Nixon and Nelson

As we've been sampling in Palau, we've had our boat driver from PICRC and a Koror State Ranger on the boat with us. I think I've mentioned that research in Palau is pretty highly regulated because the country is serious about protecting its natural resources. Well, one of the levels of control in the southern part of Palau, Koror State, is that those with research permits must be accompanied at all times by a ranger. The one assigned to our project is named Nixon, and he's been with us everywhere. Our boat driver is named Nelson. They're both Palauan, and it has been a really great experience for Hanny and me to talk with them about Palauan culture, language, and life on the archipelago.

With the gentlemen on the boat

Nixon and Nelson both grew up in the rock islands, so they know the complex passageways like the backs of their hands. Every morning, we tell Nelson our study sites for the day, and he simply nods and takes off. At one point, we entered a lagoon from the wrong direction and couldn't get to where we wanted, and Nelson and Nixon figured out how get around the other way. I was amazed at how seldom they looked at the map, so I asked about the trick for navigating in the rock islands. Apparently, they memorize the shapes of the tops of the rock islands and use the profiles of the peaks to navigate. Very cool.

Hanny and I were also fascinated by Nelson's boat handling skills. He can get within 6 inches of a dock to allow someone to step on or off and then hit reverse on the boat's engines to back away before he taps the dock - in fact, he did this every time we picked up or dropped off Nixon. He can parallel park a boat against a cement wall between two other vessels without hitting anything in front, behind, or to the side of him - and he did every time we arrived back at PICRC. It's simply incredible.

Another thing the men have taught us is Palauan pronunciation. Two of our study sites, Taoch and Mechechar, seem like they should be pretty crunchy words, with lots of "ch" sounds. But "ch" in Palauan is silent and actually signifies a grunt. So Taoch becomes "Tao-grunt" and "Mecherchar" becomes "Me-grunt-er-grunt-ar." Hanny and I both practiced the words on the boat, and after listening to Nixon do it numerous times, I realized he was contracting his diaphragm. Basically, "Mecherchar" is "Me-er-ar" but with a little extra emphasis at the end of the first two syllables. Instead of letting the letters float or slide out of your mouth, you force them out with a diaphragm contraction. I was fascinated by the pronunciation.

Belochel

Sometimes when we would arrive at a site in the rock islands, Nixon would begin making a loud animalistic sound, almost like a bark but more visceral. The sound was forced out of his rib cage with his intercostal muscles. He said he was making the call of the Palauan pigeon, called "belochel" ("belo-grunt-el") in the local language. The bird is a delicacy and is commonly eaten at Christmas. Hunters attract the bird by making its call, and Nixon was trying to attract one to the boat. We took his word for it, but then later, we returned our SCUBA tanks to one of the local dive shops and found they had a pigeon in a cage. It was making the exact same sound that Nixon was!

We asked the men about Palauan food, and they told us traditional diets include taro, breadfruit, lots of seafood, and fruit bat. Yes, Palauans eat fruit bat. Apparently the intestines are delicious and sweet. The men insisted it was very common and recommended some restaurants where we could try it. We'll have to see if we have the time and courage to try eating bat!

I'm grateful for the chance to learn about Palauan culture from the men. They were both extremely professional and helpful on the boat. Thanks to them both!