Staff & Volunteers

September 2020: Featured Partner

September 9, 2020 by Pacific Peoples' Partnership

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership recognizes MediaNet FLUX Gallery as our featured partner.

MediaNet is a non-profit organization in Victoria that offers local community members access to the tools and training to create and present their own digital art and media. We acknowledge their long-time partnership with PPP including support of our annual One Wave Gathering, and other programs designed to respectfully encourage the creative vision and voices of Indigenous and South Pacific artists.

MediaNet has collaborated with PPP in many ways, offering access to film and video equipment to record educational events; providing training in media technology to our staff, volunteers and program participants; plus they have extended us the generous use of their creative studio and FLUX Gallery. Be sure to check out our latest collaboration at the FLUX Gallery, the digital media and art show Together / As One from September 3-18.

Pasifik Currents July 2020 Executive Message

July 29, 2020 by April Ingham

One Wave Gathering Delegation visit Chris Paul Studio (September 2019)

Talofa Lava dear friends,

Earlier this month Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) released a Black Lives Matter solidarity message that we firmly stand behind and we invite you to join us:

We support the fight for equality, liberation, and justice. Our struggles for Black rights, Indigenous rights, and human rights are interconnected and come from the lived experiences within our PPP Board and our wider PPP community. Equality, liberation, and justice are integral to the work we do in partnership with Indigenous peoples, nations, and communities in Canada and throughout the South Pacific, and we are dedicated to upholding those values and practices.

All of us here at PPP hope that you and yours are well, as we weather COVID-19 realities as a global community. It is in the face of adversity and challenges like this that our traditional teachings hold most important, and the fact that this knowledge continues to live on is a testament to the resilience of Pacific Islanders and Indigenous peoples. Amidst the coronavirus, climate change and economic uncertainties, we acknowledge the unique challenges facing us at all levels and the interconnected nature of the crises and compounding impacts. As research professor Cynthia Enloe has said of this pandemic: “We aren’t all in this together. We’re all on the same rough seas together, but we’re in very different boats.”

In French Polynesia, some residents have expressed disgust that their borders have now reopened to tourists, many who may come from the worst infected parts of the world. Understandably, balancing economies and health are tough choices for nations who have worked so hard to develop their tourism sector. We have also been inspired by Pacific Islander youth who have been forced to return to home villages following COVID-19 shutdowns, such as Tuvalu’s youth who have ignited a renewed interest in their Indigenous knowledge.

This is a time when the global community must increase official development assistance to ensure no one is left behind. Indeed, donor countries should go a step further and forgive development loans that encumber and trap small island developing states. PPP recently signed on to a letter to encourage our country to do just that! You can do your part by asking your Government to do more, and you can also give directly to our community-based partners through our Pacific Resilience Fund.

Included in this edition of Pasifik Currents we are proud to share our solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, program updates and much more. We are also thrilled to welcome our newest Team members Zachary, Tana and Peter, who will be working with us through the next few months on our COVID-19 protocol compliant One Wave Gathering amongst other projects.

Yours in solidarity,

Muavae (Mua) Va’a and April Ingham

Pasifik Currents May 2020 Executive Message

May 1, 2020 by April Ingham

April keeps safe with a Fijian-pattern mask made by her mother in law.

Talofa Lava Friends,

We are in an historic moment in time, one that has the potential to change our lives forever. While we are impacted differently in each part of the globe, we share the opportunity to address systemic changes and challenges that can positively transform our world, if we act together.

Early this month Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) marked our 45^th Anniversary by launching a campaign for our Pacific Resilience Fund. Donations through this fund are distributed equitably throughout the South Pacific, and most importantly, they support Islander-led processes at the community level. Our local partners continue to work together and build resilience even in the face of recent crises, including COVID-19 and Cyclone Harold, both of which you will see covered with stories in this issue. PPP stands in solidarity with our friends and neighbors in the South Pacific – will you join us and be a part of building this legacy?

Makere – a recent donor to the Pacific Resilience Fund – wrote in the Maori language: “Tena koutou ki a koutou katoa, he koha iti, engari he koha aroha tenei…” “We are with you all. A little gift, but this is a love gift…”

This sentiment is shared by PPP’s Samoan-Canadian President Muavae Va’a, who passionately shared his own stories of resilience and urged your solidarity. “As a Pacific Islander, it is important to me to support our peoples back home… Let’s begin today…even small amounts will

In November 2019, Samoan Elders Po & Savea joined program partner Eco Canada’s Kori, April and Mua at an Indigenous Youth Climate Connect workshop held at ȽÁU, WELṈEW̱ Tribal School on Vancouver Island, Canada.

be helpful.” We invite you to watch his 8-minute video message.

While the immediate challenges of the recent cyclone and COVID-19 crises may take up our days, we are all adjusting to this new reality. PPP and our partners continue to work in physical isolation, but please know that we are working hard to make an impact – even virtually!

Within this edition of Pasifik Currents, you will find feature stories on our 45^th Anniversary, updates from the HELP Resources Papua New Guinea project Vendors Collective Voices, inspiring stories from up and coming young female leaders, plus more people, program and news updates.

Save the date: “Giving Tuesday” will take place on May 5th as an emergency response to COVID-19. This is a global day of giving and unity that demonstrates the power of our collective generosity. Look to hear from us and the communities we are supporting in the South Pacific.

Thank you for continuing this Pacific Peoples’ Partnership journey. We look forward to you standing in solidarity with us well into the future!

April Ingham, Executive Director

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership

Reviewing and Enriching PPP’s Essential “Community Toolkit”

May 1, 2020 by Pacific Peoples' Partnership

By Cedar Luke, PPP Intercultural Research Associate

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) has inspired me to cultivate my abilities to serve something greater. My name is Cedar Luke, I began to work with PPP in the first weeks of 2020 as an intern by means of a continuing studies program in Intercultural Education at the University of Victoria. PPP seemed to align well with my previous engagement in Indigenous Studies, Social Justice and Latin American Studies which I pursued throughout my undergraduate degree.

My work with PPP has allowed me to synthesize years of research and academic pursuits by bridging the university with a larger community vision. April Ingham, the executive director of PPP, has been an incredible guide, focusing my efforts to the benefit of the organization as well as the greater movement towards equity, inclusion, and social justice.

Through my internship, I had the honour to review a program developed by a previous Indigenous Governance intern, Russ Johnston, titled the “Community Toolkit.” This program is designed as a workshop to explore the importance of our own history and perspective in working cross-culturally as an ally for social justice. This program recognizes the unjust history of colonization and searches to define and practice decolonization as a tool to envision positive pathways to healthy and reciprocal relationships between people, place, and culture.

This program defines six specific steps to accomplish this: an introduction aligned with local Indigenous protocols, the exploration of self-location and accountability, developing definitions of decolonization and allyship, and the creative aspect of envisioning positive, cross-cultural relationships and a future which we can work towards together.

Through my conversations with community, I realized just how important it is to know where one is coming from and what influences our perspective. In the step on self-location, we ask participants to identify their birthplace, their ancestry and their relationship to different natural environments in order to welcome their stories into the space. As Russ says, the work of this workshop needs to matter to each participant and is only meaningful if we know who we are in relation to it. In the next step, we explore different levels of accountability experienced in each aspect of our self-location and explore why we have chosen to participate in this workshop and the service of solidarity.

Harsha Walia, a Vancouver based activist and writer, defines decolonization as “a dramatic re-imagining of relationships with land, people and the state. Much of this requires study. It requires conversation. It is a practice; it is an unlearning.” We intentionally avoid giving a static definition for decolonization because it is a concept and practice which is constantly evolving. Decolonization is critical of imperialism and colonialism and thus works to advance the interests of Indigenous peoples by re-centering Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing. The values derived from colonization continue to be upheld in many societal norms and institutions, intimately interwoven into social structures that perpetuate inequality and discrimination. For this reason, decolonization has deep implications for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous citizens who wish for a more equitable and just society.

Two Canoes seminar – an allyship program from our friends at Fair Mining Collaborative. Photo by A Holbrook

Exploring colonization and decolonization can bring up many deep feelings of sadness, confusion anger, guilt, denial, etc. Many individuals who are privileged by the structures of inequality can choose not to engage and for this reason it is important we call people into the conversation rather than calling people out. To become an ally through grounded relationships is a great honor and gift. In working cross-culturally we learn about ourselves, we learn how to respectfully and curiously learn from others, and have the opportunity to be part of beautiful collaborations. This willingness to connect with what is unknown expands our sense of community, our sense of purpose and sense of belonging.

This program will be primarily used as an introductory workshop within the orientation process for new PPP interns and volunteers. This is to assure the heart of our operations are aligned with critical inquiry and the most effective positive change for the individual as well as the collective. As this program continues to develop, we are open to cultivating a several session seminar which would be open to the public for community engagement. I am currently refining a final draft of recommendations which I have generated over the past four months. I look forward to seeing how this program will grow into the future.

Although my work with the Community Toolkit is coming to a close, I am continuing to work with PPP as a research associate. In the coming months, I will focus on the development of a handbook to enshrine wise practices and policies for working with youth. I hope this handbook will assure PPP’s work is forever a safe and inspiring space for youth to learn and grow.

As we move forward together, may we remember that we are all historically Indigenous to somewhere. We all need the same vital nutrients of this Earth to nourish life, and through the act of giving we truly do receive.

Cedar Luke has lived, studied and worked in Latin America for five years and is graduating in Latin American Studies and Intercultural Education from the University of Victoria. Over the years, he has built relationships with Indigenous traditions of the Amazon as well as with the Annishnaabe community where he was raised in Duluth, Minnesota in the United States.

People & Passages

May 1, 2020 by Pacific Peoples' Partnership

Jaimie Sumner, PPP Operations Coordinator

Please welcome Jaimie Sumner as PPP’s Operations Coordinator. Jaimie started with us mid-March 2020, and after only two days on the job, we had to begin COVID-19 remote work placements. Despite this challenge, Jaimie has quickly become indispensable to our Team, and has risen to the task of helping with our annual September One Wave Gathering, plus fundraising for our Pacific Resilience Fund and supporting our communications. Jaimie worked previously for Habitat for Humanity as a manager of a Restore and has a background in utilizing the arts to build intercultural understanding and solidarity. See Jaimie’s full profile under Team on the PPP website.

There has been another unexplained death of a fishing observer in the South Pacific. PPP is deeply saddened by the death of Eritara Aati Kaierua. He left the island of Pohnpei, Micronesia to work as a fishing observer on a Taiwanese tuna purse seiner heading south, and died mysteriously about five weeks later while on board the ship. The father-of-four is the tenth Pacific fisheries observer to die on the lawless high seas in the last decade. To learn more about how to protect these essential workers, check out these actions.

Forty-five Years and Counting: A Reflection on the Many Accomplishments of the Pacific Peoples’ Partnership

April 30, 2020 by Pacific Peoples' Partnership

Victoria Peace Walk-Nuclear Free Pacific by ©Belau-Jurgen Pokrandt

By Art Holbrook with grateful input by Jim Boutilier, PPP’s President Emeritus and Founder of SPPF

Seventy-five years ago in August 1945, the United States Air Force dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Those bombs unleashed a race to build ever more destructive weapons. Several nations turned to the vast Pacific Ocean for these tests. However, vast as it is, the Pacific is far from uninhabited.

The United States began post-war tests starting in 1946 at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands of Micronesia with the residents of the atoll moved to Rongerik Atoll ahead of the first tests. They were left alone there for over a year before an anthropologist from the University of Hawaii found them starving on the barren landscape, and they were moved again. Even today, Marshall Islanders from islands near Bikini have elevated levels of many cancers; the female population has a cervical cancer mortality rate that has been reported to be 60 times higher than comparable mainland U.S. populations.[i] The people of the Marshall Islands have filed many lawsuits in an effort to compensate them for the desecration of their homelands and the damage to their health.

The United States was not alone in nuclear testing in the Pacific. The British, beginning in 1952, tested nuclear weapons in the Gilbert and Ellice Island archipelago which in 1976 became the independent nations of Kiribati and Tuvalu. Amid mounting protests from Pacific Island nations and anti-nuclear activists from many countries at the increasing evidence of nuclear fallout around the world, atmospheric and underwater testing was forbidden under the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963. Despite this ban, nuclear testing continued. The French conducted aerial nuclear tests on Mururoa and Fangataufa in the Tuamotu archipelago of French Polynesia starting in 1966 and underground tests up to 1996.

The remote and seemingly peaceful islands of Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia, the three regions that contain so many small island nations of the Pacific Ocean, have remained to this day part of the on-going great power struggle for dominance of the region. With the Japanese pushed out of the islands during World War II, the island nations soon became part of the Cold War as Russia attempted to build influence in Micronesia and later competition between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People’s Republic of China as they sought friends and allies in Oceania as each of those nations sought votes in the United Nations. Today, China is active in the region, principally in Polynesia and Melanesia, as they fund major building projects and seek to influence island state governments. Their activity, and their aggressive approach in the region, have generated increasing concern in western capitals.

What does this brief history have to do with the 45^th anniversary of Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP)? The Pacific Peoples’ Partnership, or the South Pacific Peoples’ Foundation (SPPF) as it was known from 1975 to 2000, was founded in Canada as an adjunct of a U.S.-based organization, the Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific whose main goal was to protest the nuclear tests. The U.S. link brought suspicion on SPPF because of the American nuclear testing. Recognizing this challenge to SPPF’s identity and desiring more autonomy, the organization soon broke away from its U.S. parent and became an independent organization.

Even as social justice and environmental issues grew in importance in SPPF’s early years, the foundation remained responsive to military issues. It lobbied against Canadian military participation in naval exercises targeting a Hawaiian island sacred to the indigenous people there. It also became a partner with Pacific Islanders in the Pacific Campaign Against Sea-Launched Cruise Missiles. SPPF’s role in that campaign was to alert global peace committees that, while land-based cruise missiles were being curtailed in Europe, those missiles were making their way to Pacific testing sites.

But the early members of SPPF had a more ambitious agenda on their minds than just military testing. From the beginning SPPF’s vision was clear: to increase awareness among Canadians of development issues in the Pacific Islands, and to attempt to connect knowledge of input-and-response networks with the Pacific Islands. As well, the organization developed efforts to connect knowledge and cultural sharing among Indigenous peoples both in Canada and the Pacific with a goal of building solidarity. And, of course, we needed to develop a membership and funding base to support our activities both in Canada and in the Pacific.

SPPF/PPP’s First Executives, (l to r) Phil Esmonde, Randall Garrison, Stuart Wulff and Margaret Argue.

In the early days, SPPF was fortunate to have substantial funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and took full advantage of those funds to carry out ambitious projects in the South Pacific. However, government funding is a double-edge sword. It gave us the wherewithal to carry out programs but we always had to be sure we were within the guidelines set out by the government of the day. Early boards and directors recognized this challenge and began diversifying PPP’s revenue sources, a fortunate piece of advance planning as CIDA funding dried up in the 1990’s. As Stuart Wulff, former PPP executive director from 1991-2000, said, “In a way, the lost CIDA funding liberated us to follow our vision. PPP is now more engaged directly on the ground.”

What has PPP accomplished in our forty-five years?

Andy Nystrom, PPP’s invaluable archivist and research assistant, has compiled a fascinating selection of 45 projects and events highlighted in back issues of Tok Blong Pasifik, the foundation’s news magazine. These initiatives, ranging from artist exchanges to cyclone relief to HIV/AIDS prevention to youth and programs to combat violence against women, demonstrate PPP’s wide-ranging activities and relevance in the South Pacific. Long-time PPP members may celebrate anew our organization’s rich history while new members can learn what a dynamic and richly-rewarding experience being part of PPP can be. We hope you enjoy these glimpses into our archives; it is our goal to make those archives even more accessible in the future. Here are a couple of samples of what you will find there:

Vanuatu, We Are With You! (2015)

On March 13, 2015, category 5 Cyclone Pam devastated the southern region of Vanuatu. By virtue of ties that run deep between Victoria, Canada and Vanuatu, the shock of this event quickly became very personal for Victoria, British Columbia residents that have family, friends or colleagues in the region. Reports from the country lent compelling urgency to mobilizing support focusing on this unprecedented natural disaster during which access to safe drinking water, food and housing became an immediate priority.

Vanuatu Member of Parliament, Ralph Regenvanu reported at the time, “The total population of Vanuatu is affected, as the cyclone travelled north to south, with the eye going over Shepherds, Efate, Erromango and Tanna. Cyclone Pam has damaged or destroyed 90 per cent of the infrastructure in Port Vila, Vanuatu’s capital and largest town, and damage to the more remote islands and communities is equally devastating.”

In very short order, Pacific People’s Partnership (PPP) flew into action connecting with Canadian government officials, key organizations and individuals in Canada and in the South Pacific. A hallmark fund-raising event, “Vanuatu, We Are With You!”, did much to raise the disaster’s profile, bringing together PPP’s staunch supporters and many new friends of the organization to raise over $11,000. Half the funds were put towards a shipping container filled with much needed supplies for disaster relief and the remainder for rebuilding of schools and hospitals.

Enterprising West Papuan Women Initiative (2013-2015)

WATINI Indigenous Women’s Collective, Wefiani Village, West Papua.

Enterprising West Papuan Women was funded through Development & Peace, LUSH Canada, and other donors between 2013 and 2015. It was facilitated in partnership with the Manokwari-based Institute for Research, Analysis, and Development of Legal Aid (LP3BH) to support livelihood opportunities for women in West Papua and promote gender equality. Under this program, PPP constructed several women’s cooperative centres within Arowi and Mansinam, both in the Bird’s Head Peninsula of West Papua. The centres function as small-scale, co-operative stalls for livelihood development and related skill-building activities such as financial management, strategic planning, proposal writing, and community organizing.

It has been no small feat for PPP just to stay alive for forty-five years … indeed, many NGOs don’t last that long. However, PPP has met many challenges to accomplish that feat. Even more, it has been an achievement to have produced so many significant programs and events for the people of the South Pacific and the Indigenous peoples of Canada in those forty-five years. We look back proudly at our past and with eager anticipation we look forward to what comes next.

I believe it can be said with confidence that PPP has demonstrated its resilience and enduring relevance over the years. We remain Canada’s only non-governmental organizational devoted to the people of the South Pacific and, as such, have a voice of authority that is acknowledged by out federal and provincial governments and by the people of many countries throughout the South Pacific region. In recent years PPP has sent First Nations youth to the islands as part of an expanded mandate that recognizes the historical parallels between Canada’s Indigenous peoples and the peoples of the South Pacific as they work to overcome the challenges of their colonial pasts. While the Covid-19 pandemic has delayed some new developments, we are on the cusp of new and exciting programs that will add more chapters to PPP’s legacy as we look to our 50^th anniversary.

Canadian Cabinet Minister Maryam Monsef, Squamish Council Members and PPP Executive Director April Ingham at a PPP/BCCIC Side Event The Longhouse Dialogues as part of a Women Deliver Conference, June 2019.

Prepared by Art Holbrook, PPP Board Member and Chair of the Communications Committee. Art has been a board member at PPP for the last three years. He has traveled to Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu and has developed an affinity for the people of the South Pacific island nations.

PPP Featured Partner – RIKA

April 30, 2020 by April Ingham

PPP wishes to acknowledge our long-time supporter and partner, RIKA For over a decade, RIKA has donated his art and graphic design skills to support Pacific Peoples’ Partnership and our programs such as One Wave Gathering.

RIKA is an Oceanscape artist in British Columbia, Canada working in brushed inks, watercolor and metallic leafing. His subject matter is the ocean surrounding the land he loves, the Pacific Northwest. As a socially-conscious artist , he also produces art and supports organizations that address environment and social justice issues especially as they pertain to Indigenous and South Pacific peoples, and our shared environment.

Pasifik Currents – Spring Edition 2020

March 9, 2020 by April Ingham

April Ingham and Greta Thunberg in Swedish Lapland

Talofa Lava Friends,

Happy International Women’s Day! Spring is starting to show itself here on Vancouver Island. The days are getting longer, blossoms are slowly revealing themselves and a buzz of excitement is in the air as Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) grows ever nearer to our 45^th Anniversary on April 8! This is a special time of celebration and reflection for PPP, and we are thrilled to mark this milestone by embarking on a Wayfinding 2020 mission.

With the support of funder Tamalpais Trust, a San Francisco-based organization supporting Indigenous-led projects, PPP will connect with former, current and potential future partners throughout the South Pacific in a deep listening and learning mission. Ironically this mission recently began with a trip to Sápmi Territories (Swedish Lapland, Arctic Circle) where we witnessed Pawanka Fund’s transformative approach to philanthropy through global Indigenous solidarity and self-determination. This incredible initiative is highlighted in the enclosed article.

Findings and inputs from Wayfinding 2020 will inform PPP’s strategic plans for 2020-2025 to ensure they support South Pacific Islanders’ stated priorities and self determined solutions. It is anticipated this will lead to strengthened partnerships, more impactful programming and the transformation of our Pacific Resilience Fund (PRF) into an Indigenous led fund. So, watch for our continued updates on social media and through Pasifik Currents.

These have been busy and productive days here at PPP with lots of exciting programs in the works or just completed. Want to learn more? Check out our 2018-19 Annual Report and Audited Statements and our recent articles about our activities including the Climate Connect Indigenous Youth Workshop in November 2019, plus check out the touching outcomes of our recent PRF Samoa Campaign as experienced first hand by our President Muavae Va’a in December 2019. You will also see our recent solidarity statement for Wet’suwet’en; and our newest feature Pacific Pulse, a curated and synthesized selection of emergent Pacific news, plus lots of other great updates!

Our Board, Volunteers and small team of Staff are working hard to be of service to the Peoples of the South Pacific. To this end, we also work in solidarity with Indigenous peoples worldwide alongside many strong allies. As we near our 45^th Anniversary we urge your continued engagement and expanded charitable support of our mandate – Please donate today! We look forward to celebrating this amazing milestone with you throughout 2020!

Yours in Solidarity for Peace,

April Ingham

Executive Director

Peoples & Passages:

March 8, 2020 by April Ingham

At our AGM in December 2019, PPP welcomed two new Board Members Tierra Madani – Originally from the island of Molokai in Hawaii, Tierra lives and breathes aloha in all that she does. She moved to Victoria in 2014 and has since earned her place within the HR community and within the Tourism/Hospitality industry.

And we are also thrilled to introduce Dylan Sunshine Waisman – a new Vancouver based Board Member. Her maternal family hails from Fiji and the Solomon Islands with family spread across the South Pacific. Her paternal family are Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. Sunshine received her law degree with honours in the UK and her Master’s in Law degree with a focus on human rights and migration law. Sunshine currently works to uphold Indigenous rights in the criminal justice system as a Gladue Report Writer, while studying to become an accredited lawyer in Canada, and volunteering on a bi-monthly basis at pro-bono legal clinics in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

Learn more about these new Board Members HERE

PPP also thanks retiring Board members Eli Enns who is now a PPP partner NGO with their Toddler in Nature program, so he is not going too far and we look forward to continuing work with his organization IISAAK OLAM!

Board member, Rachel Wang, offers a farewell to fellow Board member, Jessica Rutherford: “I regret to inform our members that Jessica Rutherford will be stepping down from her position on the Board due to the demands of her existing strenuous work schedule. As passionate and empathetic global citizens, we often forget how much personal time and energy it takes to meaningfully fulfill our many commitments. While we are sad to see Jessica go, we wholeheartedly support her decision. Having previously worked with Jessica at the World Wildlife Fund in Solomon Islands, it has been a wonderful experience working with her again in Canada towards the same vision: healthy and resilient communities across the South Pacific. The Board thanks Jessica for all her work and hopes our paths will cross again soon.”

PPP is pleased to welcome Cedar Luke. Cedar joined our team as our Intercultural Research Associate by way of his graduating internship placement with us early in 2020. In the last decade, he has lived, studied and worked in Latin America for five years and is graduating in Latin American Studies and Intercultural Education. In a world of beautiful diversity Cedar strives to honor and bridge our differences so we may work together in harmony for all generations to come.

A sad passing –Edmund Kundi Senjiku a Sepik River carver recently passed away, as reported by former PPP Board Member Elaine Monds. Edmund was a young father based in the middle Sepik region of Papua New Guinea. He was a talented carver who was represented at Elaine’s former business the Alcheringa Gallery. Edmund died on February 20^th, 2020 and his uncle (also a Master Sepik Carver and PPP Friend) Edward Dumoi is taking a collection to help Edmund’s four kids aged 9-3 years old who are mourning for their father. To help or learn more contact Edward: Email: emdumoi@gmail.com or via Mobile: +675 73401336 or +675 73617215 / You can use these phone numbers for his what’s app account.

Pasifik Currents – Winter 2019

December 4, 2019 by April Ingham

*One Wave Gathering 2019 Delegation spends time with Chris Paul on Studio Tour*

Talofa Lava PPP Friends and Members,

Please remember Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) with your donation today! You can do so securely HERE. Every dollar donated makes a huge difference to PPP. We leverage your donation to secure resources critical to our sustainability and solidarity building programs like the recent One Wave Gathering in Victoria, and knowledge sharing programs like RedTide 2020: International Indigenous Climate Action Summit. Plus this supports our work with HELP Resources, to transform the informal economy in Papua New Guinea.

Enclosed in this edition of Pasifik Currents you will find a treasure trove of impact stories made possible with your support. We hope you enjoy these articles that make tribute to our President Emeritus Dr. Boutilier; acknowledge our many One Wave Gathering collaborators; introduce new climate program partnerships such as with CAYAC; showcase the power of Indigenous solidarity with Maunaukea; and shed light on the escalating human rights crisis faced by our friends and partners in West Papua. It is also a time of commemoration, join us if you can for our 44^th Annual General Meeting on December 10^thas we mark International Human Rights Day.

As the only Canadian organization dedicated to the South Pacific, we are honoured to be your partner in ensuring Indigenous and South Pacific peoples are leading the way to a resilient future. Exiting times are coming as we mark our 45^th Anniversary with a series of new programs and initiatives. We thank you for all your support, as we have so much more to accomplish together!

Yours in Pacific solidarity,

Mua Va’a, President