Tidal Kin

Stories from the Pacific

'Tidal Kin' reclaims the stories of eight Pacific Islander visitors to Sydney during the 18th and 19th centuries. Alongside cultural objects, a soundscape of voices of present-day compatriots and descendants recount their ancestors’ stories in their own languages.

'Tidal Kin' sheds light on Sydney as a significant Pacific port, thriving with travel, trade, rivalries, and celebrations. The exhibition chronicles a transformative maritime era; with the burgeoning presence of Europeans in Sydney, the great Ocean witnessed competing quests for power, from commerce to Christianity. The exhibition begins in April 1770 when Tupaia, a Ra’iatean navigator and Tahitian priest, stepped ashore at Kamay (Botany Bay), alongside James Cook and Joseph Banks. It concludes in 1882 with the arrival of Phebe Parkinson, an enterprising Samoan-born businesswoman.

Once a welcoming Pacific hub, Sydney changed in 1901 with the advent of Federation, and the implementation of the White Australia Policy. This marked the gradual erosion of the shared Pacific histories that once flourished in the region. 'Tidal Kin – Stories from the Pacific' reclaims these histories.

Featured in the exhibition

Canoe splashboard from Woodlark Island — Puarer story, canoe splashboard, Woodlark Island, PNG ET2022.122

Loincloth from West New Britain — GarryGarry story, loincloth, West New Britain, PNG ET2018.118

Ceremonial yam bag from New Caledonia — Bwahrat story, ceremonial yam bag, Hienghene New Caledonia ETD.666

Header image: Conch (triton) shell trumpet, New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea, before 1891, ET2019.25

Level 3, Power Gallery

Closed Sunday 4 August

Plan your visit

Everything you need to know