Culture Compass

Far away from their island homes, our artefacts, tools and art are pinned to the walls of museums across the world – ensnared in the grip of colonial institutions. How did they get there? And more importantly, how do we get them back?

Across eight new episodes of Culture Compass, host Seiuli Salamasina von Reiche is still unpacking the big questions that keep us up at night. You'll hear stories from all over, like how a group of Rotuman artists unlocked ancestral knowledge held for thousands of years in Fiji, and how young people in Papua New Guinea are keeping their local languages alive on TikTok. Ultimately we're trying to u...

"It’s about empowering the people.” Reggae has become so significant for music lovers across the Pacific it’s more than just mellow sounds – it's almost a spiritual experience. Every island has their own stories to tell, from growing up in the settlements of Port Moresby to liberation from colonial powers in Port Vila. The sound has evolved over the years with the changing times but how does it re...

In all tales of Pacific cultures, we're shown as voyagers, connecting with the elements and ocean to navigate the seas. Our ancestors were travelling to trade, to deepen our understanding of the world and to build connection. Every island had their own understanding of the elements and seas, and this knowledge was passed down through stories in our oral tradition. But colonisation brought in new t...

We're known as movers and migrators but trekking away from the islands doesn't mean we lose our cultures in the diaspora.

Like a lot of Pacific Island cultures, we breathe life into our stories through movement and dance. But there's something different about Hula — the poetic fluid movement and mesmerising music. It tells a story of survival.

In the New Ireland province of Papua New Guinea, the men of the village sing to sharks to catch them to provide food for the village. But as marine life faces threats from commercial fishing and environmental challenges, can this time-honoured tradition weather the storm and endure our ever-changing world?

Is hair ever really – "just hair"? Across the Pacific, each nation has its way of respecting and celebrating the hair on our heads. It plays a role in our culture and dress, and it becomes important at different stages of life and death.

The "organic" industry might seem new but it's as old as our farming traditions. In fact, half of the world's organic agricultural land is in Oceania, with nations like Samoa and Papua New Guinea leading the way.

"It's just like an early morning coffee. People wake up, take a shower, they brush their teeth, they're go and grab betelnut." Betel nut – or buai – is everywhere in Papua New Guinea. Buai is the seed of the Areca nut, wrapped in betel leaf… and chewed until you feel a surge of energy. It has plenty of ceremonial uses, but for everyday chewers this is a recreational activity. However, it's addicti...

 If you thought we only had one season of stories of revival, and survival and connection across the Pacific – boy were you wrong! We're back with another eight episodes looking at even more customs like why we all have our own ways of honouring the hair on our heads. You'll learn how betel nut spread from the highlands to the islands of Papua New Guinea and hear how protecting the environment goe...

Joy, hard times, old times and changing times – Pacific Island musicians capture it all in song. And it's not restricted to what you might call "traditional" music – we fold in the musical influences of wherever we end up in the world. The result is Pasifika rock n roll, hip hop, RnB, any genre – you name it! So, are there common threads that tie Pacific artists together, and how do we make sure t...

Home is more than four walls and a roof, it's what happens inside that makes it special. All across the Pacific you see sophisticated designs that reflect cultural protocols and family structures. We've even got our own master builders and architects who hold the knowledge of these ancient construction industries. But slowly they're being replaced by cheaper materials and imported designs. It's a...

Think shells. Think stone. Think pandanus leaves woven into mats so delicate you could mistake them for silk. These are the items that hold value for us. It's a different kind of currency. It takes time, skill and cultural knowledge to make these treasures, and unlike money, you can't just print more when they run out. So how can we preserve the skills necessary to make these priceless items, whil...

If you grew up in the Pacific Islands, you probably have some understanding of which plants are useful and which ones to avoid. Before we had western medicines we knew that plants save lives, and all across the Pacific we know exactly which ones were for burns, cuts and infections. Of course there are benefits to modern medicine, but should we totally disregard the traditional ways of treating ail...

It’s clear that kava is expanding far beyond our Islands.  Kava bars are popping up around the world, as far away as New York City and the Rocky Mountains in the USA.  That’s creating jobs in the Pacific and economic opportunity for Pasifika people living abroad.   Like ‘Anau Mesui Henry, who started a kava lounge in Aotearoa inspired by her parents who used the plant to find their community after...

For thousands of years, we voyaged the ocean between islands, using the stars to find the way as the birds warned us of storms ahead. This is how we travelled across the Pacific before planes, before satellites, before people arrived on their own ships with compasses and maps. As modern technologies arrived some of the old ways are drifting away, but expert navigators continue to share their knowl...

"Our practice was quiet for a moment. It was quiet for a generation, it wasn't eradicated. And now it's back. And it's loud. And it's here, it's in your face — literally, on your face! And now we're just living that practice every day." Moale James' tattoos are a powerful link to her Papua New Guinean ancestors. The meaning of tattoo changes Island to Island, village to village, right across the P...

As soon as that first drop of fat hits the frying pan, the smell of nostalgia fills the kitchen. If you grew up in a Pacific Island household, you can probably conjure it up wherever you are. It's the smell of corned beef, spam, bully beef — whatever you call it, those tins of salty, pink jellied meat have become a staple across the islands. But exactly how did corned beef gain such cultural clout...

If you've ever wondered how kava went from being banned in some countries to trendy in others, why your aunties' traditional medicines worked so well or how the heck canned beef became a delicacy, join Seiuli Salamasina von Reiche on Culture Compass, a brand-new show from ABC Radio Australia.  It's an exploration of survival, revival and connection throughout the Pacific as we examine our cultures...