Germany provides funds for the translation of German ethnographic volumes related to Palau

Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs Fasutina Rehuher Marugg and German Ambassador Christian-Ludwig Weber-Lortsch, signing the Grant Agreement from the German Government to Palau. Seated from left to right: Minister of State Dr. Victor Yano, Minister of Cultural Affairs Faustina Rehuher,German Ambassador Weber-Lortsch. Standing from left to right: Chief of Staff Isaac Soaladaob, President Toribiong, German Hon. Consul Thomas Schubert Enlarge image Minister of Community and Cultural Affairs Fasutina Rehuher Marugg and German Ambassador Christian-Ludwig Weber-Lortsch, signing the Grant Agreement from the German Government to Palau. Seated from left to right: Minister of State Dr. Victor Yano, Minister of Cultural Affairs Faustina Rehuher,German Ambassador Weber-Lortsch. Standing from left to right: Chief of Staff Isaac Soaladaob, President Toribiong, German Hon. Consul Thomas Schubert (© HGC Palau)

The German Federal Foreign Office has provided a grant totalling 48,800 Euros to finance the translation of a five-volume ethnographic documentation of the Hamburg Südsee Expedition, which sailed through Micronesia to record the tangible and intangible aspects of the island peoples and their way of life during the early 1900s. The five volumes concerning the island of Palau was written by Augustin Krämer. These volumes provided an enormous amount of information from chiefly titles and oral histories to illustrations and descriptions of Palau’s material culture, to depicting many of the then-existent bai beams and the stories and symbols carved into them.
The agreement to fund this project was presented by German Ambassador Christian-Ludwig Weber-Lortsch and signed by Community and Cultural Affairs Minister Faustina Rehuher-Marugg, Republic of Palau.

President Toribiong signing the presidential directive, looking on is German Ambassador Weber-Lortsch and German Hon. Consul to Palau Thomas Schubert Enlarge image President Toribiong signing the presidential directive, looking on is German Ambassador Weber-Lortsch and German Hon. Consul to Palau Thomas Schubert (© HCG Palau)

The Kraemer Ethnography Translation Committee composed of representatives of both countries will be in charge of translating these volumes from the original German language of the early 1900s to modern English. Translating these volumes will provide the people of Palau a better opportunity to access information about its cultural heritage.
The signing of the Presidential Directive by Palau President Toribiong on August 10, 2010 marks the official launching of the project. The project will run from August 2010 to December 2012. 
Since 1981, Germany has been supporting the preservation of cultural heritage across the globe as part of the Federal Foreign Office’s Cultural Preservation Programme. Funding is provided for projects to safeguard cultural heritage in developing countries and to safeguard Germany’s cultural heritage abroad.
The programme is primarily designed to help developing countries build a sense of national identity, thus promoting the sort of intercultural dialogue between equal partners that is sought by Germany.

President Toribiong and German Ambassador Weber-Lortsch infront of the Kraemer Books soon to be translated from German into English language. Standing from left to right: are members of the “Kraemers Ethnography Translation Committee”:Cultural Affairs Director Dwight Alexander, Ethnographer Kelly Marsh, Olympia Morei Director of Belau National Museum, Mandy Etpison from the Etpison Museum, Minister of Cultural Affairs Faustina Rehuher Marugg, Minister of State Dr. Victor Yano, Chief of Staff Is Enlarge image President Toribiong and German Ambassador Weber-Lortsch infront of the Kraemer Books soon to be translated from German into English language. Standing from left to right: are members of the “Kraemers Ethnography Translation Committee”:Cultural Affairs Director Dwight Alexander, Ethnographer Kelly Marsh, Olympia Morei Director of Belau National Museum, Mandy Etpison from the Etpison Museum, Minister of Cultural Affairs Faustina Rehuher Marugg, Minister of State Dr. Victor Yano, Chief of Staff Is (© HCG Palau)