‘Very Few People Know About Us’: How Black Snow Showcases The Strength Of Australian South Sea Islander Women

Jemmason Power grew up seeing limited representation of the Australian South Sea Islander community on screens. So, when she first saw the casting call for a new TV show called Black Snow, she naturally believed it was asking Australian South Sea Islander people to audition as "extras in the background".

The 28-year-old — who is a proud Juru woman from the Birri Gubba nation, with her lineage connecting her to the islands of Tanna, Santos, West-Ambrym and Solomon Islands — describes the Australian South Sea Islander community as the "forgotten people" across the board, not just in the arts.

"That's how we refer to ourselves as Australian South Sea Islanders — as the 'forgotten people' in Australia," Power tells Refinery29 Australia.

"Very few people know about us and know about our history let alone [us being in] casting calls out there in public."

The Stan Original series flips Power's assumption on its head and focuses on the community that has long been underrepresented in TV and film. Set in a small town in North Queensland with deep ties to the Australian South Sea Islander community, the six-part murder-mystery drama stars Power as one of the female leads alongside fellow acting newcomer, Talijah Blackman-Corowa.

Australian South Sea Islanders are the Australian-born direct descendants of people who were brought to Queensland between 1863 and 1904 to work as indentured labourers on sugar cane and cotton farms. They came from 80 Pacific Islands – mainly Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands – and most of them were either kidnapped, or were victims of 'blackbirding', which refers to the practice of kidnapping labour.

Blackman-Corowa — a proud Toolooa woman from the Gurang Nation and a South Sea Islander woman — portrays Isabel Baker, a 17-year-old who is murdered in 1995, and whose death serves as the plot-line for the series. Power plays her sister, Hazel who returns to the family home years after Isabel's murder to assist authorities who are investigating it.

Similarly to Power, Blackman-Corowa says many Australians don't know the history of South Sea Islander people. In fact, she and her peers at school were barely educated about it while growing up.

"The only time I ever got taught about this was through my parents and my grandparents," Blackman-Corowa tells Refinery29 Australia. "My granddad's father was taken from Vanuatu when he was five years old. He was taken off the island and put on a ship, and they tricked him and his mate with lollies."

Blackman-Corowa says the burden was placed on her to teach her peers about her culture.

"It was always my job to educate these people, which can be quite tiring at times," she says, explaining Black Snow will now help fill a knowledge gap and reflect the South Sea Islander representation she's long yearned to see on Aussie TV.

"I'm so grateful for this story to be showing my people and giving us a voice," she says.

"One thing I'd always think of when I was on set was, if I was 10 years old again (the same age as my nieces and nephews) and I saw Isabel Baker on screen, she would be my hero."

Power says that with more visibility and representation of the community can come judgment from others, but she hopes viewers will harness an open mind and the willingness to learn when they watch Black Snow.

"When our community of Australian South Sea Islanders is introduced, I want to encourage people to not put us in a box and go, 'This is what they are'," she says. "Hopefully what it [the show] does is invite people to converse and share their own experiences and stories and lives, because we are complex people."

As her first acting role, Blackman-Corowa can name various highlights of the filming experience, but at the top of the list is working with other inspiring women on a production that puts female characters at the forefront.

"If there were any big takeaways, I think it's that there's a lot of female representation on the show. Females are strong on this show and we are just as capable of anything," she says. "Our voices can be heard and we are loud."

Power reminisces on her upbringing as she reflects on women leading the charge in Black Snow.

"It definitely does highlight the power of our matriarchs and our mothers and our grandmothers and our aunties, and it's such a beautiful way to introduce the South Sea Islander community to the world," she says.

"I was born in Rockhampton which is in central Queensland but a lot of holidays and family gatherings were up in far north Queensland. We'd spend time with family, and the women, children and men would just come together as one.

"But the women were the ones that were the powerhouses," she continues. "And they [the show's producers] did an amazing job to really showcase the strength of our women."