Yap (Wa'ab)

Yap State is made up of Yap itself and several smaller islands. The famous stone money (rai) was quarried on Babeldoab Island in Palau and carried over hundreds of miles of open ocean on rafts. The largest intact piece is 13 feet across.

Stone money

stone money stone money large piece of stone money, with Charlotte

Men's meeting house and dance platform

men's meeting house men's meeting house men's meeting house courtyard

People: At the time of our visit (1989), some older women still wore only grass lavalavas. Seeing that we were obviously foreigners, this older woman addressed us politely in Japanese, which she had learned as a child during World War II! Men and boys wear loincloths. Originally the color of the cloth indicated the island of origin of the family. Yap is the most traditional corner of Micronesia. The Yapese were (and still are, in the outer islands) the greatest navigators of the Pacific

mother and child woman in traditional skirt child in loincloth

Scenery: Yap Island is three large interconnected islands composed of sedimentary rock. The coastal villages and taro patches are linked by ancient stone paths.

Paul on log bridge traditional house fish trap mangrove swamp mangroves

Underwater scenery: A barrier reef surrounds the main islands.

coral coral school of fish sea fan

Orange-finned anemonefish, Amphiprion chrysopterus

clownfish clownfish clownfish

Other fish: While Yap is famous for its manta rays, we did not see any.

Sabre squirrelfish, Sargocentron spiniferum

fish

Meyer's butterflyfish, Chaetodon meyersi

butterfly fish

Black-backed butterflyfish, Chaetodon melannotus

butterfly fish

Moorish idol, Zanclus cornutus

Moorish idol

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Last modified 14 March 2017