The Etpison Museum is a

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

Koror City Koror (, ;''Koror'', World Book Advanced'','' World Book, Chicago) is the largest city and the commercial centre in Palau, home to about half of the country's population, located on Koror Island (also ''Oreor Island''). During the interwar period ...

, in

Koror Koror is the state comprising the main commercial centre of the Republic of Palau. It consists of several islands, the most prominent being Koror Island (also ''Oreor Island''). It is Palau’s most populous state. History In the oral tradition of ...

Palau Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...

. The museum opened in August 1999, in a building designed and built by Shallum and Mandy Etpison. It documents history and culture of the country of Palau.

History

The land for the museum building was donated by former

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Ngiratkel Etpison Ngiratkel Etpison (3 May 1924 – 1 August 1997) was a politician and businessman from Palau. Etpison was elected President in 1988 and served from 1989 until 1993, becoming the country’s first elected president to serve a full term in office. ...

. The museum was opened in August 1999 and was built by his children Shallum and Mandy Etpison. Mandy Etpison is the director and curator of the museum. In 2014, it underwent renovation and more displays were added.

Architecture

The 3-story building museum was designed by Shallum and Mandy Etpison. The total floor of the museum spans over an area of . The museum features a gift shop.

Exhibitions

The museum exhibits various artifacts on the history of the nation, money, archaeological sites, clothes etc. They discuss foreign influence on the nation, and show traditional aspects of Palau's culture, such as child birth ceremonies, and traditional canoes. The museum is well known for its large collection of model bai (traditional meeting houses), which provide insight into the socio-political structures society in Palau. The museum also teamed up with the Dutch embassy in Manila to spread awareness in schools of endemic birds in the country, and the museum features a mural of native birds, and encourages visitors to download an app, iBird, to learn about them. The museum also hosts workshops to highlight Palauan culture, such as art demonstrations. There is a gift shop selling traditional Palauan crafts.

Consulate

The Etpison museum also plays host to the Dutch consulate in Palau. The museum's director Mandy Etpison, who was born in the Netherlands, is the

Honorary Consul A consul is an official representative of a government who resides in a foreign country to assist and protect citizens of the consul's country, and to promote and facilitate commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. A consu ...

References

External links