Ton Yagami, aka "Taiko Toni" has been performing and teaching the Japanese art of taiko for over 35 years. She spoke about the spiritual connection to the drums and where they come from- preserving their history. I love how joyfully she plays.
Toni also spoke about preservation and new development in the art, and appreciation versus appropriation. Bottom line....be enthusiastic but remember to heed and listen to the knowledge of those who's culture it stems from.
As usual, I couldn't think of anything clever as an answer to the name tag "conversation starter". However, in thinking about my off-the-cuff answer, it rings true to where I'm at. I'm focusing on preserving relationships that are deep and meaningful, to spending my time doing the things that I truly love. I'm preserving my deep roots.