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# Airai, Palau

## Palau, Belau

Last modified: 2026-08-15 by ian macdonald
Keywords: palau | belau | airai | medeii belau |
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by Jens Pattke, 16 January 2010

- Description of the Flag
- Seal
- Reported flag

See also:

- Palau

## Description of the Flag

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 is blue, with a white disk surrounded by 6 yellow five-pointed stars, and bearing 6 fish around a sprig of red ti plant.
André Pires Godinho, 30 March 2003

THE FIVE COLORS OF THE FLAG:
Sky Blue Color of the sky, rivers, and ocean surrounding Airai State
Yellow Color of shining star representing the wisdom of six traditional chiefs of the six hamlets of Airai State
White Representing peace
Gray Color of the famous rabbit-fish of Airai State
Red Color of the Sis el Yanged (ti-plant) that Medechiibelau used to lure the meyas (rabbit-fish) to Airai. This special ti-plant is used to keep away the curse and garner the goodness in life.
LEGEND AND EXPLANATION OF THE FLAG
When Mechii-Belau came to Imeliik, he saw Itungelbai carrying the ti-plant running from the shore to the reef and back to the shore with rabbit-fish running after him. Medechiibelau came close to Itungelbai and started asking him how this ti-plant worked and Itungelbai began to explain how to use the special ti-plant. Medechiibelau coveted this special ti-plant and asked Itungelbai if he could try it. Itungelbai gave the Sis el Yanged (ti-plant) to Medechiibelau and he ran back and forth between the reef and the shore and the school of rabbit-fish followed him. Medechiibelau realized that he really wanted the ti-plant and rabbit-fish so after the next round he took the ti-plant and ran to Airai with the rabbit-fish following him and planted the ti-plant in Airai. That is why rabbit-fish only spawn in Airai. The six rabbit-fish represent the six Chiefs and the six stars represent the six Hamlets of Airai State.

The six Hamlets are Ordomel, Oikull, Ngchesechang, Ngerusar, Ngeruluobel, and Ngetkib. The Sis el Yanged (ti-plant) is planted in the middle of the flag by Medechiibelau to bring goodness to Airai via clean, white and lasting peace now and forever.
Source: http://airaistate.com/airaistategovernment_files/airaiflag.html and http://pacificdigitallibrary.org.
Paraskevas Renesis, 14 January 2010

## Seal

image located by Rob Higgins, 11 July 2026

The official state seal from https://airaistategov.com.
Rob Higgins, 11 July 2026

## Reported Flag (dubious)

by Jaume Ollé

[Ed Note:] This flag was reported by Jaume Ollé in 1997 as displaying a Medeii Belau (a mythical creature) centered on a blue field.

The state flag of Airai is not the two headed mythical creature Medeii Belau, but a shell fish which we call Sa'ng.
Julius Iechad, 12 December 2001

I found the above flag not only in the 1995 CIA Factbook, but also on page 6 in a German language pdf file: Flags, Coats of Arms, and Seals: Amendments and Additions, Issue No. 7 dated 1/1991 [fws].
It is described as a "Golden double-headed eel with an orange border, on a blue field."
Secondly, the mythical creature called Medeii Belau, which is indeed the shellfish known the as Sa'ang or the spider conch, is featured on Palauan license plates (see photo). However, I have been unable to find any flag featuring this image.

Rob Higgins, 11 July 2026

From Flag Bulletin No 139 (1991):
AlRAl (1021):The state flag (Fig. 1) is dark blue with a gold-bordered orange mythical creature known as Medeii Belau in the center. This double-headed moray eel is a symbol of mutual help. One special flag, presented to a local sports team, had the inscription in white above and below VICTORY//AIRAl STΑΤΕ; this flag was heavily fringed in gold. The Medeii Belau is also mentioned οn the seal of the state (Fig. 2) where the words OFFICIAI SΕΑL OF ΑIRΑΙ STATE//HOME OF ΤΗΕ ΜEDΕΙΙ BELAU are inscribed οn the exergue. Within a ring of fourteen counterclockwise fish there is a distinctive shell.
From the book
The Politics of Evolving Cultures in the Pacific Islands:
Proceedings of a Conference Sponsored by the Institute for Polynesian Studies, Brigham Young University--Hawaii Campus, February 1982:
"The flag is an orange kesebekuu ( two-headed eel ) which speaks out a double message : cooperation or competition.
This statement reveals two dominant themes of Palauan culture. The seal is a spider conch shell surrounded by a ring of fishes, indicative of Palau’s rich marine resources.
Paris Renesis, 11 July 2026