The Yap Legal System

In the article "The role of customary and traditional leaders in the Yap Constitution", Brian Tamanaka explains the various traditions and Yap's legal system. The Yap Constitution contains a common legislature - the executive branch and the judiciary - and the fourth branch is dedicated to traditional leaders. Traditions and customs create rules and methods of compliance. According to Mr. Hart, each legal system has a set of rules to guide people's way of living. Under external pressure, the culture of Yapp has proven to be flexible (Tamanaha, p. 85).

Yap is a 600 miles of islands spreading in the vast Pacific Ocean. Yap is right, one of the four major islands of Barrier Reef, about 500 miles southwest of Bali, 300 miles northeast of Palau, 800 miles east of Cebu Island in the Philippines. Other islands that make up the Yap province extend to the Chu, the atoll about 80 miles south east. Yap is only 9 degrees north of the equator. Yap has three commercial banks: Guam Bank, FSMBank and community Ayuw credit union. Please use the US currency. Most hotels and shops can use credit cards, but cash is a common currency. Travelers checks can be cashed with banks open from Monday to Friday. ATM provided by Guam Bank and FSM Bank

Colonia is the capital of the Yap province, the outer islands (mainly atolls) of about 800 kilometers (500 miles) east and south from the Yap main island and its adjacent Yap Island - Yap main island, Eauripik, Elato, Faraulep , Gaferut, Ifalik, Lamertrek, Ngulu, Olimarao, Piagailoe (west rain), Pikelot, Sorol, Ulithi and Woleai, and Fais and Satawal islands (see map). Historically, there was a tributary system between the adjacent islands and the main island of Yap. This may be related to the necessity of goods (including food) from Takashima and the timber used to build the ship.

Somewhere in the East Pacific, there is a small island called Yap. There is no gold or silver in Yap. But hundreds of years ago, Yap explorers have discovered limestone sediments on islands hundreds of miles away. They carved the limestone into a plate of huge stone and brought back to the sea with a small bamboo boat. These stones are called "Ryeite". Economists like it because it helps to answer this basic question: what is money? Basically, money is based on "trust" and anyone who owns it can gain some value in exchange for it. The only reason for the existence and the management of money is that when we all believe it and accept it in exchange for the specific goods and services we produce, they are equivalent to the goods and services produced by others I believe I can exchange in the future to get it. Money is the myth of all of us as we always choose to believe