Before the first sails touched the Torres Strait and before men carved outrigger canoes, there was a boy named Gelam who lived on the island of Moa.
He was a skilled hunter even as a child, strong with the spear and sharp with his eyes. But his mother’s heart was filled with jealousy — for the elders praised him more than her husband, who had long gone to sea and never returned.
One day, while Gelam hunted pigeons, his mother secretly cooked his favorite yam and ate it all. When he returned, hungry and proud of his catch, he found the pot empty and his mother smiling.
“I saved nothing for you,” she said. “You think yourself a man now? Then feed yourself.”
Her cruelty stung deeper than hunger. Without a word, Gelam left the village.
He walked until he reached the cliffs that looked out over the sea. There, he gathered wood and vines, shaping them with hands guided by sorrow. He built a canoe like no other — slender, curved, with wings of bark and feathers stitched from seabirds he had hunted.
When dawn came, he climbed in and whispered, “Let me fly far from hearts that wound.”
He paddled once. The canoe rose from the surf, lifting with the wind. Below, the island shrank, the forests turned to green shadows. His mother saw him from her hut and cried out, “Gelam, come back!”
But Gelam’s canoe had become alive — a creature of sky and storm. His arms melted into wings, his skin shimmered black as obsidian, his eyes grew bright as saltwater. He was no longer boy but bird — the first frigate bird, soaring high above the sea.
His mother chased the shadow across the waves, wading until the tide reached her chest. “Forgive me!” she cried.
From the sky, the bird called back, “You will see me always, but I will never return.”
Then he circled once above the island and vanished into the clouds.
Since then, frigate birds wheel over the Torres Strait, gliding between islands without rest. The people say their cries carry Gelam’s words — mourning and freedom both.
When a frigate bird dives low over Moa Island, the elders tell children, “Gelam visits his mother’s shore again, reminding us to speak gently before love takes flight.”
Moral of the Story
Cruel words can drive away even the closest hearts. Kindness holds what anger drives to the wind.
Knowledge Check
- Who was Gelam?
A young hunter from Moa Island known for his skill and pride. - Why did he leave his home?
His mother treated him cruelly, eating his food and mocking him. - What did Gelam build?
A canoe with wings made of feathers that could rise into the sky. - What became of him?
He transformed into the first frigate bird. - How is he remembered today?
Through the birds that soar between the Torres Strait islands. - What lesson does the tale teach?
That words can wound deeper than weapons — kindness keeps families whole.
Origin: Moa Island, Torres Strait (Torres Strait Islander oral tradition)
