Although in recent years, Palau has adopted to an international economy, Palauans still identify with their traditional roots, traditional ceremonies including the omersurch birth ceremony, Ocheraol first-house ceremony and Kemeldiil funeral services are widely practiced and the code and beliefs adopted by Palauan forefathers are still revered today.

The most noticeable aspect of Palauan culture is the people's connection with the sea. Traditionally, it was a duty of family to go to the sea to harvest fish and battle against enemy villages. As the sea was the source of their livelihood, men develop the close relationship with the water of Palau, becoming versart in the current and the phases of the moon and the behavior of the fish they sought to put on the table.

Women generally stay on land or along the shallow reefs surrounding the island, providing the foundation for the family. Their days were largely spent tending to their homes, family and taro fields.

Palauan villages were and still are organized around 10 clans reckoned matrilineally. A council of chiefs from those ranking clans governed the village, while a parallel council of female counterparts held a significant advisory role in the division and control of land and money.

Tradition, history, lore and knowledge were passed down orally through the generations. Palauans still practice that traditional method. At the end of the day, one can often find pockets of Palauans excitingly engaged in the telling of the stories of the more recent past.