Abstract
The world is populated by people of different cultures. Culture is a form of expression or shared practices binding a group of people or community together. This essay is an investigation into global histories of encounter and cultural exchange, establishing connections between my Indonesian cultural heritage, Pasifika culture, Central Asia, Anatolia, China, Europe and Mesoamerica. Focusing on the migration of cultural motifs, it explores how cultural motifs move with people and migration, then are adapted, reinterpreted and recontextualized. My particular focus is on the four-petal flower and its variations. This essay seeks to emphasize that culture arises not solely from the resources of one single community, but also from encounters and exchanges with other cultures. It challenges any sense of cultural purity and the notion of originality in postcolonial space and identity.

Keywords: Global encounter, Cultural geography, Cross-cultural mobility, Postcolonial identity, four-petal flower or quatrefoil.