I was going through some of my old files of papers I wrote while in college. Here is one that I wrote around 2004 in Dr. Carol Ivory's course on Arts of the Pacific.
Micronesian architecture comes in different shapes, sizes and styles. Considering the extremely limited resources available from island to island, it is a testament as to how the efficiency of some cultures can produce some of the most unique forms of architectural spaces. Throughout the Pacific, there are many structures that employ various designs, technology and utility. One particular architectural form is a men’s meetinghouse developed in the low lying archipelago of Belau in Southwestern Micronesia. The bai, as it is referred to in Belau, is one of the longest lasting physical specimens of traditional Belauan culture. This paper will examine the Bai-ra-Irrai as a representation of social and political organization, material culture, as well as insight into Belauan metaphysical knowledge.
There are two types of bai, the Bai-ra-Irrai is one used as a meeting house of chiefly heads of the village known as rubakbai, the other type is known as the men’s clubhouses. The bai themselves are somewhat similar but the rubakbai is usually of more superior materials as well as craftsmanship. It has been estimated that at least a hundred bai existed on Belau at the beginning of the 20th century. (Belau Natl. Museum, sec.3, par.1). The Bai-ra-Irrai was once a significant center of village life in a well stratified and political society of Irrai, a village on the southern end on the island of Babeldoab. The stone platform site it was built on has been there for at least 300 years . Today bai building has been through decline in Belau because of foreign administration and ravages of WWII has disrupted traditional Belauan culture. The institutions that required and maintained such facilities have been altered (Morgan, 20). The bai of the Koror Community Center was built at the encouragement of American administrators after WWII (Barnet, 36). The bai at the Belau National Museum was originally built in 1969 was destroyed in a fire several years later then rebuilt in 1991 (Belau Natl. Museum, sec 2, par 1).
The Bai-ra-Irrai is an elevated structure assembled on a platform above a stone aggregate platform. The bai is constructed by fitting of individual pieces of wood and sections without the use of nails, pegs or screws. This technique is also known as the mortis and tenon joint. The knowledge of its construction is credited to the tabalkai or a master builder. The bai is usually contracted out to another village who will deliver the bai to be assembled at the village who appealed for it. The tabalkai first presents the plans for the bai to the forest to ask permission from the spirits who inhabit the trees selected for construction. As part of his ritual the tabalkai is responsible for delivering the first chop on the tree to be felled to initiate the construction process. Each section of the bai is prepared by separate groups which are orchestrated by the tabalkai who ensures that each piece and section fits properly (Ferreira, 65). This whole process is usually done near the site where the timber was extracted then the individual wooden pieces are disassembled then transported on canoes to the village destination. The villagers who ordered the bai are responsible for preparing the nipa palm thatched roof as well as the stone platform in which the foundation posts for the bai will be erected on. The builders also paint various motifs and designs on the walls, beams, and gables of the bai (Ferreira, 66). The bai has six entrances and one continuous window about a foot in height that wraps around the bai obstructed only by the entrance posts. The interior of the bai is free of central columns except for one or two hearths in the center of the bai. The floor is made of a naturally polished wood called dort and is elevated almost 4 feet above ground. The thatched roof of the bai has lashings that can be released so that the roofs can slide down towards the ground to reduce wind resistance during a typhoon which can damage the upper part of the bai (Morgan, 21).
After WWII an American anthropologist, Homer Barnett, observed several men’s clubhouses in Belau in which the men frequently stay at the clubhouse, keeping their personal effects there and sometimes even eating and sleeping there (32). Traditionally the men’s clubhouse was occupied by the group responsible for the defense of the village and also kept concubines as some of the few women allowed to enter the bai. This class of men also doubled as the labor force for village infrastructure (Barnett, 33). The rubakbai on the other hand was reserved for the heads of the villages. The Bai-ra-Irrai is one of three bais around which the village of Irrai was organized. Today it is flanked by two empty stone platforms of earlier bais. Stone pathways extend from Bai-ra-Irrai to other parts of the village such as boat landings and men and women’s baths. Each village leader had a designated spot against the wall inside the rubakbai. The four spots against the corner posts of the rubakbai were reserved for the highest ranking men of the village. The significance of these corner posts and their chiefly occupants may relate to the coordination of the political structure of the village. During construction while groups of builders are subcontracted to make certain sections of the bai the tabalkai is said to be personally responsible for the construction of these four corner posts made from a single piece of lumber (Ferreira, 68). Meetings that took place in the bai were private and negotiations were communicated through whispers carried back and forth in the bai by a scurrying messenger. Topics of discussion were usually concerning warfare and village affairs. Women were not allowed to attend these meetings and the uninvited were severely punished. An expression in Belau might better describe the method of political dialogue of the bai; like drinking the juice of the coconut that flows from darkness to darkness (Parmentier, 73). During the meetings, the mediator among the group sits right below the center horizontal beam, it is said that even this person is responsible for the “purchase” of that single beam to which he will reserve his position under (Parmentier, 73). There is a variety of social and political meaning that is attached to the formal characteristics of the bai from the construction to its final product. One interesting observation of the bai may further reveal the purpose of the bai based on its formal characteristics. The hard wood walls gives one a sense of formidable security while the continuous window around the bai gives the men inside an unobstructed view of the area outside the bai in case of an ambush or inter village spies. The windows are almost like peep holes out into the world while a bystander from the exterior may not be conscious that they are being watched. However one might learn to expect a voyeur whenever he or she is within sight of a bai.
The bai in Belau is not only known for its architectural form but also the designs and motifs painted on the walls, gables and posts of the bai. The horizontal platforms that make up the gables usually have narrative scenes of Belauan myths and legends. The circle with a cross in the center symbolizes Belauan money (Morgan, 26). These symbols may be painted anywhere on the bai in repetition forming bands or these symbols may be painted with a long beaked fowl which depicts the legend of the Belauan money bird. A stylized spider figure is associated with the story of the origin of the practice of natural birth. This spider is painted under a place inside the bai called a rekoi where rolled up floor mats are stored (Belau Natl. Museum, sec 3, par 3). Other symbols painted on the bai include roosters and tridacna shells which have extensive meaning behind them associated with Belauan legends.
The Bai-ra-Irrai as well as the other bai scattered throughout the villages of Belau still stand as artifacts of the past. Although the rules and conditions that traditionally applied to the existence of the bai are different today, the bai has become a symbol for the contemporary Republic of Belau and a material source of cultural information for their youth. The Bai-ra-Irrai is still used today for political and village meetings. The combination of clever architectural technology, unique use of space, and vivid symbolism painted on the bai can be compared to a book which holds as much practical as well as theoretical knowledge of Belau’s past, present, and the culture that created it.
Bibliography
Barnett, H.G. Being a Palauan. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1979.
Ferreira, Celio. Palauan Cosmology: Dominance in a Traditional Micronesian Society.
Sweden: Acta Universitatis Gothoburgensis, 1987.
Morgan, William. Prehistoric Architecture in Micronesia. Japan: University of Texas
Press, 1988.
Parmentier, Richard J. The Sacred Remains: Myth, History and Polity in Belau.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987.
Belau National Museum. “The Bais of Belau”. Underwater Colours. 2 Feb. 2003
