Daniel Lin

Nicole Yamase begins her journey of discovery by diving to the deepest part of the ocean, an area within the Marianas Trench named "Challenger Deep" that lies beneath the territorial waters of her country. When she surfaces, she is met with a storm of media attention. Feeling the immense pressure of being the first Micronesian and Pacific Islander to go down to the Challenger Deep (and only the second woman in history), Nicole begins a deeper dive into her own identity as a Micronesian and a descendent of great navigators. This experience ultimately opens her eyes to the true resilience of Pacific Island people who–despite immense hardship brought on by external forces–continue to draw strength from the cultural practices, languages, and ancestral knowledge that anchor them to their oceanic homeland.

A mountainous expanse of the Solomon Islands, known as Sky Aelans, hides in the clouds. Here, there is a chorus of animals, every tree has a story and every drop of water carries a memory. But despite a 2018 pledge to protect mountain regions above 400 meters, this land is being threatened and the Indigenous communities who live in these mountain forests are the last protectors of these high sacred places. They are not simply seeking to save themselves and the land they love, but the creatures who inhabit this pristine island in the clouds.