:Traditional chiefs of Palau
{{Short description|Palauan leaders}}
{{Redirect|Chiefs of Palau|chiefs or monarchs of Palau prior to independence|Spanish East Indies|and|German New Guinea|and|South Seas Mandate}}
{{Redirect-multi|4|Beouch|Ngiraked|Ngiraikelau|Reklai|the sprinter|Beouch Ngirchongor|the politician|John Ngiraked|the jurist|Oldiais Ngiraikelau|the surname|Reklai (surname)}}
Palau has several traditional chiefs of its 16 states. A factor that resulted in the decline of chiefly authority in Palau was the introduction of elected governors, called upon in the Constitution of Palau which came into effect on 1 January 1981.{{Cite book|last=Shuster|first=Donald R.|title=Custom versus a New Élite: Palau's 16 State Constitutions. The Journal of Pacific History, vol. 29, no. 2|date=1994|page=188|publisher=JSTOR|jstor=25169227 |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/25169227|access-date=January 1, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101092927/https://www.jstor.org/stable/25169227|archive-date=January 1, 2024|url-status=live}}
List of current chiefs
{{Dynamic list}}
File:Sailors salute a guest aboard USS Higgins. (8455082967).jpg in 2013]]
File:USS Higgins sailors salute Ibedul Yutaka Gibbons (cropped).jpg in 2013. His sister is bilung Gloria Salii and his brother is the current ibedul of Koror Alexander Merep.]]
File:Etpison Museum.JPG named for former President and rekemesik of Ngatpang Ngiratkel Etpison. His brother Yukiwo is the rengulbai of Aimeliik and his son Shallum is the uchelsias of Ngesias in Peleliu.]]
{{Sticky header}}
Ibedul
Ibedul is a title given to the high chief of Koror, in Palau, who is also the head of the Idid clan.{{cite book|access-date=2022-12-19|date=1996|first1=Arnold H.|isbn=978-0-275-95390-4|language=en|last1=Leibowitz|page=103|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|title=Embattled Island: Palau's Struggle for Independence|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uBcp1CguyeMC&pg=PA103}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.palausupremecourt.net/doc/NeutralCitations/2016/2016%20Palau%2027.pdf|date=December 5, 2016|title=Ngaremeketii/Rubekul Kldeu, Terekieu Clan and Jonathan Ngiremekur Sked, represented by Miriam Kual Appellants vs. Koror State Public Lands Authority, Appellee|access-date=December 30, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231230122318/http://www.palausupremecourt.net/doc/NeutralCitations/2016/2016%20Palau%2027.pdf|archive-date=December 30, 2023|url-status=live|website=www.palausupremecourt.net}} Koror is the most populated state with approximately 64% of Palauans living there as of 2020 and so historically bearers of the title were sometimes erroneously referred to as "Kings of Pelew" despite them not having authority over all of modern-day Palau.{{Cite web|url=https://mchb.tvisdata.hrsa.gov/Narratives/Overview/1f589dfe-e49b-48f7-8890-567fb7a6d71b|title=Palau - 2020 - III.B. Overview of the State|access-date=December 30, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231230111538/https://mchb.tvisdata.hrsa.gov/Narratives/Overview/1f589dfe-e49b-48f7-8890-567fb7a6d71b|archive-date=December 30, 2023|url-status=live|website=mchb.tvisdata.hrsa.gov}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3b32617|title=Abba Thulle, King of Pelew|date=December 30, 1788|access-date=December 30, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231230112247/https://loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3b32617/|archive-date=December 30, 2023|url-status=live|website=www.loc.gov}}
=List of known ibeduls=
{{Sticky header}}
{{Nobility table header
}}
| Abba Thulle{{Cite web|title=Capt Henry Wilson|url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG129711|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231230094736/https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG129711|archive-date=December 30, 2023|access-date=December 30, 2023|website=The British Museum}}
{{floruit|1783}}
| 100px
|
|
|
|-
| Ilengelekei{{Cite book|last=Nero|first=Karen Louise|date=1987|url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/d2dcd29e594a69a5d0c3aa79d456c6ad/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y|title=A cherechar a lokelii: Beads of history of Koror, Palau, 1783-1983 - ProQuest|access-date=December 30, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231230120029/https://www.proquest.com/openview/d2dcd29e594a69a5d0c3aa79d456c6ad/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y|archive-date=December 30, 2023|via=ProQuest |url-access=subscription|url-status=live}}
1871
–
1911
({{Age in years|1871|1911|duration=yes}})
| 100px
|
|
| 1911
|-
| Louch
1911
–
1917
({{Age in years|1911|1917|duration=yes}})
| 100px
|
|
| 1917
|-
| Tem
1917
–
1943
({{Age in years|1917|1943|duration=yes}})
|
|
|
| 1943
|-
| Mariur
1943
–
1958
({{Age in years|1943|1958|duration=yes}})
|
|
|
| 1958
|-
| Ngoriakl
1958
–
1972
({{Age in years|1958|1972|duration=yes}})
|
|
|
| 1972
|-
| Yutaka Gibbons
1973
–
{{nowrap|4 November 2021}}
({{Age in years|1973|4 November 2021|duration=yes}})
| 100px
| {{nowrap|17 January 1944}}
|
| {{nowrap|4 November 2021}}
Aged 77
|-
| Alexander Merep{{Cite web|url=http://islandtimes.org/ngarameketii-accepts-merep-as-ibedul/|title=Ngarameketii accepts Merep as Ibedul|first=Leilani|last=Reklai|date=February 25, 2022|access-date=December 30, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231230094301/https://islandtimes.org/ngarameketii-accepts-merep-as-ibedul/|archive-date=December 30, 2023|url-status=live|website=Island Times}}
{{nowrap|February 22, 2022}}
–
present
({{Age in years and days|February 22, 2022|duration=yes}})
|
|
|
|Living
|}