! I’ve been using your paid subscriptions to fill up the tank of Mildred the Cantankerous Kombi and bring you more of the rural stories you love.
Your subscription doesn’t come with extra benefits or privileges but your support fills my heart and helps me find the stories that need to be told.
Every contribution helps keep me tell the stories of Streets of Your Town. I couldn’t do it without your support.
Thanks so much!
xx Nance