Culture Compass Radio Australia

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 Suru. Iane Atalifo was part of the group from, Rako Pasefika, and shares his experiences helping to re-create the head dress and bring it to life, by wearing it while performing the dance of the warrior.

Culture Compass was produced by Deadset Studios for ABC Radio Australia. 

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 of Climate, Oceans & Resilience in the Tokelau Government with a long history of fighting for climate justice in Tokelau, as well as Moira Simmons from the Tuvaluan Government about her country’s plans to go digital with their cultural preservation strategy. 

Culture Compass was produced by Deadset Studios for ABC Radio Australia. 

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 deeper appreciation for the cultures we left behind.  

In this episode we traverse Papua New Guinea to hear how three women are staying connected to their cross-country cultures. 

Culture Compass was produced by Deadset Studios for ABC Radio Australia. ​​​​​​​

"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 future-proof is this practice?

Culture Compass was produced by Deadset Studios for ABC Radio Australia. 

"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 hold the key to ancient customs and lore, but as more and more people move away from their villages and need to communicate in cities, some languages are facing a dire future.

In this episode of Culture Compass, you'll hear how different dialects are being preserved in PNG, Vanuatu and Fiji.


Culture Compass was produced by Deadset Studios for ABC Radio Australia.