My mother was born in Savlei, my grandfather was from Savlei and my grandmother is from Lau in Itu’ti’u. The way my mother told stories, her generosity, her sense of humor, her cooking, her dancing, her singing, her dedication to family, and her selflessness were so unique but also so clearly identifiable as Rotuman cultural characteristics.

As she was dying from cancer, she wanted to see photos of Rotuma and listen to Rotuman music. We had large posters placed around her bed and it seemed to bring her joy, and a sense of tranquility. The idea that many Rotumans may not be able to return to the island for health, financial, or other reasons can be heartbreaking. The Rotuma Project honors that experience and will offer a creative way to take a walk down memory lane. The Rotuma Project also recognizes the thousands of Rotuman descendants like myself, who have Rotuma in their spirit, but have never physically been there.

This project is meant to be a new point on the journey toward bringing people together through storytelling, learning, and creating new connections for the greater community of Rotuman heritage. The Rotuma Project is a gift that we hope will bear fruit with our children and generations to come.

It is the gratitude we have for our elders and ancestors along with the inspiration we feel from the next generation that motivates us to humbly bring this project forward.

I wanted to share a special thank you to the Oceania Leadership Institute, which helped open my eyes to a shared experience among Pasifika peoples living in diaspora away from their ancestral islands…and creating a space for visionary ideas to bravely come forward. Hanisiof, Kathy Weber-Bates