The Carteret Islands: Documenting Culture on Islands Disappearing under the Sea

The Carteret Islands, low lying atolls east of Bouganville and Papua New Guinea, are being threatened by a rapidly advancing ocean. This has caused its population to become one of the first indigenous cultures forced to prepare for and implement measures for the permanent resettlement of their entire community.

Relocation of the Islanders into communities that are geographically, culturally, politically and socially different will make the preservation and continuation of their culture and unique cultural identity difficult.

This cultural documentation project has been carried out to assist the Carteret Islanders with preserving cultural knowledge and continuity across community fragmentation and resettlement.

This documentary hopes to assist the Carteret Islanders with their relocation efforts and helps us to focus on the human face of climate change by providing a clearer understanding of the consequences of sea level rise on people living on low level islands and coastal communities.