A House United
THE CEREMONIAL BAI OF BELAU
In the vast blue of the southern Pacific Ocean, about 300 miles due east of the Philippines, large gable-fronted houses known as Bai sit among swaying palm trees on the island of Belau. Decorated with elaborately carved and painted symbols of wealth, fertility, mythic beings, and community members, Bai tell stories about each community through their architectural designs. Usually located in the village square, Bai serve as the social, political, and artistic centers for each community.
Some speculate that before contact with Europeans in the 19th century, the imagery may have included references to headhunting ceremonies, but currently, the most common designs found include circles (stone money disks), mythic birds and roosters (symbols for male virility and money), spiders and goddesses (female fertility), and “storyboard” paintings filled with historical events. These storyboard paintings are a relatively new addition to the Bai decorations.
Begun in the 1930s while the island was occupied by Japan, Belauan artists began to copy the traditional images carved into the rafters of the Bai onto portable boards for sale to tourists. The creation of these storyboards developed into a unique and important Belauan art form. The historical and mythical designs that decorate both the inside and outside of the Bai can now be transported around the world on flat wooden panels, a tradition that continues to this day. —SBR