Abstract
This paper aims to understand continuity in the transformation of peoples’ practice of iconographic representation, beginning with the colonial era in the early 19th century, and continuing through contemporary Palau. It focuses receptivity to the carving skills propagated during the time Japan governed Micronesia, and the recent representation approach using modern paintings, to discuss the situation of “cultural objectification” through the material culture in Palau, taking the diachronic view.
First, the argument around “cultural objectification” in Oceania is described, and the way in which the methodology was actualized is reviewed, with respect to how the strategic vitality of the society of Oceania is revealed through the material culture and to decipher the practical connotations and imitation of foreign cultures. Next, the deficiencies and shortcomings of the arguments around “cultural objectification” as understood through the material culture in Palau are indicated. The present paper then uses a case study of peoples’ practices of iconographic representation to present how they dramatically shifted a way of representing and interpreting the Palauan oral traditions. In conclusion, cultural connotations and the presence of imitation in Palau are discussed.
