Mea Podi Vai
I am a Motuan writer from Hanuabada, with family roots in the Kwaradubuna clan.
My writing began with a simple question:
Who are we, really?
That question led me into old books, archived recordings, newspaper articles, historical photographs, family memories and conversations with elders. Along the way, I discovered stories that were rarely found in classrooms or conventional history books.
Many had survived quietly through language, place names, cultural practices and the memories of those who came before us.
These books are part of my personal Journey of Discovery - Motu Sene.
They explore the history, language and cultural knowledge of the Motu Koitabu people, together with stories of Port Moresby and Papua New Guinea. Some examine ancient traditions. Others revisit familiar places, remarkable people, forgotten institutions and ordinary moments that reveal something deeper about who we are.
I do not present myself as having every answer. I am still learning, searching and connecting fragments of the past.
My purpose is to create conversation.
I want readers to become curious, ask questions and speak with their parents, grandparents and elders while those stories can still be told. I also hope these books encourage others to record their own family histories, cultural practices and ancestral knowledge.
Culture does not survive simply because it once existed.
It survives when we continue to speak it, practise it, write it down and pass it on.
Why I Write
My father inspired much of this journey. He encouraged me to look into the past, understand where we came from and appreciate the people whose lives shaped our own.
He was also my greatest supporter.
Through writing, I have come to understand that history is not always found in monuments or official records. Sometimes it is hidden in a word, a place name, an old photograph, a family object or an action we continue to perform without fully understanding its origin.
That is where many of my stories begin.
I write from a personal perspective because discovery is personal. I invite the reader to sit beside me as I search, question, remember and sometimes imagine the world our ancestors once knew.
A Legacy for Future Generations
These books are written for today, but they are also intended for those who will come after us.
I hope that one day, a young Motuan, Koitabuan or Papua New Guinean reader will open one of these stories and discover something that helps them understand their identity.
Perhaps they will recognise a family name.
Perhaps they will learn the meaning of a Motuan word.
Perhaps they will look at a familiar place differently.
Or perhaps they will begin their own journey of discovery.
If that happens, then these stories will have achieved their purpose.
Mea Podi Vai
Author of Journey of Discovery - Motu Sene