The name “Pacific Ocean” or “The Pacific” was given to the region by European explorers in the early 16th century based on the calm waters they encountered, reflecting a Eurocentric view from the age of colonialism. However, this overlooks the deep cultural and spiritual connections Indigenous “Pacific” peoples have long had with the ocean. There are various indigenous names for the ocean and the land this region entails that emphasize the oceans vastness and its central role in the lives of native peoples. These Indigenous perspectives were often pushed aside by colonial naming and mapping, which imposed foreign terms and ideas. Today, Indigenous scholars like Epeli Hauʻofa remind us that for “Pacific” Islanders, the ocean is not just water; it is identity, ancestry, and community. Hauʻofa describes the ocean as a unifying force, not a barrier, that connects all the inhabitants of the region through their deep-rooted relationship with the ocean and within themselves. Therefore, the term Oceania offers an alternative name, which reminds us that the region is not defined through its colonial past. “We are the sea; we are the ocean. Oceania is us.” (Epeli Hauʻofa) Hauʻofa, Epeli. 1993. “Our Sea of Islands.” In A New Oceania: Rediscovering Our Sea of Islands, edited by Eric Waddell, Vijay Naidu, and Epeli Hauʻofa, 2–16. Suva, Fiji: University of the South Pacific. also published as Hau’ofa, Epeli. 1994. “Our Sea of Islands.” Contemporary Pacific 6(1): 148-161.