This island group was considered as a "black island" in the early days. Early maps and village descriptions can be found in the online library of Australia, as well as photos of tattoos and pierced ears of the early chief of Crowe.

Research in recent years, dating results of carbon 14 and unearthed archaeological evidence have made the history of this island group move towards a new direction. The burial sites found on the island show that Palau should be the earliest place with funeral ceremonies in Oceania. However, there are two theories about when Palauans settled here, one is 2500 BC, and the other is 1000 BC. Florence was once found in Java, an area that had trade relations with Palau in ancient times. In 2007, an archaeologist found a short-sized human bone suspected to be Florentine in Palau's rocky islands. This discovery may overturn the previous hypothesis, but so far this research discovery is still controversial.