Our elders are the keepers of our cultural keys. But what happens when they don't share it? Rotuma, an island of Fiji, is home to an ancient traditional headdress called the Suru. But the knowledge of this artefact only lies with a select few elders. They'd never been asked to share their wisdom so this special headdress hadn't been woven or worn for 1000 years. You'll hear from Letila Mitchel, a Rotuman artist, who led a team to seek out one of the few elders who held knowledge of the...

Rising sea levels are swallowing up traditional homes. So, how do you preserve a culture, when the land it’s tied to is slipping away?  Some of the most affected nations like Tokelau and Tuvalu are taking proactive steps to document and record their sacred sites, their language and their cultural practices as a last resort.   And they’re looking to unexpected places – like the metaverse and museums – to help them in the process.  You’ll hear from Paula Faiva, the Director for the Ministry...

Ferocious vocals and loud guitars, metal is the perfect way to let out your frustrations – and it's found an unlikely home in the Pacific.

Papua New Guinea is a country of steep valleys, raging rivers, thick rainforest — and not to mention the Pacific Ocean – that makes traversing the country a precarious task.  So when people migrate from their villages to the capital Port Moresby, sometimes they're leaving for good.  But just because you leave your village for the city, it doesn't mean you can't continue to practice your culture when you're away from home. In fact, distance makes the heart grow fonder, and we develop a...

"Once those drums play, I'm home." It's a long way for Michael Chow to travel to visit his family on Bipi Island in Papua New Guinea. But when he hears the beat of the garamut – the slit drum from his island – it's as if he is really there. Across the Pacific, drumming is so much more than just for entertainment. For Henry Franheim, it connects him back to Rarotonga, and Tiani Liufau's family beats link back to Tahiti and Samoa. So what's so special about our rhythmic obsession – and how...

"I would love to see young people, after seeing our videos, do videos about their own native language, because we have 800 plus different languages in Papua New Guinea which are slowly dying out because we are not preserving it." Emily Papa has taken to TikTok in an attempt to save the local dialect of Enga Province, her hometown in PNG, the most linguistically diverse country on the planet. Let that sink in for a minute! It's more than just words too, all across the Pacific our languages...

Across the Pacific, rugby is considered the national sport. But nowhere is this passion more on display than in Fiji. When players take the field, they embody the warrior spirit of their ancestors. Fans travel for hours just to cheer their team on from the stands. Regardless of what side you're on, things always get pretty heated. But why? Is it deeper than just heat of the moment passion? We asked Fijian journalist and rugby lover Lice Movono and anthropologist Dr Tarisi Vunindilo about...

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 understand how culture is evolving across the islands and we're finding surprising twists – like...

"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 remain relevant to today’s issues? You’ll hear from Vanuatu-based lead singer of Stan and the...

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 technologies and tools, pushing out our traditional ways. That is until a group of keen sailors...

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 addictive — even deadly. So deadly the government has tried to ban it. That's not such a simple task...

 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 goes hand in hand with preserving culture. Hear old and new episodes of Culture Compass hosted by...

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 those stories continue to be heard? You'll hear from Aunty Kamoia about the songs of Kiribati,...

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 conundrum that requires the best of past practices and modern methods to make sure homes...

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, while still earning money to put food on the table? You'll hear from Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson...

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 ailments, or is there a world where we can embrace both? You'll hear about Samoan traditional...

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 migrating from Tonga.   Or Ronald Nauruan, who hopes to one day sell the kava from his farm...

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 knowledge so the next generation can master the seas. Like master sailor Sanokoli John, who is...