Reviving Indigenous knowledge to protect culture, climate, and community.
From ancestral houses to digital archives, we work with climate-vulnerable communities in the Solomon Islands to keep kastom alive—on land, across oceans, and in the Kloud.
In the Solomon Islands, kastom is more than tradition—it’s a way of understanding, relating to, and responding to the world. But the systems that once upheld it are now under urgent threat. As rising seas swallow coastlines and food systems collapse, communities are not just losing ground—they’re losing identity, memory, and intergenerational connection. The climate crisis is also a cultural crisis.
Too often, outside interventions arrive with promises and leave without results—overlooking the strength already within our communities. When we asked elders and chiefs what mattered most, they didn’t ask for aid. They asked for traditional knowledge to be restored, shared, and lived. They asked for youth to carry it forward. They asked for kastom to return—not as symbol, but as survival strategy.
We listened. Kastom Keepers was created to urgently respond. The work includes activating ancestral knowledge—on-ground, in practice, and in the Kloud—because even if we lose our physical homes, we must ensure our future generations never lose who they are.
“Kastom is not just what we inherit—it’s still living, its who we are and how we survive together.”
What Makes Us Different
Locally Led. Globally Relevant.
We are community-driven, not NGO-led.
We don’t “preserve” kastom—we draw on it, teach it, and adapt it.
Our model is scalable because it’s rooted, not outsourced.
We don’t just ask for help—we offer wisdom the world can learn from.
Our Founder & Leadership
Our Team
Kastom Keepers is led by Millicent Barty, a social entrepreneur, oral historian, multidisciplinary designer, cultural strategist, and passionate advocate for Indigenous leadership and innovation across the Pacific. A proud daughter of the Solomon Islands, Millicent is an Emerson Collective Fellow (2023), Obama Scholar (2021–2022), Queens Young Leader (2018), and part of Earth Company’s Impact Heroes Class of 2024.
A former Miss Solomon Islands and global speaker on Indigenous knowledge systems, Millicent brings together design, advocacy, and cultural intelligence to shape meaningful, community-led responses to the Pacific’s most urgent challenges. Her leadership is grounded in humility, deep listening, and a lifelong commitment to honoring kastom while navigating change.
She founded the Kastom Keepers in 2023, a grassroots network to collect, protect, and elevate kastom stories and insights from elders, chiefs, and cultural practitioners—ensuring they inform not only cultural preservation but also national policy frameworks.
At the heart of this effort is the Kastom Kloud: a digital platform that safeguards Indigenous knowledge, traditional oral histories and increases access for future generations. Created in direct response to climate change and its impact on Indigenous memory and identity, Kastom Keepers is emerging as a Pacific-led model of cultural and climate resilience.
Under Millicent’s leadership, Kastom Keepers is built on a decentralized governance model rooted in kastom values: respect, inclusion, and collective decision-making.
We’re a small, dedicated team at an early stage of our journey.
As we grow, we’re actively seeking collaborators, advisors, and passionate individuals to join us in strengthening kastom and climate resilience across the Solomon Islands and beyond. If you bring skills, heart, or lived experience aligned with our mission, we’d love to hear from you.
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Restoration Project Coordinator
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Finance
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Community Liason Officer
Our Governance
Kastom Keepers–Kloud is a legally registered community company in the Solomon Islands under the Charitable Trust Act. This structure reflects our commitment to community-led development, while enabling us to enter formal partnerships, receive grant funding, and sustain operations independently of NGOs.
Each community we work with is guided by a local advisory board made up of elders (both men and women), village and tribal chiefs, and youth leaders, ensuring our work and programs are led by those who live it.
How we’re funded
Our funding streams are modest but meaningful. We began with personal investment and in-kind community support, and have since grown through small grants and fellowship-backed initiatives. While this has enabled us to build a strong foundation, the demand for our work continues to grow—and so does the need for sustained support. To expand our reach, deepen our impact, and ensure long-term resilience, we’re seeking aligned partners, funders, and supporters who believe in community-led solutions, cultural survival, and climate justice. Every contribution helps us keep this movement grounded, independent, and truly transformative.
Restoration Projects - Rebuilding traditional kastom houses (community hubs)
Australian High Commission’s Community Partnerships Program
Small Grants
2024 - Young Pacific Leaders Small Grants Program
Embassy of Netherlands in Canberra
Irish Embassy in Canberra
Earth Company’s Impact Heroes - Class of 24
Partnerships
Millicent Designs Ltd.
Australian Museum
Positive Change for Marine Life (PCML) - USAid
Donations
Community collections