Palau RPCV Paul Callaghan contributes to exhibition of Palau storyboards
Read and comment on this story from the Guam Pacific Daily News on Palau RPCV Paul Callaghan who contributed to an exhibition of Palau storyboards. Palauan storyboards are carved interpretations of a story. Most are done on thick, flat boards, but there also were vases and statues with skilled detail work. The earliest storyboards can be traced back to the 1930s.
Paul Callaghan, a former professor at the school, says he was happy to loan part of his collection. His wife is Palauan, he explains, and he spent time in Palau with the Peace Corps. Looking at storyboards reminds him of happy times and old friends.
"It's about time somebody did this," he says. "But there are so many people on Guam with storyboards far more beautiful than mine -- why not ask them?"
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Wooden expressions Storyboard exhibit shows colorful lore, history and art of Palau
By Jojo Santo Tomas
Pacific Sunday News
The legends and lore of Palau are captured in an array of stunning carvings on display at the Isla Center for the Arts at the University of Guam.
More than 40 storyboards, on loan from various collectors as well as those belonging to UOG's private collection, will be on exhibit until Oct. 25. The gallery sponsored a well-attended reception on Wednesday to introduce the work.
"There was one storyboard exhibit, back in '94, but I wasn't a part of that," says Isla program coordinator Tom Quinata. "Putting this exhibit together wasn't difficult. Once we started to let people know that we wanted to display storyboards, they found us. Storyboard collectors started to come out of the woodwork. We never knew that people had such amazing collections."
All but four of the 44 featured pieces are part of private collections. Those who donated pieces for the show include Phil and Keiko Noble, Paul and Nina Callaghan, Robert and Cynthia Sajnovsky, the late Alma Vander Velde, Tina Yoshida, Mary Calvo and the Isla Center for the Arts' permanent collection. Palauan storyboards are carved interpretations of a story. Most are done on thick, flat boards, but there also were vases and statues with skilled detail work. The earliest storyboards can be traced back to the 1930s, says Velma Jean Yamashita, Isla curator and a doctoral candidate in art history.
Paul Callaghan, a former professor at the school, says he was happy to loan part of his collection. His wife is Palauan, he explains, and he spent time in Palau with the Peace Corps. Looking at storyboards reminds him of happy times and old friends.
"It's about time somebody did this," he says. "But there are so many people on Guam with storyboards far more beautiful than mine -- why not ask them?"
Nina Kilad Callaghan, a native of Peleliu, was impressed by the organization of the exhibit and the quality of work shown.
"Many of these legends were told to me when I was a kid," she says. "The stories are the same, it's just the artists that are different. These stories are done very creatively. It's a good way to display our culture, our legends in wood form."
Many of the legends not only illustrate popular tales, they show how Palauan ancestors interacted, whether it be loving, hating or fighting. Magic and supernatural events often are a part of the stories, which might have made them more appealing to young listeners.
One storyboard, the Tale of the Unfaithful Wife, depicts a simple story of a fisherman who suspects his wife is cheating on him. One day while fishing, he sees a shark swimming upside down, which confirms his fears. The story ends with him sailing back to shore to find his wife in her lover's arms -- right before a bloody ending. Other stories include The Creation of Palau, the love story of Surech and Dulei, The Gift of Everlasting Youth and The Search for Ultimate Satisfaction.
Another favorite is The Legend of the Breadfruit Tree. Koror native Keiden Kintol, 27, says he's carved that legend several times. He says he's been carving for about five years.
"I took over from my grandfather, who passed away in the early 80s," he says. "No one was using his tools."
Kintol's work is on display at the gallery in the Chamorro Village. He says carving helps him release stress.
"But more than that, once I start doing a storyboard, I start to feel a sense of who I am and where I came from," he says. "It's a cultural thing for me. It's art."
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