James Eseli was one of many Torres Strait Islander children taken to the safety of Waiben (Thursday Island) during World War Two. From there, he saw bomber and fighter aircraft lit by powerful searchlights as they took off from Ngurupai (Horn Island) towards New Guinea. In 1988, he choreographed a story dance in which performers interpreted a raid on Japanese targets. This unique dance is regularly performed on social and ceremonial occasions – especially at tombstone openings, held when an ornate headstone is installed as a final ritual for a deceased family member. The dancers move in an arrowhead formation, wearing carved and painted softwood plane sculptures on their heads.