The bai
Painted front, thatched roof.
Matt Kieffer from London, United Kingdom — CC BY-SA 2.0 · ctsnow — CC BY 2.0 · Abasaa — Public domain · Matt Kieffer from London, United Kingdom — CC BY-SA 2.0 · ctsnow — CC BY 2.0 · Abasaa — Public domain
The Belau National Museum in Koror is the oldest continuously running museum in Micronesia, set in the Palau Botanical Garden. Its standout piece is a traditional bai, a men's meeting house with a tall thatched roof and a triangular front painted in bright colours. The museum was founded in 1955 by Palauans together with an anthropologist. It was first housed in the former Japanese weather bureau, moved in 1970 to a two-storey building in the botanical garden and later to a new building. Since 1973 it has been a non-profit run by a board of trustees. The galleries show Palau's traditional arts, including old bead money, carved storyboards that tell tales, and historic photographs. In the garden you walk around the big bai, looking at the painted fish, birds and scenes on its front and its raised wooden floor on posts. The museum is about 700 m from central Koror. It charges a small entry fee we could not confirm. Do not climb onto the bai without permission.
Painted front, thatched roof.
Tales in carved wood.
Palau's old currency.
Palau Botanical Garden, Koror, Palau
Yes, a small one.
A traditional men's meeting house.