Palauan Culture |
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| PALAUAN CULTURE Palau villages were traditionally organized around matrilineal clans. Men and women had strictly defined roles. A council of chiefs governed the villages, while a parallel council of women held an advisory role in the control of land, money, and the selection of chiefs. While women were caretakers of their homes and families, they also carried the responsibily of educating their children about Palauan traditions and culture, ensuring the continuity of the village or clan. They also cultivated taro fields and harvested shellfish from the shallow reef. The sea was the domain of men, who braved its fury to harvest the fish necessary to sustain the village and wage battle. Inter-village wars were common so men spent a lot of time in the men's meeting halls, mastering techniques of canoe-building and refining their weaponry skills. As the sea was the source of their livelihood, men developed a close relationship with the waters of Palau, becoming versant in the currents and the phases of the moon and the behavior of the fish they sought to put on the table. Palauans for the most part strongly identify with their traditional culture. Several of the traditional ceremonies, such as the omersurch birth ceremony, ocheraol first-house ceremony and the kemeldiil funeral services are widely practiced and the codes and beliefs adopted by Palauan forefathers are still revered today. Palauans are a highly sociable people. Traditionally, history, lore and knowledge were passed down through the generations orally as there was no written language until the late 1800's. Palauans still practice that traditional method, and at the end of the day, one can often find pockets of Palauans excitingly engaged in the telling of the stories of the more recent past. |
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