I often talk about my childhood in the Reef Islands, a special place on the far eastern seas of Solomon Islands. It is there that I learned to fish, to plant root crops and to hunt. I came to understand how to read the weather and which plants could be used for injuries and cuts. Above all, I was taught the importance of caring for the land and the ocean.

During bedtime, the spiritual connection to the land was taught to me through kastom stories. How did this land come about, how did that island come about, why is the river shaped like this or why is there a big rock near that waterfall? These stories taught me to respect and understand the natural world.

But now, that same world feels uncertain. How do we explain to our children why the ocean that sustains us has become the very thing that threatens our home? I watch as it chips away at our island of Fanalei, the place we all love. The ocean that was once my playground and my teacher is now the source of one of my greatest fears.

King tides, flooding, storms. What they call extreme........

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