Keeping Our Culture Alive
This website is a journey of cultural discovery built around three important Motu ideas:
Sene - Culture
Sene represents our culture, customs, values, language and traditional ways of life. It connects us to the generations who came before us and helps us understand who we are today.
Sisiba - Advice and Guidance
Sisiba is the advice, wisdom and guidance passed from one generation to another. It may come from parents, grandparents, elders, teachers or from lessons learned through life. Sisiba helps us make decisions, understand our responsibilities and find direction as we move forward.
Sivarai - Stories and Experiences
Sivarai represents the stories and experiences that carry our history, knowledge and identity. These may be traditional stories, family memories, personal experiences or observations from everyday life.
Together, Sene, Sisiba and Sivarai help connect our past with our present and our future.
Culture Is Still Around Us
Culture does not live only in the past. It continues to appear in our language, relationships, values, decisions and everyday experiences.
Sometimes, an ordinary experience can reveal a much deeper cultural lesson. A family conversation, a place name, an old photograph, a childhood memory or a piece of advice may contain important clues about how our ancestors understood life.
By recognising and sharing these experiences, we can see that our culture is still alive.
Our culture can continue to educate us, guide us and help us respond to the challenges of modern life.
The Purpose of This Platform
This platform has been created to:
- Preserve and share stories about Motu culture, history and identity;
- Encourage younger generations to learn about their cultural heritage;
- Record memories, experiences and knowledge that may otherwise be lost;
- Show how culture continues to influence everyday life;
- Connect traditional wisdom with contemporary experiences;
- Encourage thoughtful discussion within families, communities and educational institutions; and
- Inspire others to research, record and share their own cultural stories.
The purpose is not simply to look back. It is also to consider how cultural knowledge can help us move forward.
A Platform for Learning and Discussion
The stories and reflections on this website may be used as educational resources and as starting points for discussion.
At home, families can use them to encourage conversations between parents, grandparents, children and young people.
In schools and universities, they may support discussion, research and learning in areas such as:
- Motu and Koitabu culture;
- Papua New Guinean history;
- Oral history and storytelling;
- Language and place names;
- Cultural identity;
- Traditional knowledge;
- Community values;
- Social change; and
- The relationship between culture and modern life.
Each story is an invitation to ask questions, share memories and consider different perspectives.
Continuing the Journey
Culture remains alive when it is remembered, practised, discussed and passed on.
Through Sene, Sisiba and Sivarai, we can preserve what has been handed down to us, learn from our everyday experiences and create opportunities for future generations to understand their identity.
This website is not intended to provide the final word on our culture. It is a growing platform for discovery, reflection and conversation.
By sharing what we know and encouraging others to contribute their knowledge, our culture can continue to live, educate and guide us.