KOROR STATE GOVERNMENT MARINE TOUR GUIDE ... - C3

4.8 Bai
A traditional Palauan meeting house is called a bai. Every village used to have several,
and these wooden structures were unique masterpieces of architecture considering the
builders used primitive tools. Similar buildings have been found in Malaysia and
Indonesia, but the Palauan bai differs in that no metal was used at all: no nails, screws
or pegs. Even their main tool, the adze (Chebakl) had a blade made from shell, while the
Malaysian and Indonesian areas had metal available centuries earlier.
The decorations on the Palauan bai were much more elaborate. The Palauan bai
structures were probably at their best during European contacts. The quality and
craftsmanship diminished in later years and many were destroyed during storms and
local wars. Around 1900, many villages and bai were not rebuilt due to the dramatic drop
in population at that time. The bai decorations told stories from all the districts of Palau,
thus preserving historical events and legends since there was no other written history. It
is not known when the first bai was built in Palau. It probably started with the first
inhabitants of the islands. The wooden structures lasted around 50 years, until
weakened by storms and termites, when they were rebuilt again.
A bai is a large structure around 80 feet long,
20 feet wide and 40 feet high. It was built on
a stone platform, constructed of round
andesite stones. Sometimes there were two
or three bai next to each other. The inside of
a bai basically consists of a large rectangular
room with two fireplaces in the hardwood
floor.
There were two types of bai, the bai ra
Rubak and the bai ra Cheldebechel (the bai
for Chiefs and the Clubhouse bai). The bai ra
Rubak were more elaborately decorated
than the others and women were not allowed
in these bai. The clubhouse bai were like
schools where youngsters were taught about
fishing, hunting and carpentry. Often the first
sexual experience for a young man was in
this bai. Young girls from other villages were
brought in for these services and Palauan
money beads were exchanged in return.
PVA
The village that wanted a bai would purchase a prefabricated one from the men’s club of
a nearby village. After the bai was moved to the site, the purchasing village would
complete the roof and floor.
The master builder of a bai was called the Dach el bai. He was usually an older man with
much building experience. The ability to please spirits made him a sort of religious figure
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