In-House Archaeological and Ethnographic Reconnaissance Survey in Ngeremlengui State Part Two: Ethnographic Findings

Marsh, Kelly; Kloulubak, Sylvia

Executive Summary: "With the completion of the Compact Road in the last decade, accessibility, and the interest in developing, land on Babeldaob is rapidly growing. In an effort to mitigate the effects of increased traffic and development on the cultural and historic resources of Palau's largest island, the Bureau of Arts and Culture/Palau Historic Preservation Office (BAC/HPO) has been conducting a state by state survey of cultural and historic sites. Those sites which were already known or previously recorded in fieldwork and publications have identified and evaluated by the BAC/HPO in all 16 states, including the 10 states on Babeldaob. The BAC/HPO is currently investigating those areas within each state on Babeldaob where there has been no prior survey or investigation. This report contains the result of a reconnaissance survey conducted in and about an important and potentially threatened region of Ngeremlengui State, on the western side of the island. The survey findings confirm that this area contains a number of culturally significant sites requiring more intensive level fieldwork before they can be safely and responsibly developed into tourist destinations to benefit the State and that there is more significant information to gather regarding oral history, ethnographic information, and Elders - their life histories, World War II experiences, and observations of changes over time in their state. The findings also confirm that there are unexpected hazards and other conditions that will need to be adequately addressed before such surveys can be safely undertaken. A consideration that needs to be factored into future archaeological and ethnographic surveys in Palau is the immensity of the land that comprises each state. The unrecorded areas of each state, predominantly located in the interior portion of Babeldaob, were previously scheduled to be surveyed in their entirety on the order of one state per year. This older schedule was overly ambitious and did not factor in several issues such as a practical amount of time to conduct the surveys, especially as the Republic of Palau is a young, developing nation and the expertise of the BAC/HPO archaeologist, ethnographer, and historic preservation specialists must necessarily be divided between several type of historic preservation tasks, each imperative to saving the cultural and historic resources of the nation and Peoples of Palau. Nor did it factor in possible priorities each state may have to develop certain regions for tourism, agriculture, housing developments, etc., necessitating a thorough archaeological and ethnographic investigation to assist the states in protecting their cultural and historical heritage. A new survey schedule is being developed by the BAC/HPO that the office hopes will incorporate the need to inventory cultural and historic sites throughout Palau with the goals and expectations of the states for the protection, preservation, and promotion of their cultural resources." Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the Palau Historic Preservation Office, Bureau of Arts and Culture, Ministry of Community and Cultural Affairs, administered by the Pacific West Regional Office, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior (grant number 70-11-31964).

In-House Archaeological and Ethnographic Reconnaissance Survey in Ngeremlengui State Part Two: Ethnographic Findings

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