Kubin Community, Moa Island, Torres Strait, Queensland, Australia

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Flora Iyaga Warria is a Torres Strait Islander woman from Kubin Community on Moa Island, in the western island group of the Torres Strait, Far North Queensland. A proud descendant of the Mualgal Tribe, her ancestral roots trace back to Wug — now known as St Pauls Community. As the great-granddaughter of a Mualgal chief, Flora carries a lineage of leadership, wisdom, and cultural responsibility that has shaped every aspect of her life.

Faith is at the very core of who Flora is. As the wife of Pastor Moses Warria of the Elijah Tabernacle UPCA Ministry at Kubin, she plays a vital role in the pastoral care and spiritual life of her community — standing as a pillar of support, encouragement, and spiritual guidance for her congregation and the broader Kubin community.

Flora is also a Mualgal Story Keeper and Traditional Knowledge Keeper. Recognised and nurtured by her elders from a young age, she was entrusted with the traditional and historical storylines of her people — their land, sea, ancestors, and living culture. She is widely regarded as a walking library of her elders; a living vessel of Mualgal knowledge and heritage.

A respected artist and cultural practitioner, Flora works with natural materials gathered from her local environment, blending traditional knowledge with contemporary visual arts. Her notable works include The Trumpet Blower II — a linocut print telling the story of her elder-appointed role as community trumpet caller — and Goiga Pudhai, which was featured in the prestigious Belonging exhibition at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra (July 2022 – February 2023).

 

She is a practicing artist with Moa Arts (Ngalmun Lagau Minaral — "All of us, from this place, making art") based in Kubin Village. Flora has also served in media as an employee of the Torres News, the weekly newspaper of the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area region.

Flora's greatest ambition is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to her people and across the Torres Strait region. Alongside this, she is passionately committed to ensuring that the cultural knowledge, traditions, and living heritage of the Mualgal people are preserved and passed on, so that the rich identity of Moa Island endures for generations to come. In her heart, these two callings are one — intertwined threads of the same deep love for her people.

Flora Iyaga Warria is a servant of her people — a woman of God, a keeper of stories, an artist, a media voice, and a devoted partner in ministry. Her life is a testament to the resilience, richness, and enduring spirit of the Mualgal people of Moa Island.