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Exhibition opens 15 August

Experience the Indigenous knowledges and practices of Moana Oceania

Our Ocean of Islands is a landmark exhibition bringing together the Indigenous knowledge systems and cultural practices of 24 Moana Oceania island nations, including Tangata Whenua and all 17 island nations with diaspora communities in Aotearoa.

Developed with key contributors from each island nation, the exhibition celebrates embodied knowledges and practices that connect Indigenous peoples to their lands, seas, and skies. Through ancestors, cultural traditions, stories, creative expressions, and Indigenous voices, visitors can explore the ways diverse Indigenous perspectives continue to shape cultural identity and life across Moana Oceania.

Discover stories and knowledge from across the region, from 3,000 year-old-pottery from Vanuatu that traces ancient connections to the Indigenous peoples of Taiwan, to Kiribati works exploring the relationship between people and sharks, and a Samoan seasonal calendar shared through the story of the palolo.

Whether you have personal connections to Moana Oceania or are discovering something new, Our Ocean of Islands offers an opportunity to explore the diverse and rich cultures that make up this interconnected region.

Featuring contributions from:

Aotearoa | Indigenous Australia | Belau / Palau | Cook Islands | Fiji | Hawai‘i | Lamoireg, Federated States of Micronesia | Marshall Islands | Naoero | New Caledonia | Niue | Pitcairn | Papua New Guinea | Rotuma | Samoa | Solomon Islands | Tahiti | Taiwan | Tokelau | Tonga | Tungaru / Kiribati | Tuvalu | Vanuatu | West Papua

Our Ocean of Islands was devised and led by Lagi-Maama Academy & Consultancy in partnership with Hui Te Ananui a Tangaroa New Zealand Maritime Museum.

Founded by Toluma'anave Barbara Makuati-Afitu and Kolokesa Uafā Māhina-Tuai, Lagi-Maama work involves mediating at the intersection of Indigenous communities and institutional settings to create a harmonious time and space by embedding different ways of knowing, feeling, seeing and doing. 

Developed over more than three years, Our Ocean of Islands has been shaped through relationships with knowledge holders from 24 Moana Oceania island nations. Together, contributors have co-developed an exhibition that celebrates the diversity of Indigenous knowledges and the connections between peoples, lands, seas and skies.

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