Ngara Modekngei
Ngara Modekngei ( Palau for: united sect , sometimes just Modekngei ) is a syncretistic religion in Palau , to which 8.8% of the total population profess, among the natives about 12 percent belong to it. It belongs to the monotheistic religions. It unites both Christian and nativist beliefs . Modekngei was founded on the main island of Babelthuap at the beginning of the 20th century by Tamadad von Chol and has spread from there all over Palau.
History and content of the fashion guys
The Palau people used to believe in a hierarchical group of gods, the Chelid . They were communicated with through a clergyman as a medium . In addition to the chelid, there were two other categories of spirit beings. This was on the one hand the Deleb , the soul of a deceased before it ascended to heaven, and on the other hand the Bladek , the very soul after it had ascended to the lowest level of heaven (Telechalb). A fixed ritual of the followers of the fashion kings is to ask the bladeks at a funeral about the cause of the death of the deceased.
The emergence of the fashion knuckle
The practice of the traditional religion and culture of Palau was increasingly restricted under the German colonial government. The indigenous priesthood was suppressed on suspicion of inciting resistance and most of them were deported. At the beginning of the war in 1914, Japan took the islands and expelled all Germans, including the resident missionaries, from the islands. In the religious vacuum created in this way, Tamadad von Chol appeared as the new religious leader between 1915 and 1919. He combined elements of traditional faith and Christianity. As a result, there is only one god Ngirchomekuul Iesu Kristo , who under different names is identical to the individual earlier village deities. The aim was to bring about a unification and pacification of the archipelago, which had previously been split up into rival districts, while at the same time preserving the indigenous traditions. As a result, Modekngei quickly came into conflict with the Japanese colonial administration, which was planning to modernize Palau based on the Japanese model.
Except for the picture boards on the bais (houses), no written records were available before the arrival of the Europeans. All the stories, songs and traditions were passed on orally. Therefore followers of fashion kinks explicitly forego the written down of their beliefs and observe a strict ban on recording. All beliefs are conveyed in the sung kesekes (hymns), which are recited at the common worship services.
See also
literature
- Machiko Aoyagi, Modekngei: A New Religion in Belau ; Tokyo: Shinsensha Press, 2002; ISBN 4787702076 .
- Francis X. Hezel: Strangers in Their Own Land: A Century of Colonial Rule in the Caroline and Marshall Islands ; University of Hawaii Press, 2003; ISBN 9780824828042 .
swell
- ↑ Country information on CIA - The World Factbook - Palau