Republic of Palau
History of the National Flag
In August 1979, the Palau Constitution was approved overwhelmingly by
the people and two important events had to take place before the
document became a working blueprint for the new country. These were
the election of the first president of Palau and members of the national
congress and the selection of the national flag.
The two historical events took place the following year and Haruo Ignacio Remeliik was chosen as Palau’s first president under the constitution. Not many people, however, particularly the younger generation, know how our flag was selected and what that emblem stands for.
The Seventh Palau Legislature on its Sixth Special Session enacted public law no. 6-6s-7 establishing a Palau National Flag Commission to organize a nation-wide contest for the creation of the national flag. The Palau National Flag Commission was organized to review the submissions and to choose one from among them as the flag of Palau. Blau J. Skebong (Framer) of Ngeremlengui submitted the entry that was eventually selected as the flag of the Republic of Palau.
The Republic of Palau flag is a golden-yellow full moon slightly offcentered on a field of sky-blue. The width of the Republic of Palau flag bears the ratio to its length of 1.0 to 1.6 and diameter of the moon bears the ratio to the width of the lag of 0.6 to 1.0. The distances from the top and bottom of the flag to the center of the moon is equal. The flag may be reproduced for unofficial purposes with different dimensions and appropriate devices for attaching the flag to a mast, staff, or other means of display may be added discretely to the flag.
It was a simple design loaded with special meanings for the people of Palau. It was a full moon, in all its glory, superimposed on a sky-blue background. As can be readily seen, all the items enumerated herein are crucial for the survival of island peoples in a vast and largely empty Pacific Ocean.
Meaning of the National Flag
According to Palauan legend, Iyechadrenger from Retech carved the
moon out of an orange tree, which was cut from a place called Iderurt.
The following were the functions of the invention:
1. To establish important periods in nature, including days and
nights in the lunar cycle, and to shed pleasant light on the world.
2. To regulate human and animal births, the spawning of fishes,
and the flowering of plants and trees.
3. To regulate important events such as the construction of homes
and canoes, the migration of fishes, the launching of fishing
expeditions, the initiation of community projects, and the
commencement of business ventures.
4. To regulate the rise and fall of tides and to establish seasons for
planting food crops.
5. The moon, like a ripening fruit, also indicates that Palau is
emerging as an independent nation and is taking its rightful
place among the community of nations.
Explanation for the colors of the flag
The blue color on the flag stands for two things. First, it indicates that we
are located in the vast, blue Pacific Ocean. Second, it conveys a sense of
emergence from under the shadows of many different countries that
governed Palau in the past.
The gold or yellow color indicates that we are “ripe” and have become an independent country. It also indicates that the world we are entering into is a bright world full of opportunities for all.
Source: Bureau of Domestic Affairs, Ministry of State, ROP
https://web.archive.org/web/20060815161815/http://www.palauconcon2.com/_doc/Palau%20flag%20description.pdf
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