Wood Carving: Palauan Itabori

In the last post, the Paiwan ancestor posts on display at the National Taiwan Museum demonstrated some important aspects of the tribe’s structure and cultural symbolism. A similar art of wood carving that also holds cultural significance is “itabori” from Palau. This country in Micronesia has experienced many cultural influences from its long history of rule under Spain, Germany, Japan, and the United States and its proximity to the Philippines, Melanesia, and Polynesia.

Bai: From the collection of the Belau National Museum, Inc. (BNM)

In fact, itabori is an example of contemporary Palauan culture that resulted from the combination of outside Japanese influence and traditional Palauan culture. In 1935, Japanese artist and ethnographer Hisakatsu Hijikata introduced the idea of displaying the intricate carve and painted designs found in Palauan meeting houses for men (“bai”) on slabs of wood. This led to the development of the now-famous “storyboards,” which helped preserve the cultural art and pass on stories from Palauan oral history.

Itabori: From the collection of the Belau National Museum, Inc. (BNM)

Since then, itabori has further evolved: initially, storyboards were rectangular and flat with thin carved outlines. Under Hijikata's direction, they were painted with the traditional lime white backgrounds, along with muted and earthy reds, blacks, and yellows. In contrast, the late 1940’s introduced the use of brighter colors. Artists then gradually turned to more detailed relief carving and showcased the wood’s natural colors. Finally, the format of itabori has been further adapted, so that these types of wood carvings can now be found on pieces of furniture and even in the shapes of animals.

Itabori: From the collection of the Belau National Museum, Inc. (BNM)

Itabori currently has a unique status as an artform that can be adapted for tourism yet is also highly personal and culturally significant for Palauans. The purpose of a particular itabori piece can be determined through a variety of factors. For example, itabori souvenirs will tend to have less detail and may be made using electric tools. They feature underwater scenes or animals or can even have no story. In contrast, more “authentic” itabori feature traditional Palauan myths and legends and more detail. Colors can be added using dyes made from clay, leaves, and fruits while shells may be used for ornamentation.

For itabori pieces that depict people, like NTM’s modern ancestor post, hands can also be used to indicate whether the figures are male or female. For example, women can be identified by their poses that are taken from the first childbirth ceremony (“omengat”), where the arms form an L-shape or the hands are curved. Additionally, in depictions of dances, men usually hold spears while women hold dancing sticks. 

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Stay tuned for the last part of this series on wood carving, where the National Taiwan Museum’s Paiwan ancestor posts are compared more in-depth with Palauan itabori.