As modern trends shape how children are named, how is this shaping our traditions?

Be proud of our name and never allow the outside world to impact our relationship with it — it existed long before anything else came to our shores."How much do you really know about your name? Wendy Mocke is from Madang and Simbu provinces in Papua New Guinea. She knows that her name ties her to her village, her elders, and her heritage. Like many communities across the Pacific, Wendy's naming traditions were disrupted by colonisation and Christianity. Now, a new wave of young people is reclaiming their village names. In Palau, Kiblas Soaladaob shares how her name was chosen by her father, following a tradition that ties children to their paternal line in a matrilineal society. Tagaloatele Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop, one of Samoa's leading academics, explores how names act as anchors — marking who you come from, where you belong, and the legacy you carry forward.Listen to this episode of Culture Compass with host Afamasaga Seiuli Salamasina von Reiche on ABC Radio Australia.Culture Compass was produced by Deadset Studios for ABC Radio Australia.