A humble, unassuming and skillful young man, Joshua Jim is a passionate guardian of his home island Atiu’s cultural heritage.

He has deep-rooted admiration and respect for the traditions and customs of the island’s culture.

Born on the island of Atiu, he was raised by his maternal grandparents Tangi and Patikura Jim.

He is committed to preserving Atiu’s culture, arts and traditions, which were passed down to him by his gifted and artistic grandmother.

“I know how to do everything about my culture from my grandmother, she’s now in her 80s.”

Jim said many of the Ariki investitures held in the Cook Islands usually order their traditionally made costumes from his grandmother.

“We make the tapa cloth together,” he says, “and she taught me how to sew tivaivai.”

Absorbing the cultural knowledge; he learned with his just-as-passionate-about-culture partner Maui Matekino, together they established and operate the Atiu Punarea Culture Tours.

“Punarea focuses on our Atiu culture where we are trying to revive the knowledge of our arts like making tapa, the tui tui (candle nut lights) and teach the history of Atiu,” says Jim.

He is dedicated to sharing the richness of his culture with children and youth on the island.

Jim is also the leader of the Atiu senior students, who are part of Kōrero o te 'Ōrau’s 'Ātui’anga ki te Tango school holiday programme, and believes in connecting children to their natural environment and cultural heritage.

He adds Te 'Ātui’anga ki te Tango programme provides a door to share cultural knowledge with children and encourages them to be proud of their reo and heritage.

“Our kids do have cultural knowledge that their parents have passed on to them but it’s just that they don’t know how great that knowledge is or that it can be a pathway for their future,” said Jim.

“We want to show them that pathway.”

The group is fundraising to take seven students to Hawaii for a cultural exchange programme in July.

“We want to take our kids so they can see, learn, and exchange, and expose them to other cultures.”

Earlier this year, Jim attended a conservation “raui” workshop in Hawaii.

He said the Hawai’ian community is trying to revive their “raui” systems and is pleased to learn how the Cook Islands implements and supervises raui.

“They thanked us for continuing our tradition of conservation,” he said.

Jim has a deep love for fishing and frequently takes young people out to sea. If he had his way, he would spend most of his time out on the ocean fishing, and inland in the bush hunting.

If you would like to contribute to the Atiu 'Ātui’anga ki te Tango cultural exchange programme in Hawai’i, contact the group via Facebook.