My professor asked me for the second time if I could be interviewed by a student for their Anthropology paper; for the second time, it was my pleasure to say yes! So, I met Balham, a fellow USF student, and he somehow knew the right questions to really fire me up. I talked about aspects of Palau’s matrilineal society, our government, and my own experience as an international student. The interview was over. But, we walked out of the library still extending conversations from our interview. St. Ignatius Church was right in front of the library, also on campus grounds. Seeing it reminded me that he mentioned Catholicism during the interview and so I asked to confirm if he was, in which he responded that he ONCE was.
It seemed like the perfect timing. Now, walking by the Church and the statue of Lady of Lourdes Grotto praying on her knees, right in the corner of my eye; Balham continues to tell me of how Catholics, in efforts to colonize and catholicize, burned almost all of the Mayan’s written records. Today, ONLY THREE Mayan books remain. Then and there, all the sudden, this Church physically on my right, didn’t seem so much on “the Right Hand of the Father”. I felt so disappointed. I’m aware of and acknowledge the corruption and unethical acts that have occurred within the Catholic church. This one in particular was just unheard of back in high school’s religion class. I could only imagine the descendants of Mayans wanting so badly to connect to their ancestors, to have proof of their heritage, but having such a big part of it missing. It’s like losing a loved one and not having anything to remind you of them. It really hit home for me in that our ancestors were, too, once hegemonized. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not disregarding or have forgotten the Church’s accomplishments in the name of God and love and truth. I’m not converting either. I just question if confirming myself as a Catholic served my morals right. But thinking it over, the world is made to have flaws. Just like each human has flaws, so do religions. It’s now a matter of being part of the solution, instead of the problem. So, is confirming myself a Catholic serving my morals right? The answer is: IF I allow it to. Being Catholic doesn’t mean I condone its past, present, or future wrong doings. More so, as a Catholic, I’m more motivated to prevent an event as sad as that from happening again. For the Mayans, I only pray they restore their roots, just as us Palauans are doing after decades of colonization and evangelization.
Additionally, for us Palauans, a lot of what we consider normal, are what so many people wish they had or still had. Things like passports, places like museums — that recognize us for who we truly are. Our oral tradition, despite its risks of misinterpretation, has managed to preserve language, traditions and knowledge as complex as medicine and astronomy. The beauty of our system is that it cannot be burned; no religion can detach it from our identity. Oral tradition is our identity’s “right hand”— and because of it, we are more confident that the future of our Palauan identity be unshaken. The faith I have in our oral tradition is unwavering. And my belief within ALL walks of faith, from Christianity to Islam, is that what is good, what is love, and what is right will eventually overcome all, without the threat to a culture’s prosperity.
Thank you Balham for compelling me to reflect on my own religion and culture.
PASSIONATE PALAUAN 
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