Omengat - First Baby Ceremony
Reva Ruluked, Age 12, Koror Elementary School, Republic of Palau
"ěThis is a picture of an Omengat, a Palauan hot bath ceremony after a woman gives birth to her first child. It is important to my island and I because it shows that a woman giving birth to her first child is important. You can only see something like this when there is a woman after her first child is born, and there is a hot bath ceremony. The oils that they use to cover the woman's body smells better than regular coconut oil. It makes me feel proud to be a Palauan girl. This picture helps to show a little bit of what Palauan customs are like and the way of life of Palauan people."