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© 2025 Island Innovation. All rights reserved.

    News

    Curated stories and analysis from islands and sustainability leaders worldwide.

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    Showing 9 of 386 news items in Culture & Community
    Tasmanian Aboriginal resistance warriors battled against overwhelming power, but have no recognition
    Culture & CommunityJune 10, 2025

    Tasmanian Aboriginal resistance warriors battled against overwhelming power, but have no recognition

    Tasmania was the scene of the most organised and violent attempt to destroy Aboriginal culture, but there is no recognition of those who resisted the overwhelming colonial power. Figures like the warrior Tongerlongeter who led resistance, and Walyer who was among the many women kidnapped by sealers, are among those who have no physical recognition in Tasmania. The Tasmanian government has abandoned efforts to formulate a treaty with Aboriginal people, instead committing to a truth-telling process.

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    Tonga urges Pacific to halt kava extracts, but Vanuatu and Fiji push back
    Culture & CommunityJune 3, 2025

    Tonga urges Pacific to halt kava extracts, but Vanuatu and Fiji push back

    Image credit: Courtesy of Islands Business. Source: [islandsbusiness.com](https://islandsbusiness.com/news-break/tonga-urges-pacific-to-halt-kava-extracts-but-vanuatu-and-fiji-push-backack/) A brewing debate has surfaced among Pacific Island nations over how best to protect and preserve the cultural and economic value of kava, the region’s cherished traditional crop. Tonga is calling on fellow [Pacific kava producers to follow its lead in restricting the export of kava for extraction](https://vbr.vu/news/tonga-urges-pacific-to-halt-kava-extracts-but-vanuatu-and-fiji-push-backack/)—a move that has sparked strong pushback from Vanuatu and Fiji, the region’s two largest kava exporters. Tonga’s position, grounded in concerns over cultural erosion and potential misuse of the traditional beverage, promotes the idea that kava should only be consumed in its traditional, drinkable form—not processed into extracts for capsules, powders, or supplements abroad.

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    Multi-sector approach rooted in culture key to early childhood development: Mokoroa
    Culture & CommunityJune 3, 2025

    Multi-sector approach rooted in culture key to early childhood development: Mokoroa

    Mokoroa shared this insight during the Pacific ECD Forum 2025 held in Samoa, where he joined Minister of Internal Affairs Vainetutai Rose Toki-Brown to present the Cook Islands’ national statement. The forum earlier this month gathered Pacific leaders and development partners to discuss the importance of nurturing children from birth to five years old.

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    Life on Scottish island of just 40 residents is ‘built on community’
    Culture & CommunityMay 26, 2025

    Life on Scottish island of just 40 residents is ‘built on community’

    It’s 3pm on a Friday, and the village hall is humming with a special kind of energy. I’m stationed at the front door, a stamp in one hand and a raffle book in the other, welcoming day trippers, locals and overnight guests alike into our community space. The group that has just entered, I had spoken to them not 40 minutes beforehand, showing them to their rooms and beds within the island’s Bunkhouse and showing them where to find the recycling bins. And they quickly made their way here, to the heart of the village, to join us in a momentous celebration.

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    ‘A little downer’: Pine Island music program continues despite Hurricane Ian destroying all instruments
    Culture & CommunityMay 26, 2025

    ‘A little downer’: Pine Island music program continues despite Hurricane Ian destroying all instruments

    Gregory and Warren Van Kirk, who founded the Monday Music program more than 10 years ago, lost nearly everything when the hurricane hit. Not only did it flood from the bottom, it also rained through the top. So everything we thought would might be okay kind of got everything kind of got destroyed,” Gregory Van Kirk said. Despite the setback, the brothers remain determined to keep the program running for the Pine Island community. “We can make music with sticks and snapping and clapping, so that’s not gonna stop,” Warren Van Kirk said.

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    ‘Become a Māori again’: Rebuilding education the Cook Islands way
    Culture & CommunityMay 20, 2025

    ‘Become a Māori again’: Rebuilding education the Cook Islands way

    A significant national event dedicated to revitalising education through culture, language and identity took place this week, drawing over 100 participants each day from May 5 to 8, at the National Sports Arena in Nikao. Te Umeia Te Maro Kura – Rebuilding Our Future: Language, Culture, and Identity in Cook Islands Education, is the first symposium of its kind and a major collaboration between Te Maraurau o Te Pae Apii (Ministry of Education) and Te Ui Ariki Ngateitei O Te Kuki Airani (UANKA), an organisation formed under the House of Ariki. Launched on Monday, the symposium aimed to reshape the nation’s education system by embedding cultural heritage and innovation into teaching and learning practices. Under the guiding theme Ranga Ia Te Kōrero, the event dedicated to honouring traditional knowledge and reawakening community pride in local language and identity.

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    SXM DOET 2025 invites community to volunteer for island-wide projects
    Culture & CommunityMay 13, 2025

    SXM DOET 2025 invites community to volunteer for island-wide projects

    Image source: The Daily Herald, [thedailyherald.sx](https://www.thedailyherald.sx/images/2025/05/05/page6a238_large.jpg) The 2025 projects range from environmental clean-ups and school improvements to support programs for seniors, people with disabilities, underserved communities, and youth. PHILIPSBURG–SXM DOET is calling on the community to keep the spirit of unity alive by volunteering for the island’s largest annual volunteer initiative. Scheduled for May 16 and 17, SXM DOET 2025 invites individuals, families, businesses, and organisations to join hands and contribute to meaningful projects that support a stronger, more connected St. Maarten. Funded by the Oranje Fonds and the Be the Change Foundation, SXM DOET continues to serve as a powerful platform for civic engagement. Each year, the initiative mobilizes hundreds of volunteers to take part in a wide range of community projects organised by local NGOs and civic groups.

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    The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) immersion to boost local innovation, livelihood in Sibuyan Island
    Culture & CommunityMay 13, 2025

    The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) immersion to boost local innovation, livelihood in Sibuyan Island

    Photo credit: Image from [Philippine Information Agency](https://pia.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/DOST-leads-immersion-activity-to-boost-local-innovation-livelihood-in-Sibuyan-Island-1024x768.jpg) ODIONGAN, Romblon (PIA) — The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) held an immersion activity in Barangay Danao, Cajidiocan, Romblon, to support local innovation and strengthen the livelihood of communities through science and technology. The Romblon DOST Evaluation Team visited the area to observe various local products, including tiger grass brooms, traditional delicacies like “balatsaw” and “pinais,” handmade egg noodles, and semi-precious stones crafted by local artisans. Dr. Randy Nobleza from Marinduque, a member of the evaluation team, noted that some of the featured food items are relevant to the celebration of Filipino Food Heritage Month.

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    Man who runs business on remote Scottish island wants to give it away for free
    Culture & CommunityMay 13, 2025

    Man who runs business on remote Scottish island wants to give it away for free

    Photo by Julian Paren/Geograph, via The Independent ([independent.co.uk](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/05/06/13/36/geograph-7809558-by-Julian-Paren.jpeg?quality=75&width=1368&crop=3%3A2%2Csmart&trim=47%2C0%2C86%2C0&auto=webp)) A small business owner on a remote Scottish island has spent years building his enterprise – but now he wants to give it all away for free. Richard Irvine founded and runs the Colonsay Smokery in the Inner Hebridean island of Colonsay, which has a population of just 120 people. The 65-year-old is now looking for a family with an “entrepreneurial spirit” to take over the firm for free, in a bid to address the ageing population on the island and boost the number of children in the local school – which currently has just four pupils.

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