Comparative statue research:

Fieldwork on the islands of Oreor and Babeldaob, Republic of Belau (Palau), Micronesia, 1987

In 1987 we were drawn to Belau by a statue described by archaeologist Douglas Osborne, who had worked there in the 1960s, as “strikingly like those of Easter Island.” Although he said it was “more conventionalized” and “less naturalistic” than Easter Island sculpture, the possibility that it resembled moai was intriguing, and we undertook eight weeks of intensive field survey work in the Republic of Belau (Palau). Our intent was to collect data on the formal and stylistic qualities of the statue Osborne had described, and then to record any others we might find. The aim was to gather enough data to constitute one component of a comparative study of Pacific monolithic stone sculpture.

Stone statues or monuments in Belau are one of ten elements that define Level 1, a “village settlement system” of a two level settlement system research model. Archaeologists conducting island-wide surveys have classified artifacts, areas, or features into three categories: discrete portable objects (potsherds, chipped and ground stone); discrete non-portable features (platforms, statues, uprights); and non-discrete, non-portable areas (terraces).

We located thirty-eight monoliths on the islands of Babledaob and Oreor (Koror), twenty-eight of which had human features. These were fully measured, mapped, photographed, drawn, and in some cases, cleared or partially excavated. After analysis of the features we were able to group them into four type categories. The resultant sculpture typology was then related to archaeological context, and some issues of function and meaning were clarified through ethnographic data, rock art analysis, and comparative study.

Rapa Nui people have traditionally referred to their statues as moai (the “living face” of their ancestors), and Belauans call their stone carvings klidm, or “face.” Both terms are generic classifications that conclude sculptures of varying types and sizes. When we finally located the statue Osborne believed resembled an Easter Island moai (project number 27), we discovered that it was only 63.5 m tall. Carved of andesite, it was broken, very worn and eroded. Called Iechadrachuolu (“Mr. Protection”), it was situated on exactly the same spot at Imeong where Osborne had first seen it. It was upright, facing west on the shoreline at the mouth of the Ngerdong River.

The figure had no facial features, but it was wearing a rounded “headdress” and had a pronounced, overhanging brow. It fit nicely with the style of another figure in the same area to which, as Osborne had originally stated, it was “obviously related.” The carving was not similar, in any real way, to Easter Island statues, and was well within the Belauan tradition. It and the other figures we recorded were all part of an integrated expression of local artistic concepts, and demonstrated formal and symbolic continuity as well as transformation over time.

Want to know more?

Hijikata, H. 1956. “Report on Consecrated Stone Images and Other Stone Works in Palau, Micronesia.” Japanese Journal of Ethnology 20(3,4):1-54. The English translation may be found in Stone Images of Palau. Guam: Micronesian Area Research Center Publication No. 3.

Osborne, D. 1966. The Archaeology of the Palau Islands: An Intensive Survey. Honolulu: Bernice P. Bishop Museum Bulletin 230.

Van Tilburg, Jo Anne 1991. “Anthropomorphic stone monoliths on the islands of Oreor and Babeldaob, Republic of Belau (Palau), Micronesia.” Honolulu: Bernice P. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers 31, pp. 3-62

 

EISP’s Educational Outreach in Belau: School of the Pacific Islands

Most scholars and fieldworkers have reported that Belauans today have very little interest in the monolithic stone carvings and that, in the opinions of many islanders, foreigners surely must have carved them. The experience we had with the Belau Monolithic Sculpture Project in 1987, however, told us something quite different. We found that many Belauans had a profound interest in the carvings as a valued part of their cultural heritage. We were also convinced that some of the carvings were still valued as sacred objects in several of the more remote villages.

We discovered this, in part, because of the way in which we had structured the educational outreach portion of our archaeological field project. Our curriculum, authored largely by Marty Gonzalez, a professional classroom teacher in California with an advanced degree in anthropology and experience in the Pacific islands, was centered upon directed ethnographic research conducted by a team of Belauan highschool students. Twelve young people participated in the project as part of a summer program at the Belau National Museum, coordinated with the Belau Community Action Agency, the Division of Cultural Affairs and our granting agency, California-based School of the Pacific Islands. In the classroom, Marty taught the students global cultural history with special emphasis on Pacific cultures and ethnographic interview techniques. Then they were invited to become directly involved with our archaeological field survey.

The students participated fully in all of our work, mastering skills of mapping, field drawing, compass reading, and writing site reports. They slogged with us through the mud of roads under construction in northern Babeldaob, walked stone paths they had not previously known existed, carried field equipment, and kept detailed records and fieldnotes of their work. They were, individually and as a group, valuable crew members and enjoyable companions.

Their most important contribution was certainly in the realm of ethnography. They asked questions of everyone they met, and interviewed village elders with respect and sensitivity. They filled up pages and pages of notebooks with interesting tidbits of information, family gossip, love triangles, and fascinating village yarns. They learned much about themselves, their own strengths and weaknesses, the value of the memories of their elders, and the significance of their own culture history to outsiders. Our project was enriched by their efforts in many ways, not the least of which was their discovery of a long-forgotten and hidden stone sculpture in the village of Melekeok. Once found, they turned to and helped to excavate it with diligence. All in all, our field school for Belauan highschool students was rewarding on many levels. We regard it as a successful extension of our own fieldwork and community involvement on Easter Island (Rapa Nui). Our colleagues in Pacific archaeology may find it a good model for their own projects as well.

Want to Know More?

Van Tilburg, J. 1989. “The Klidm of Belau.” Tamuning, Guam: Guam and Micronesia Glimpses 3:45-50.