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9°30′58″N 138°7′18″E / 9.51611°N 138.12167°E / 9.51611; 138.12167

Yap Living History Museum is a museum in Colonia, Yap, in the Federated States of Micronesia. It is a living history museum which is dedicated to Yapese culture.

Background

Yap Living History Museum opened on 7 December 2011. Its creation was supported by a €60,000 grant from the French government. The museum was modelled on the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre in New Caledonia. Its creation was organised as a partnership between Yap Visitors Bureau and Yap State Historic Preservation Office. The museum is governed by an advisory board. In 1988 there were doubts over the foundation of the museum, since at the time there were only 1000 tourists visiting Yap each year.

Buildings

The museum consists of four traditionally built houses, as well as a climate-controlled collections centre. The collections building is built in the style of a German colonial property, so that the museum is able to represent this era of the state's history. Re-enactment is also an important aspect of the work of the museum. There are also a number of platforms, as well as examples of stone money. The traditional buildings are used for events, in particular those that support the continuation of Yaps cultural heritage practises, such as the Stone Money Carry. It is also the location for Yap's annual canoe festival, celebrating Micronesian navigation, as well the Homecoming Festival and Yap Day. The audiences intended for many of these events are often tourists.

Collections and research

In 2019 the museum acquired the collection of Art Bergist, who had worked on Yap as a Peace Corps volunteer and teacher in the 1970s. This collection included educational materials, paintings and traditional shell money. In 2015 the museum welcomed visitors from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo in order to strengthen connections between cultural heritage researchers in Yap, Palau and Hawai'i.

Overseas collections

As a legacy of colonial occupation, many objects relating to Yap's cultural heritage are held in collections overseas, including: the British Museum; National Museums Scotland; Hearst Museum of Anthropology; the Penn Museum; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, amongst others. In particular, Yap's Rai stones are held in several overseas museums, such as: National Museum of American History; Museum of the National Bank of Belgium; Bremen Museum; Osaka Museum; RBI Kolkata and others.

Gallery of Yapese artefacts held in overseas collections

• Adzes, including one from Yap, in the Peabody Museum
• House post in Berlin Ethnological Museum
• Woven bassinet from Yap, Osaka Museum
• Rai stone in Bremen Museum
• Rai stone on display at RBI Kolkata
• RBI Kolkata label

References

1. "Yap Living History Museum - Yap - Ocean Island Travel : Where your friends haven't gone". oceanislandtravel.com. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
2. étrangères, Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires. "Relations bilatérales". France Diplomatie - Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères (in French). Retrieved 2021-04-30.
3. Krause, Stefan (2016-07-01). The Production of Cultural Heritage Discourses: Political Economy and the Intersections of Public and Private Heritage in Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia (PhD dissertation). University of South Florida. p. 152.
4. ^ Lin, Ming (2014). "Marshall Islands". ArtAsiaPacific Almanac. 9: 144–145. ISSN 1558-8904.
5. "YAP LIVING HISTORY MUSEUM TO OPEN | Pacific Islands Report". www.pireport.org. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
6. Dark, Philip J.C. (1988). "Museums in Micronesia". Pacific Arts Newsletter (26): 12–20. ISSN 0111-5774. JSTOR 23408934.
7. ^ "Bank of Guam employees donate to Yap cultural museum". Saipan Tribune. 2018-10-15. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
8. Staff, Pacific Island Times (2018-10-16). "Yap Living History Museum getting new additions". pactimes. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
9. "Things To Do in Yap, Micronesia - Tourist Information". www.visityap.com. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
10. Krause, Stefan (2016-07-01). The Production of Cultural Heritage Discourses: Political Economy and the Intersections of Public and Private Heritage in Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia (PhD dissertation). University of South Florida. p. 30.
11. "Yap to hold 8th canoe festival in December". Saipan Tribune. 2017-07-27. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
12. Krause, Stefan (2016-07-01). The Production of Cultural Heritage Discourses: Political Economy and the Intersections of Public and Private Heritage in Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia (PhD dissertation). University of South Florida. p. 239.
13. Krause, Stefan (2016-07-01). The Production of Cultural Heritage Discourses: Political Economy and the Intersections of Public and Private Heritage in Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia (PhD dissertation). University of South Florida. p. 72.
14. "Yap Living History Museum receives donation of historical artifacts for new building". www.kpress.info. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
15. Staff (2015-08-26). "PHOTOS: Delegation from UH Hilo and Hawaiʻi Community College visits Yap and Palau". UH Hilo Stories. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
16. "Collections Online | British Museum". www.britishmuseum.org. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
17. "Vessel". National Museums Scotland. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
18. "Hearst Museum of Anthropology". hearstmuseum.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
19. "Model, Canoe - P1760A | Collections - Penn Museum". www.penn.museum. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
20. "Weather Charm (Hos)". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
21. "Rai Stone". National Museum of American History. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
22. danneem. "The Stone of Yap — Museum of the National Bank of Belgium". Retrieved 2021-04-30.

External links

• Construction of Yap Living History Museum
• Yap Museum, 2010, archive image

• Museums in the Federated States of Micronesia
• Buildings and structures in the Federated States of Micronesia