Angaur

Angaur is a coralline platform island, southwest of Babeldaob, located in the epynmous Angaur State in the Republic of Palau.

Alternative spellings and historic names include: Angauru, Angyaur, Ngaur, Ngeour, and N'Yaur.

This coral island is situated at 6°54’ N, 134° 09’ E, and is commonly classed with the Palau group to the north, from which it is separated by a channel about five and one half miles wide. Sonsorol lies 150 miles to the SW. Angaur is about two and one half miles in length (NNE-SSW) and less than two miles wide at the maximum. Broader at the northern than at the southern end, its total area is less than three square miles. The island is formed of coral limestone and is known for its phosphate deposits. Only partially surrounded by fringing reefs, it has a broken shore line with precipitous chalk cliffs along the coast. Angaur Harbor, on the western side, is an open roadstead, The island is wooded and rises 15 to 20 feet above sea level. The main settlements are along the western coast.

Angaur was probably discovered by early Spanish explorers, possibly Ruy López de Villalobos in 1543, and doubtless visited by English traders, but not specifically mentioned until late in the nineteenth century.

As with many placenames in Micronesia, "Angaur" is a geographic 'pars pro toto', in which the name of a constitutive village, island or atoll is often used describe the larger island, atoll or island grouping in which it is the predominate member. "Anguar" is also the name of also the eponymous Angaur State.

Subunits

Villages on the islands include: Ngebeanged, Ngerbelau, Ngaramasch (Ngermasech), Rois

Population, Language and Religion

The 2015 Palaun Census reported 119 residents. Palauan is the spoken language. The population is primarily Roman Catholic, with a minority of Protestants.

A 1935 count of the population by the Japanese reported 420 native residents, 406 Japanese nationals, and six foreigners. After the war, in summer of 1946, the US Naval Military Government counted 482 local residents on Anguar.

Administrative History

The Spanish Period (1521-1899) began with initial discovery in the early 1500's though Spain made little attempt to occupy or administer the islands until 1885, when the islands were incorporated into the Spanish East Indies.

After the Spanish-American War, Spain sold the the Palau, Caroline and Marshall Islands to Germany in 1899. In this German Period (1899-1914), the islands were titled Imperial German Pacific Protectorates. Palau was a portion of the "Western Carolines District," along with Yap and the Marianas, administered through German New Guinea.

Palau was seized from the Germans by the Japanese early in World War I. The Islands were in 1920 mandated to Japan by the League of Nations. In this Japanese Period (1914-1941), the islands were governed by the “Nan'yō Cho” or South Seas Government. Koror, in Palau, served as the seat of administration. Japanese presence and proximity were greater in Palau than in the neighboring Caroline and Marshall Islands, accelerating economic development and acculturation. This included imposition of well-defined individual property rights.

Following liberation of the islands in the War in the Pacific, the islands were administered by the US Navy during the USN Period (1945-1947). The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) was formalized by United Nations Security Council Resolution 21 in 1947. The Navy passed governing duties to the Department of the Interior in 1951, initiating the TTPI Period (1947-1979). Within the Palau District, Angaur was grouped within the “Palau Area” subdivision.

Japanese Era Development

The Japanese established a hospital on Anguar, led by a doctor, and staffed by one further doctor, a pharmacist who also served a clerk, two assistant employees, as well as two midwives and nurses. The Japanese established a post office on Anguar, which provided parcel post, money orders, and postal savings. It was led by a postmaster and staffed by his communications clerk as well as an assistant communications clerk. The Japanese opened and operated a public school on Anguar, with a Japanaese principal, one further Japanese teacher, and a native teacher. The school enrolled approximately 28 pupils. Anguar was also home to an assistant police inspector's station.

Phosphate Mining

Surveys conducted by the Germans revealed the presence of phosphate deposits on Angaur, Fais, and Peleliu. In 1908 the South Seas Phosphate Company was organized, and in February, 1909, a force of 23 Europeans, 53 Chinese artisans, and 98 Yap laborers began operations on Angaur. Installations were built, including a short railroad, an iron loading bridge, a sawmill, lathes, a repair shop, an administration building, 32 residences for Europeans, a mess, a social hall, a hospital, 11 barracks, a storehouse, and a drying establishment. Shipments increased from 9,641 metric tons in 1909 to 54,000 metric tons, valued at Mk, 1,523,200, in 1912.

When the islands were occupied by Japan in 1914, the mines were closed. Soon thereafter, however, they were temporarily entrusted to a Japanese corporation under the supervision of the Japanese Navy. In 1922, when the South Seas Government was formed, Japan purchased all the property and rights of the former German owners. Administration of the mines was then turned over to the South Seas Government, which was permitted to retain the profits as an indirect subsidy toward the administration of the islands. The South Seas Government established a mining station to carry on the exploitation of the mines under the direction of the Governor. With the establishment of the Nanyo Takushoku Kaisha toward the end of 1936, the South Seas Government transferred the phosphate mines to this company in exchange for stock.

The principal phosphate excavation was at Gabayanga in the north central part of Angaur where the deposits vary in depth from three to six feet. The Angaur mine was the only one in the region reported to be equipped with loading facilities. The phosphate powder was shoveled directly from the mine into small dump-carts, which ran to the anchorage on portable tracks. There were estimated to be about 12 miles of phosphate railroad on the island. The refinery and storehouse were at the Saipan village on the west coast. From the storehouse the phosphate was brought out on a conveyor belt to a large automatic loading arm extending over the anchorage, where it dropped through a rubber tube into the hold of the ship taking on cargo. The loading capacity was about 3,500 tons per day.

Traditional Culture

Pre-Contact

Pre-contact Palau was organized in a loose confederation of all islands comprised of ten “districts” or “divisions.” Political organization in was characterized by hereditary chieftainship and ranked groups. Angaur was a part of the a Ngea͡ ur political group.

Chieftainship was primus inter pares or "first among equals" type similar to Yap, but distinct from centralized chieftainships over smaller polities in the eastern Carolines or merely clans in the central Carolines.

Social organization and ranking in Palau were influenced by wealth (primarily land) and inherited clan affiliation, but also influenced by personal ability and prestige. Households up through clans were primarily defined by matrilineage, but children could choose to join their father's matrilineage, gaining inheritance rights within it instead through their own mother's line. Broadly, competition played a larger role in social order and culture in Palau than anywhere in the Caroline or Marshall Islands.

Colonial Eras

Traditional cultural and political systems evolved over the course of foreign administration. The German administration sought to systemize native life, introducing regulations dealing with native institutions. Local chiefs broadly retained control but their authority was curtailed and they were subjected to German supervision.

The Japanese administrators sought to simplify the traditional clan system through consolidations. Initially Japan retained German policies, but with relaxed enforcement, later introducing further reaching policies aimed at modernization. The Japanese also tried the German scheme of indirect rule, using native chiefs and council as their intermediary, but abandoned the effort. Laws were promulgated by the Bureau and chiefs merely carried them out.

Present Day

Traditional leaders in Palau played a significant role in the end of TTPI and the establishment of Palau as an independent nation. Today, clan relations and traditional leaders continue to influence voting behavior and also political allegiances, particular in the absence of formal political parties or ideological groupings. Though its role is not formalized as a "fourth branch" as it is in Yap State in the neighboring FSM, Palau's Council of Chiefs does provide both an implicit check on, and constitutes a significant influence on, the government.

As Former FSM President Haglegam has explained, "On Palau, a council of traditional chiefs was created to serve as adviser to the president. So, unlike their counterpart in the FSM, the Palauan traditional chiefs have a formal role at the national level, albeit in advisory capacity. However, the council has complained that the president ignores their advice on policy matters. We should keep in mind that the power to advise does not carry with it the power to modify or formulate policy. So, the Palauan traditional chiefs’ power to influence public policy is minimized by granting them only advisory power."

Political Representation

The Republic of Palau's legistive branch consists of a bicameral Congress. The sixteen members of the lower chamber, or House of Delegates, are elected to four-year terms through first-past-the-post elections and represent single-member constituencies in the form of the 16 states. The thirteen members of the upper chamber, or Senate of Palau, are elected for four-year terms through a non-proportional block voting system in which each voter may choose thirteen candidates from the nationwide slate of candidates. The President of Palau is directly elected through a two-round process.

Education

Angaur Elementary School is located on the Island, serving students through eighth grade.

Airport or Airfield

Angaur Airstrip is located on the island. It has a 7,000 foot gravel surfaced runway.