Talanoa Oceania are gatherings for persons who are interested in the dynamic ways and diverse peoples of Oceania (or Pacific Islanders, abbreviated as PIs) who have migrated overseas (as did our ancestors, who crossed the paths of Oceania).  These gatherings are in response to:

1. PIs being torn between where we live and our home islands, partly because we have not been fully understood (in our new locations) and released (from our island homes)
2. PIs continuing to look for directions from our home islands, partly because a sea of talanoa* has not been gathered to root us in our current locations
3. PIs searching for meaningful ways of staying connected to our island cultures, churches and homes
4. PIs misunderstanding other cultures, partly because we are confused with who we are, in our current locations, and we are consequently easily misunderstood
5. PIs not being homogenous, so we need to name and come to terms with our diversity, complexity, richness, ambiguity, and more ... as we seek to kindle crosscultural creativity

Talanoa Oceania will gather from time to time at different (is)lands:

* When someone from the South Seas tells (talanoa) a talanoa (story), it is not just about sharing information and entertaining listeners. A talanoa also has to do with locating identity (in space and in relationships), with offering instructions (to listeners), with explaining struggles and journeys, with customs and rituals, with hope and more. Sharing of talanoa can also make storytellers and their people vulnerable, as if they have become telenoa (Samoan: naked), so it is a sharing that needs to be offered and received responsibly.