The Moanan

We are back for a special episode! Last month we were privileged to attend The Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture, Pacific Arts Festival, or FestPAC. Our mission was clear — to rekindle vā that our forefathers established long ago.  Tune in as we talanoa about our experience of connecting with our people from all across the Moana. Send us Fan Mail The Moanan is a Pacific-lef social enterprise ba...

In this special episode we share the live discussions from our Autumn Pō Talanoa event held a few weeks ago. Tune in to hear the voices of our Moanan community in Tāmaki Makaurau,  Aotearoa as we talanoa about the historical, present & future vā (relationship) between tangata whenua (Māori) and tangata moana (Pacific Islanders) in Aotearoa. Send us Fan Mail The Moanan is a Pacific-lef social e...

Our final episode for SZN 1!  For this episode we asked you, our community, to send in questions & topics for us to discuss. We had a range of history & contemporary topics sent in so thank you to everyone who responded!  We cover topics from non-Moanans practicing & selling kava, to ever changing Moanan cultures of the diaspora, ideas of blood quantum and much more.  We want to say a...

Final guest for season one! In this episode, Bradford Haami (Ngāti Awa), an accomplished author, researcher & lecturer covers a range of mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge):  Pepeha & Whakapapa (genealogy) Connections between Māori and the rest of the Moana Indigenous spirituality and Christianity Send us Fan Mail The Moanan is a Pacific-lef social enterprise based in Auckland, Aotearoa. We...

Our guest this week is Manase Lua, a matāpule from his village of Vaini in the Kingdom of Tonga. A keen learner of Moanan history, a community & cultural leader, our talanoa with Manase took us on a journey to learn about our ancestral links across the Moana. We also talk about the lived reality of our diasporic experience as Moanans growing up in the west. Send us Fan Mail The Moanan is a Pac...

Kia orana! In this episode we sat down with archeologists & cultural educator Ma’ara Maeva - a native to Mauke, Cook Islands. In our talanoa he walked us through the journey of our earliest  ancestors of the Pacific and the evidence of their migration from South East Asia into the Moana.  Throughout this episode Ma’ara shares some incredible archeological facts such as the links between Polyne...

Bula vinaka! This week we are joined by multi disciplinary artist Daren Kamali from Fiji who shares his knowledge and experience of the Ulucavu - the Fijian wig making custom. He shares the spiritual & culture knowledge that underpins this practice along with his experience reviving a practice that was lost for over a hundred years. Send us Fan Mail The Moanan is a Pacific-lef social enterpris...

In part 2 of our chat with Professor Richard Moyle, he shares with us research he conducted on the island of Takū (PNG). In this episode he shares histories and knowledges of the indigenous spirituality that is practiced in this remote part of the Pacific. He also shares how these practices have similarities and links with Samoa and Tonga.  links to Richard Moyle's work: https://archives.libr...

We sat down with Professor Richard Moyle, an ethnomusicologist, who has spent over 50 years working in the Pacific recording music to understand its social function in Pacific societies. His records have helped to preserve a knowledge of ancient song, chants & dances from around the Moana. In this episode Richard speaks to the spiritual, social & cultural function music plays across the Mo...

In this episode, we chat with Julia Mage’au Gray, a traditional skin marker (tattooist) & multidisciplinary artist from Papua New Guinea 🇵🇬  Julia shares knowledge about the ancient practice of women’s skin marking as well as her experience as an indigenous woman living in the West 🌊. Send us Fan Mail The Moanan is a Pacific-lef social enterprise based in Auckland, Aotearoa. We're buildi...

In this episode, we sat down with artist Benjamin Work. Raised in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland, NZ) and of Tongan and Scottish ancestry, Benjamin shares his experiences of connecting with his Tongan heritage and shares knowledge of ancient Tonga and its neighbouring islands. His 2022 exhibition and book ‘Motutapu’ (sacred island), looked into the shared history throughout the Moana - including Tāmaki...

Welcome to the Moanan Podcast! Connecting Pacific Knowledge to Pacific People.  This episode is a quick introduction to who we, what we’re about and what we want to do. Send us Fan Mail The Moanan is a Pacific-lef social enterprise based in Auckland, Aotearoa. We're building a global community of thinkers, creatives, and change-makers rooted in Oceania. Whether you're from the islands or...

In this episode, we chat with Sonny Natanielu about indigenous Pacific voyaging/navigation and experiences of being Moanan in the West. Send us Fan Mail The Moanan is a Pacific-lef social enterprise based in Auckland, Aotearoa. We're building a global community of thinkers, creatives, and change-makers rooted in Oceania. Whether you're from the islands or just island-curious, join our co...