Palauan: italic=no|Belau rekid | |
English Title: | Our Palau |
Prefix: | National |
Country: | Palau |
Author: | Riosang Salvador, Kebekol Alfonso, Hermana Umetaro, Demei Otobed, Sister Ingelore Lengling, Rev. Hubert E. Charles, Fr. Felix Yaoch |
Composer: | Ymesei O. Ezekiel |
Adopted: | 1 January 1981 |
Sound Title: | U.S. Navy Band instrumental version (one verse) |
"Palauan: italic=no|Belau rekid" (pronounced as /bɛlau̯ ɾəgið/; also spelt "Palauan: italic=no|Belau Er Kid";[1] English: "Our Palau"[2] [3]) is the national anthem of Palau. Officially adopted in 1981, the music was composed by Ymesei O. Ezekiel, to which the combined words of several authors were set.
The anthem was composed by Ymesei Ezekiel (9 January 1921 – 20 May 1984), a composer, musician and music teacher, during the time of the transition from the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, which at the time was using the anthem of Micronesia, to the establishment of the Republic of Palau under the trust territory. A committee headed by member of the House of Delegates Demei Otobed was established to adopt a national anthem in line with the new constitution. Along with Otobed and Ezekiel, other members of the committee included historians and musicians Riosang Salvador, Kebekol Alfonso and Hermana Umetaro. The committee members collectively wrote the lyrics of the anthem. The anthem was officially adopted on 1 January 1981, when the Palauan constitution entered into force.[4]