Narratives of Oceania, VĀSĀ: The Space that is Sacred: Pacific Islanders in Higher Education.

This workshop draws on the indigenous Pasifika concept of VĀSĀ (Ocean)—an indigenous framework that understands the ocean as a sacred, relational space connecting peoples, lands, and knowledge systems across Oceania. Moving beyond colonial maps that divide and contain, participants will explore Indigenous Pacific approaches to mapping that center genealogy, migration, storytelling, and spiritual relationships to place. Through interactive reflection and collaborative mapping, this session reimagines cartography as a living, cultural practice—one that honors the ocean not as empty space, but as a vibrant network of identity, memory, and connection.