As part of the un/tethered: connections through storytellers from Papua New Guinea exhibition, this panel discussion brings together four speakers for a multigenerational conversation exploring themes of cultural connection, disconnection, and the role of matriarchs in shaping identity and memory.

The conversation will reflect on how relationships to culture shift across generations – how traditions are passed down, reshaped, or lost, and what it means to carry those complexities. Central to this dialogue is the influence of matriarchs: as cultural keepers, storytellers, and often the bridge between generations.

The panel consists of Ranu James, Moale James, Paia Ingram (snr) and Paia Ingram (jnr). As a family, they have contributed to the un/tethered exhibition, sharing deep insight that speak to intergenerational connection, loss, and resilience.

Together, they will reflect on what it means to feel tethered to, or distanced from, cultural roots in different ways and at different stages of life.