In this episode of our cultural adventure series, Sefi channels the great Samoan warrior goddess: Nafanua.

This tale is based on the legendary oral history of Nafanua, the daughter of Saveasi'uleo, the king of the underworld, who once stepped in to end a great battle between eastern and western tribes of Samoa. Nafanua has 3 special tools that she uses: one was for herself, the TaFesilafa'i; one was for her adopted family, Fa'auli'ulito, and the other was called Ulimasao which was used for victory, to end war and bring peace. She is a historic figure that is often cited as being one of the great leaders of Samoa. 

This podcast was produced by Studio Ochenta for Trax from PRX and was hosted by Kelly Marie Tran and Yara Shahidi. Sefi was voiced by Abby Leuelu. Nafanua was voiced by Aryn Rozelle; Laki was voiced by Jared Raman; Loto was voiced by EJ Espino and Coach T. was voiced by Irvin Kalugdan. Special thanks to our Cultureverse editorial team for this episode: Nicole Alefaio, Izik Moreno, and Terisa Tinei, who brought their Samoan experiences to this story. 

Transcripts and additional resources to learn more about Samoan folklore and oral history at ochentastudio.com/cultureverse.

Hi Cultureverse Fans! We’re off this week but we wanted to share a brand new show that you might enjoy: Milky Way Underground!

Lydia and Elijah are going through a lot: Lydia’s best friend isn’t talking to her, Elijah thinks he might have a crush on his best friend, and their father’s alcoholism threatens to tear their family apart. On top of this, Lydia and Elijah are both having stranger and stranger dreams… though neither of them realize their dreams mirror each other’s. Then one night, their dad goes missing. In an attempt to find him, Lydia and Elijah head into the subway. But something is… off about the station. Taking the first car that arrives, Lydia and Elijah find themselves in the middle of a far-off creek, with New York City nowhere in sight. Join siblings Lydia and Elijah on a fantastical, surreal journey through a mysterious dreamworld as they search for their missing father. Are the people they meet in this other world really who they say they are? Who—or what—seems to be protecting them? Can they trust their surroundings, or each other, or themselves?

Milky Way Underground is a heartfelt journey of self-discovery fit for the whole family. Inspired by the films of Hayao Miyazaki and books like A Wrinkle in Time and The Giver, Milky Way Underground is about both the difficulties and the joy of growing up and becoming yourself.

Journey further into the world of the show with bonus interactive episodes, where listeners can truly become a part of Lydia and Elijah’s multiple worlds.

Cultureverse and Milky Way Underground are part of the TRAX network from PRX. You can listen to both shows on TRAX.FM and wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode of our cultural adventure series, Dwayne, Obi, and Tiffanie encounter an ancient Pan African water spirit called Mami Wata.

This story is inspired by the Pan-African folktale of the Mami Wata, a water goddess known for protecting seaside towns by sending fishermen calm waters. Africans who were displaced from their continent believed that the Mami Wata guided & protected them as they were taken to the West. Even today, for many Africans in the Western world, the deity is said to have traveled with them from Africa on the Atlantic Ocean protecting them from harm.

This podcast was produced by Studio Ochenta for TRAX on PRX and is hosted by Yara Shahidi. Obi was voiced by Owen Nnamdi Aguh. Dwayne was voiced by Kevin Thelwell. Tiffanie was voiced by Marion Toro, Aunt Ngozi by Florence Mafomemeh, and Mami Wata by Janet Onye with Anooj Bhandari as crowd member and Cherie B. Tay as Sandy Poplore.

Transcripts and additional resources to learn more about Nigerian and Pan African oral history are available at ochentastudio.com/cultureverse.

In this episode of our cultural adventure series, Amita meets the Loyal Mongoose from the ancient Indian tale of the same name.

This story is inspired by the Indian morality folktale about the Loyal Mongoose. An ancient tale from the Panchatantra collection, an enormously influential group of stories from ancient India. In this particular story, a farmer couple has a pet mongoose. One day, the couple leaves the mongoose with their baby, assured that he would guard their baby well. While they’re gone, a snake enters the house and tries to attack the baby. The loyal mongoose attacks the snake to protect it. But, when the mother arrives home, she sees the mongoose with bloodstains. She thinks the mongoose tried to harm the baby. In her anger, she kills the loyal mongoose. When she enters her house, she sees her baby is fine with a dead snake beside him. She realizes what happened and regrets her actions.

This podcast was produced by Studio Ochenta for TRAX on PRX and hosted by Yara Shahidi. Amita was voiced by Sakshi Sharma. Mongoose was voiced by Jacob Lukose. Vinit was voiced by Aaryan Arora. With Salim Mohammed as Mr. Singh.

Transcripts and additional resources to learn more about Indian folklore are available at ochentastudio.com/cultureverse.

In this episode of our cultural adventure series, Juan visits his family in Puerto Rico and loses a very valuable watch in this homage to the classic Puerto Rican folk character: Juan Bobo.

This story is inspired by Juan Bobo, a Puerto Rican folk character. In Spanish, bobo means “fool,” and Juan Bobo is a jíbaro -which means “farmer.” He’s known for always getting into sticky situations, but in the end, Juan’s choices always show he is much wiser than expected.

This podcast was produced by Studio Ochenta for TRAX on PRX. Juan was voiced by Claudio Venancio. Alberto was voiced by Víctor Emmanuelle Ramos. Aunt Linda was voiced by Alondra Llompart. Carmen was voiced by Natasha Yannacañedo. Don León was voiced by Israel Tanenbaum. Special thanks to our Cultureverse editorial team for this episode: America Lugo, Amanda Cruz, and Charlotte Álvarez, who brought their Puerto Rican experiences to this story.

Transcripts and additional resources to learn more about Puerto Rican folklore are available at ochentastudio.com/cultureverse.

What happens when you step into the Cultureverse?

In this episode of our cultural adventure series, Kevin celebrates the Korean ceremony of Jesa and travels through a sacred cosmic tree. 

This story represents the importance of Sacred Trees in South Korean mythology. These trees are usually outside of villages in South Korea, and they are the location for the community's rituals. According to Korean shamanism, the Sacred Tree, also known as the Cosmic Tree, keeps a connection between the mortal and the spirit realms.

This episode was produced by Studio Ochenta for Trax on PRX. Hosted by Yara Shahidi. This podcast was produced by Studio Ochenta for TRAX on PRX. Kevin was voiced by Jonathan Kim. Kevin’s Dad was voiced by G-Su Paek. Halmeoni was voiced by Patty Sang, and Harabeoji was voiced by June Yoon. Special thanks to the CultureVerse editorial team for this episode, Dr. Kiona, David Yi and Ji-Youn Kim for advising on elements from Korean culture.

Transcripts and additional resources to learn more about Korean folklore are available at ochentastudio.com/cultureverse.

In this episode of our cultural adventure series, Sarah creates her own Golem in this homage to the ancient Hebrew folk creature of the same name.

This story is inspired by the Jewish folktale of the Golem, a stone figure brought to life to protect a Jewish community in Prague. Golems are not intelligent, and if commanded to perform a task, they will perform the instructions literally. There are many variations of the golem story which originates from the Czech Republic, Poland, and ancient Judaic tribes.

This podcast was produced by Studio Ochenta for TRAX on PRX. Hosted by Yara Shahidi. Sarah was voiced by Dylan Tanzer. Deborah was voiced by Azriela Jaffe, Aaron was voiced by Xavier Geneste and Greg was Luis Raúl López Levi. Special thanks to our Cultureverse editorial team for this episode: Jamie Bourne and Liz Kleinrock, who brought their Jewish experiences to this story.

*Transcripts and additional resources to learn more about Hebrew folklore are available at ochentastudio.com/cultureverse.*

In this episode of our cultural adventure series, May finds a curious watermelon that connects her to her Vietnamese heritage and herself.

This story is inspired by the Vietnamese folktale, The Watermelon Prince. It is the story of a king’s adopted son who gets banished to a faraway island after the king’s biological son spreads vicious rumors about the adopted one. It is on the island that the son discovers the watermelon. One day, he carves a message of love to his adopted father in the watermelon and throws it in the ocean, so that someone else may discover it. It washes up on the shores of  Vietnam and is taken to the king.  The king sees the message and discovers the truth: that the rumors about his adopted son were not true. Two weeks after that, a ship sent by the king brings his son back to the palace where he eventually becomes king of Vietnam and rules to the end of his days.

This podcast was produced by Studio Ochenta for TRAX on PRX. May and May The Driver were voiced by Vicky Nguyen, Stephanie was voiced by Helen Chhea, Mrs. Nguyen was voiced by Hua Szu Yang and May’s Mom was voiced by Lory Martínez.

Special thanks to the Cultureverse editorial team for this episode, Ty Nguyen and Liz Kleinrock for advising on elements from Vietnamese culture.

Transcripts and additional resources to learn more about Vietnamese folklore are available at ochentastudio.com/cultureverse.

What happens when you step into the Cultureverse?

In this episode of our cultural adventure series, Sean receives a gift with the power of the Celtic God: Dagda.

This story was inspired by Dagda's harp, a mystical object in Celtic mythology. Dagda is one of the most important Celtic gods. He owns objects with magical powers, including a cauldron and a club... But his most famous and iconic instrument is his magical harp. It’s made of oak and richly decorated, and this instrument allowed him to control the coming and going of the seasons, the weather, and also the might of warriors during battle and the emotions of entire towns.

This podcast was produced by Studio Ochenta for TRAX on PRX and is hosted by Kelly Marie Tran. Sean was voiced by Elliot Gindi. Zoe was voiced by Lina Goggins-Rendón. And the voice of Granny was played by Sarah Golding.

Special thanks to our Cultureverse editorial team for this episode, Rita McNiff and Ciara McNally, who brought their experiences as Irish and Irish-Americans to this story.

Transcripts and additional resources to learn more about Irish folklore are available at ochentastudio.com/cultureverse.

What happens when you step into the Cultureverse?

In this episode of our cultural adventure series, Ahuli learns to listen to his animal relative: Gitli in this homage to the Cherokee myth of The Deluge.

This story is inspired by the Cherokee myth called  “The Deluge”. In the story, a long time ago a man had a dog, which began to go down to the river every day and look at the water and howl. The dog warned of a flood that would soon cover the entire world. The dog convinced the man to build a raft and the man’s family (and the dog) remained safe in the raft as the water rose. It rained for a long time, and the water covered the mountaintops. When the rain stopped, the man climbed to the top of a mountain and saw that everything was still and they were the few that survived.

This podcast was produced by Studio Ochenta for TRAX on PRX. Ahuli was voiced by Calvin Joyal. Ama was voiced by Lorna Bowen. Andre was voiced by Kevin Thelwell. Sandy Poplore, the Newscaster, is Cherie B. Tay. The Animal Control Officer was voiced by Bryan Green.

Special thanks to our Cultureverse editorial team for this episode: Joseph Pierce, Melanie McKay-Cody and Jack Cooper who brought their experiences as Cherokee people to this story.

Transcripts and additional resources to learn more about Cherokee folklore are available at ochentastudio.com