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. [1]
Ibedul is a title given to the high chief of Koror, in Palau, who is also the head of the Idid clan. [17] [18] 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. [19] [20]
Name | Portrait | Birth | Marriage(s) | Death |
---|---|---|---|---|
Abba Thulle [21] fl. 1783 | ![]() | |||
Ilengelekei [22] 1871 – 1911 (39–40) | ![]() | 1911 | ||
Louch [22] 1911 – 1917 (5–6) | ![]() | 1917 | ||
Tem [22] 1917 – 1943 (25–26) | 1943 | |||
Mariur [22] 1943 – 1958 (14–15) | 1958 | |||
Ngoriakl [22] 1958 – 1972 (13–14) | 1972 | |||
Yutaka Gibbons [22] 1973 – 4 November 2021 (47–48) | ![]() | 17 January 1944 | 4 November 2021 Aged 77 | |
Alexander Merep [4] February 22, 2022 – present (3 years, 157 days) | Living |