Corned beef – a Pacific tradition or a load of bull?

The kava business is booming – can the money stay in Pacific pockets?

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 in Vanuatu to the Australian market – something that kava trade specialist Tanuvasa Semy Mauga Siakimotu helps farmers do all the time.   So does the cultural and ceremonial significance of kava suffer if it becomes just another product on the shelf, and can we stop that from happening by teaching people the true meaning of kava?  Culture Compass was produced by Deadset Studios [https://www.deadsetstudios.com/] for ABC Radio Australia.  This edition of Culture Compass was a repeat of the program broadcast on 19th September 2023

From stars to satellites: The rise of modern Pacific voyaging

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 reviving knowledge of the salau, the traditional canoes used in Papua New Guinea, and Vaimasanu'u Zita Sefo-Martel, the first ever female skipper of a Samoan long boat — a fautasi. So as voyaging gathers pace once again across the Pacific, what are we keeping from the old days… and what is changing? Culture Compass was produced by Deadset Studios [https://www.deadsetstudios.com/]for ABC Radio Australia.  This edition of Culture Compass was a repeat of the program broadcast on 12th September 2023

Skin deep — what does it mean to wear and give cultural tattoos today?

"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 Pacific. In some countries the tattoo has remained strong despite the efforts of missionaries and colonial attitudes to stamp it out. In others, we've had to go to extraordinary lengths to revive the cultural practice. It's also changing with time, as we adapt the practice to accommodate modern influences and safety measures so that the ancient art of skin marking is now a fixture in contemporary Pacific cultures. Master tattooists in places like Samoa have been working for decades with families in other Pacific countries like Papua New Guinea, where the practice of skin marking has been revived. And now with more people than ever choosing to wear the marks of their ancestors – no matter where they live, is the practice becoming more accepted, or do we still have a way to go? We follow the journey of Li'aifaiva, a master tufuga who learned his craft in Samoa, and Papua New Guinean-Australian woman Moale James, who wears the marks of her ancestors proudly – but it's something that Australia needs to catch up to. Sean Mallon, Senior Curator of Pacific Cultures at Te Papa Tongarewa in Aotearoa has studied the history of tattooing in the Pacific. Culture Compass was produced by Deadset Studios [https://www.deadsetstudios.com/]for ABC Radio Australia. This edition of Culture Compass was a repeat of the program broadcast on 5th September 2023

Corned beef – a Pacific tradition or a load of bull?

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 in the Pacific? It's a world away from the fresh fish and taro our ancestors would have eaten, but somehow now it's gifted by the case to mark significant occasions. Is there hope for those of us who love to cook with it, but who also want to stay healthy enough to share the tradition with the next generation? You'll hear from Michel Tuffery, the artist who built giant bull statues out of corned beef tins; and Dr Heena Akbar, a lecturer in public health at University of Queensland, on why the contents of those tins is so detrimental. Culture Compass is the show about survival, revival and connection in the Pacific, where we navigate the past and present. Culture Compass was produced by Deadset Studios [https://www.deadsetstudios.com/] for ABC Radio Australia. This edition of Culture Compass was a repeat of the program broadcast on 29th August 2023

Our stories, our lens: How Pacific filmmakers are reclaiming the screen

Storytelling has always been the backbone of our culture — a way to teach, to remember, to entertain. And now a new generation of filmmakers is projecting that legacy on screen, using modern tools to tell our truths. From grassroots DIY shoots to Hollywood blockbusters, these storytellers are redefining what it means to see ourselves on screen. You'll hear from Papua New Guinean producer Michelline Erbes on how her film Wounded Warriors didn't shy away from telling the powerful truth of her community. Samoan — New Zealand director Damon Fepulea'i shares the goal of his film Red, White & Brass — Pacific stories told by Pacific people. And Samoan-American director Dana Ledoux-Miller talks charting new ground in Hollywood at the helm of Disney's Moana 2. Listen to this episode of Culture Compass with host Afamasaga Seiuli Salamasina von Reiche on ABC Radio Australia. Culture Compass was produced by Deadset Studios [https://www.deadsetstudios.com/] for ABC Radio Australia.