In every village in Yap there are two types of community meeting places called P’eebaey and Faeluw. A P’eebaey is open to all men, women and children. A Faeluw is a fisheries building similar to a P’eebaey in construction but only open to the male population and usually built on the shore.

P'eebaey Beechyal

Without using nails, large wooden poles and beams are tied up with the coconut fiber ropes which give the structure strength, flexibility and decoration. P’eebaey and Faeluw are built on large stone platforms, which can also serve as a meeting place or a classroom where young people are taught the traditional way of life, local folklore and the prevalent customs.

Faeluw in Wuluuq

Faeluw in Beechyal

There used to be a Dapael for the female population where mothers would give birth and girls would learn about women’s roles and chores in the village. The Dapael no longer exists as it did in traditional times.

Faeluw in Qamin

Inside meetinghouses

All the traditional buildings were built on layers of the stone platforms called Wunbey and Daeyif.

Wunbey & Daeyif in Wuluuq

Wunbey is the first layer of the platform and often used for meeting, teaching or just sitting when the sun is not high or when it's not raining.

Wunbey & Daeyif in Kadaay

Daeyif is the second layer of the platform holding all the big posts of the structure and it works as floors and a porch for the building.

Wunbey in Kadaay

A Malaal always locates in front of a meeting house and serves as a village square where the people of the village display Raay/Feaq, or what is called stone money. This place is often called as a "stone money bank" by the foreigners.

Malaal in Kadaay

A  Malal serves as a place for a traditional dance performance and is considered as a special place where you are not supposed to chew, eat or smoke.

Malaal in Balaabaat

Narrow footpaths, called Kanaawoq, used to connect the villages in Yap providing an island-wide network.

Kanaawoq in Kadaay

Many parts of the paths were paved by small rocks for mud-free walking on rainy days. Some of the footpaths were later bulldozed and widened to invite cars, some abandoned, while others are still well-maintained and still in use today.

Won along Kanaawoq in Kadaay

A Won is a small irrigation canal always made alongside of a Kanaawaq which help bring rainwater into the swamp taro patches and eventually into the sea after nourishing taros and being percolated. A Chabag is a sea/stream wall.

Chabag