Taking to the field in Papua New Guinea, the Australian Indigenous XI are representing more than their country. They're representing their culture and likely the aspirations of future generations to come, skipper Christina Coulson says.

The women's national team are mid-way through a quadrangular T20 series against Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Samoa in Port Morseby.

It's been a solid start for Coulson's side in unfamiliar conditions, with Australia beating each of their opponents across the opening days of fixtures.

"The girls have adapted pretty quickly, which is great," Coulson told National Indigenous Times.

"The pitch definitely has not as much bounce or as much to life in it as we're used to in Australia… we were already going to be spin-heavy (bowling), but it's been working in our favour, making them generate some pace."

A portion of the side is more familiar with their opponents from Vanuatu, who Coulson said have been employing more pace through their overs with the ball - something her Indigenous side matched in-part during Tuesday's six-wicket win.

In 2023, men's and women's Indigenous national teams toured Vanuatu for international series' against the Pacific neighbour.

Australian ODI, WBBL and NSW state cricketer Hannah Darlington captained the women's XI on that trip, rejoining this tour as assistant coach.

Samoa remained the greatest unknown heading into their current contests, Coulson noted, with a handful on PNG's side having carved out summers in premier cricket competitions across Australia's capital cities.

Some members of Samoa's squad are also familiar faces from competition in domestic or previous matches played in Aotearoa.

"They're powerful girls with the bat, can hit a big ball," Coulson said.

An experienced captain of Queensland's state Indigenous side, leading the team in green and gold isn't an opportunity lost on Coulson.

She previously skippered the outfit on the MCG in contests against the MCC XI, though it's her first time stepping into the role for international duties.

"It's an absolute privilege," she said, "it's been awesome for me to have the opportunity to lead the group, but I'm still learning too. It's nice to have those girls to lean on as well".

Some of those she's leaning on include the host of contracted players in the squad, with the likes of Ella Hayward (Victoria), Mikayla Hinkley (WA/Perth Scorchers), Anika Learoyd (NSW/Sydney Thunder) and Emma Manix-Geeves (Tasmania/Hobart Hurricanes).

Learoyd made her debut for the side earlier in the series, with young WA talent Elsie Simpson heading over for her first tour.

The side also features a list of star performers from recent National Indigenous Cricket Championships (NICC).

Similar to playing for states and territories at the NICC, there's an important difference to throwing on green and gold in a First Nations national representative side, Coulson said.

"It's super important for us, because everyone has a different experience with culture," she said.

"To be able to learn and understand each other on a deeper level as well helps us connect on the field and off the field, so it's definitely a vital part and something that we do early on.

"But we'll also come back together as a group a little bit later in this tour, and reflect a little bit more."

Allrounder Clodagh Ryall, with her siblings, have created paintings to be part of exchanges with the other sides set to take place towards the end of the week.

"We sat down as a group and discussed that not only are we representing our country, but we're representing our culture," Coulson added.

"That's something that we try to take onto the field every time we play, just remember that we're representing more than just Australia."

In a sport where the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players isn't as high as others, the tour provides the next generation of Indigenous cricketers with an opportunity to see their role models in national colours.

"You can't really be what you can't see," Coulson said, reflecting on Cricket Australia and the federal government initiative PacificAus Sports' recent commitments to Indigenous XI tours, as well as recent media coverage of the NICCs.

For young kids, particularly those on-Country and outside major cities, "it's huge" to show there is a pathway for Indigenous cricketers, Coulson said.

The Australian Indigenous XI face each of their opponents again in the coming days, beginning with hosts PNG on Thursday followed by Samoa on Friday and Vanuatu on Saturday.