Hinano Murphy is a widely recognized expert in Tahitian cultural history. She grew up on Moorea and Tahiti learning oral traditions from her elders. She worked in education as a school teacher and later in her career she served as a technical advisor to the government, developing Tahitian language/culture programs for the schools. She then became the associate Director of the UC Berkeley Gump Research Station and the President of the cultural organization Te Pu Atitia, where she founded the Atitia Cultural Center on Moorea.
Most recently she is serving as the Cultural Director for Tetiaroa Society and the head of the Cultural Committee that advises on all cultural matters in Tetiaroa. Hinano is involved in many Polynesian cultural and conservation initiatives and among other commitments has talked about the Polynesian connection to the ocean at the 2019 World Oceans Day at the United Nations, and more recently at the IMPAC5 Congress in Vancouver.
