Palauan First-Born (Ngasech) Ceremony, Part Four

Around 11am the preparation of the girls begins. Usually there are a couple young girls (family members) who will flank the mother during the ceremony. At Emadch's ceremony she had four girls along with her. The older women of the family do all the beautifying.

[The older girls' attire is entirely made up of foliage]

[Early on the girls are coated with ginger, which colors them yellow. Just before the ceremony that are coated with coconut oil which serves to make them shine and smell wonderful]

Usually the celebrated mother will receive a piece of Palauan money from the father's family as a gift. It's a big deal because Palauan money is made of really old pottery and there is a fixed amount of money in the system. Most families have some, richer families have a lot. Yellow is rare and really valuable. The bigger pieces, which are round in form because they originate from pottery, are also quite valuable.
Since Emadch's husband is Australian he cannot provide a piece of money for her. So she borrowed this piece from a family member for the ceremony.

[Emadch is all rubbed down in yellow ginger, getting her hair done by a friend who came in from Australia]

[The band keeps the guests entertained while all the preparation takes place inside. (This lady has been the most popular performer since well before I came into Peace Corps seven years ago - she's made a lucrative career out of it.)]