Yap Points of Interest

Yap Living History Museum

This living museum is centrally located in Colonia and hard to miss. It was created in 2005 to preserve and promote Yapese heritage and history through exhibits and demonstrations of the living culture that still exists on Yap. This a multipurpose institution has well-kept museum grounds housing several traditional buildings including a men's house and a meeting house.

The museum grounds also hosts an impressive display of stone money and is used often for community activities and signature events such as the monthly island market and Christmas Nights at the Museum.

Stone Money Banks

Yap is commonly known as the "Land of Stone Money" for the massive donut-shaped stone discs rates which are considered the largest coins in the world. While the US dollar is the now the common currency in Yap, stone money is still used to this day for major transactions like payment of dowry or purchase of land and hundreds of these are scattered all over the island. Many of them are found stone money banks in villages where pieces that are too heavy to move are displayed on the malal (dancing grounds).

Traditional Houses

Throughout Yap you can find traditional dwellings made of natural materials such as stone, coconut husks, bamboo and palm leaves harvested on the island. They are an integral part of this centuries-old Pacific way-of-life, their complex design and construction based on building techniques used by the residents’ ancestors that are still in use today.

The Faluw (Men's House)

One of the most important structures in Yap is the “faluw,” or men’s house. Traditionally restricted to men, it is usually close to the shore or situated on top of a hill where it once served in past eras as a vantage point to watch for invaders. Used as a gathering and meeting place, boys and young men learn skills like canoe building, wood carving, how to make a fish trap, and listen to the oral traditions passed down by their elders in this gathering place. Fishing gear such as nets and spears are kept in the faluw. In earlier times, fighting spears and other weapons of warfare were often stored there, as well. The faluw is also a place for the men to sleep and to welcome men from other villages who need a place to rest or stay overnight.

The P'ebay (Community House)

The "p'ebay" is a community meeting house that serves as a gathering place for both men and women, but rarely at the same time. It is also the site where a village meets with other communities and is usually found inland rather than next to the shore. The main stone paths that link villages throughout the island lead to the p'ebay, and the community's unique, massive discs of stone money are displayed around the structure.

In front of the p'ebay is a "malal," or dance area, with a "wonbey," or stone tile platform and upright backrests. Traditional dances are held on the malal with spectators seated on the platform. During meetings, the backrests provide a comfortable place for the elders to sit.

Tidal Fish Traps

For over a thousand years the Yapese people constructed and maintained hundreds of tidal traps and weirs made from stone and wood. Recent surveys of Yapese fish traps documented over 800 on mainland Yap and these stone tidal fish traps take on a variety of different forms. From the small bamboo weirs to the well-known and durable arrow-shaped stone traps called Aech, which comprise about 67% of the more than 800 traps documented. These Aech are the most durable are built near the shore, with the tip of the arrow pointing seaward in the direction of the outgoing tide and the shaft of the arrow beginning near the shore. The arrow shafts, varying in length from 65 - 660ft. (20 to 200 m), serve as a barrier to fish swimming along the coastline, guiding them along the shaft into the head of the arrow where they are trapped when the tide recedes. Fish are guided into a single large chamber within one side of the arrowhead, although in some cases there were additional smaller chambers into which only smaller fish could enter, preventing larger fish from eating them.

While many of the traps have fallen into disrepair or are not being used anymore, over recent years there have been several projects spearheaded by the Historic Preservation Office to repair and stone weirs. A very impressive Aech can be seen in Gagil municipality, and a tour can be arranged of the area. Here you can enter the fish trap, catch fish and even have it cooked for you on the spot, as well as engage in snorkelling and swimming activities.

Fish Weir Tour
Gagil
Contact: Ernie Guor Phone: (691) 350 2110