Hunters of the South Seas

The Kula Ring

Boasting the richest waters on the planet, the Coral Triangle is home to people who have adapted to ocean life like nowhere else. Writer Will Millard travels to three of its most fascinating communities to understand their unique connection with the sea. In the third and final episode, Will explores the extraordinary cultures of the Kula Ring. This remote part of the western Pacific is home to tiny island communities which have survived thanks to a unique network of trade called Kula. Kula involves islanders setting out on epic canoe expeditions to exchange precious shell armbands with neighbouring islands. Through these exchanges, these isolated communities are connected together and share in other forms of trade. But as mass tourism arrives - and foreign money begins to flow - is there a future for the kula ring and the network it provides?