Tidal Kin: Stories from the Pacific

Abstract

The histories of Pacific Islander travellers in the city of Sydney are poorly recorded or even remembered today. This exhibition is a response to the lack of recognition and resources for the over 90,000 New South Wales people who claim Pacific heritage and the millions across the region with links to materials in Australian institutions such as the Chau Chak Wing Museum. Structured around eight individuals who travelled to the city, the stories begin with the recollections of Gweagal people of the arrival of HMB Endeavour. A biographical approach was crucial for simplifying the complexities of Pacific peoples’ cultural, linguistic and geographical diversity and to connect on a personal level with visitors. Strategically it supported the work of the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Oceania Working Party along with other truth-telling practices. For each story we invited direct descendants or compatriots to work with us. Each assisted not only in documenting the travels of an ancestor in Sydney, but in ensuring the materials on exhibition were suitable for a wide audience. Our research was also grounded in academic Pacific history-writing that flourished in the 1970s. An outcome of independence movements across the region, Australian academics sought to integrate traditional European research methods with history-making practices in Pacific nations and territories. To further decolonising strategies acquisition histories were not incorporated into labels; these can be found through our on-line catalogue.