Last modified: 2011-12-10 by ian macdonald
Keywords: palau | belau | melekeok | rays: 6 (red) |
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Based on a personal
web site at http://www.users.quest.net/~rae.4332/flags.html (no longer
available), developed by an inhabitant of Palau, which shows the flags of all
the 16 states of Palau. The flag has 6 red
rays fimbriated white on a blue background, with at the centre a white disk with
a blue bird. According the census Melekeok has an area of 28 sq. km, a population of
261 inhabitants, and the capital is Melekeok.
André Pires Godinho, 30 March 2003
Palau changed capital from Koror to Melekeok on October 1, 2006.
Sources:
Pacific Islands Report,
US Department of State,
Australian
Government - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
Pacific Magazine.
Christian Berghänel, 8 October 2006
According to http://pacificdigitallibrary.org, the flag of Melekeok is divided in six red rays and six blue rays separated by a white fimbriation. In the middle of the flag is placed a white disk charged with a blue bird with yellow feet, holding a "chelebucheb" in its beak. The proportions of the flags are prescribed as 3:5.
Red represents the sun. Blue represents the ocean. White represents peace and
serenity. The six red rays represent the six traditional hamlets forming
Melekeok, that is Ngeburch, Ngeruliang, Ngermelech, Ukaeb, Ngerang and
Ngerubesang. They indicate that Melekeok is facing the east where the sun rises
and, also, that Melekeok was the head of the Eastern Confederacy of Palau. The
Palauan bird stands for economic well-being. The "chelebucheb" recalls that
Melekeok had in the past a traditional government.
A "chelebucheb", aka
Palau money, is a black spherical bead used mainly in transactions between
chiefs as they establish political alliances, pay off insults, or purchase head
trophies. (R.W. Preucel, "Archaeological Semiotics", 2006).
Ivan Sache,
30 October 2011
The Flag Bulletin describes the flag as having 6 red rays fimbriated
white on a blue background. Other sources describe the flag as displayed here,
all blue.
Jaume Ollé, 21 January 1997