Form No. 10-300 (Rev. 10-74) CbfotfZ 3^3 / UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM

SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS I NAME

HISTORIC QNGSLULIJUL AND/OR COMMON same LOCATION STREET& NUMBER Uehuladokoe __NOT FOR PUBLICATION CITY, TOWN CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT Melekeok VICINITY OF Babelthuap Island______STATE Palau Districtf Trust CODETerritory J of the PacificCOUNTY Islands 96950CODE CLASSIFICATION

CATEGORY OWNERSHIP STATUS PRESENT USE —DISTRICT X-PUBLIC —OCCUPIED —AGRICULTURE —MUSEUM _BUILDING(S) —PRIVATE —2JJNOCCUPIED —COMMERCIAL —PARK —STRUCTURE —BOTH —WORK IN PROGRESS —EDUCATIONAL —PRIVATE RESIDENCE _?SITE PUBLIC ACQUISITION ACCESSIBLE —ENTERTAINMENT _RELIGIOUS OBJECT _IN PROCESS X-YES: RESTRICTED —GOVERNMENT —SCIENTIFIC —BEING CONSIDERED — YES: UNRESTRICTED —INDUSTRIAL —TRANSPORTATION _NO, —MILITARY XOTHER: storage [OWNER OF PROPERTY

NAME Trust Territory Government/in trust tc? Chief Reklai STREET & NUMBER Okemii Saipan Headquarters Palau District CITY, TOWN STATE VICINITY OF LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION

COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS, ETC. Municipal Office STREET & NUMBER Ngerams CITY, TOWN STATE Melekeok, Babelthuap Island^ TTPI 96950 1 REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS TITLE none, DATE —FEDERAL —STATE _COUNTY —LOCAL DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS

CITY, TOWN STATE DESCRIPTION

CONDITION CHECK ONE CHECK ONE

_EXCELLENT ^DETERIORATED _UNALTERED ^ORIGINAL SITE _GOOD X_RUINS _ALTERED _MOVED DATE. _FAIR _UNEXPOSED

——————————DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Ongeluluul is a stone platform along the main road te£ Old Melekeok Village to west/southwest further inland about 100 yards from the boathouse along ttef shoreline. The platform is about EO feet by 20 feet separate from the main road by a small creek paralleling the road eastward. It was/ once a finely tmved nlatform, called ILIITED, with basaltic stones where secret and important outdoor meetings of chiefs were held and war plans and strategy outlined. At present, most of the original stones have fallen down and some have been taken away for personal use. Large trees (breadfruit, nandanus) have grown up and are now growing on and around the platformf s remains. Roots and other vegetation are undermining* the stones, displacing them and cracking others. Though the site is of great traditional/cultural importance to Palauans, it is being used today, unofficially, as a general construction materials storage area. The platform itself is on top of private land belonging to Ubal Tellei, though the structure is indirectly controlled by Melekeok High Chief Reklai, who personally paid in the form of food and accomodation for the construc­ tion in 1750. 01 SIGNIFICANCE

PERIOD AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE -- CHECK AND JUSTIFY BELOW

PREHISTORIC _ARCHEOLOGY-PREHISTORIC ^COMMUNITY PLANNING —LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE —RELIGION 1400-1499 ^^ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC —CONSERVATION —SCIENCE 1500-1599 —AGRICULTURE —ECONOMICS —LITERATURE —SCULPTURE 1600-1699 -ARCHITECTURE —EDUCATION ^MILITARY —SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN _1700-1 799 —ENGINEERING _ MUSIC —THEATER 1800-1899 —COMMERCE —EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT _ PHILOSOPHY _TRANSPORTATION 1900- —COMMUNICATIONS —INDUSTRY jstPOLITICS/GOVERNMENT —OTHER (SPECIFY) —INVENTION

1750 BUILDER/ARCHITECT Reklai Tangesechel

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

Ongeluluul means "place where one whiskers". It is locally referred to as specific places where village secret and imnortant meetings take r»laee* The connotation is related to warfare strategy planning* Important Palauan villages such as Koror, Aimeliik and Ngeremlengui have places of this kind* During the course of various and succeeding foreign occupations of Palau, this meaning has been diluted. Ongeluluul, however, remains representative of this original Palauan council site, and reflects former days of traditional historic campaignes and battles. Mekekeok Ongeluluul has additional significance to Palauan history: it was the site of two important peace treaties. The first was that of Koror Abba Thule Esuch and Ngetelngal Reklai Tangesechel in the year 1795 when Captain Henry Wilson first introduced firearms to local warfare and helped Abba Thule to destroy Ngetelngal, Melekeok; and the second was .that of Aibediilv Abba Thule and Ilengelekei and Reklai Soilokel in 1870 during the time of theeSpanighSoccupation. . The formal peace treaty ceremonies were held in the presence of white men for the first time. This treaty at Ongeluluul ended all local civil wars throughout Palau islands. Ongeluluul has come to signify the ending of spears and canoes as means for warfare and the beginning of their exclusive use for fishing and good living. IMAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES - Thomas Tellei, official informant 1975 - Antonio polloi, official informant 1976 - Santos Ngodrii, official informant 1975

I4l6i0i6i4t0-i J8.gL7t9l2.0, ZONE EASTING NORTHING ZONE EASTING NORTHING C| . I I I . I , , I I , I . I . . l , | I I . I . . I I . i , I , . VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION

LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES

STATE CODE COUNTY CODE N/A STATE CODE COUNTY CODE

[FORM PREPARED BY NAME/TITLE Simeon Skilang^ Land Resources Specialist? & Tech. Advisor, ^alau Historic Preservation ORGANIZATION Oomnoflixtiee Land Commission Office, Madalaii May 10. 1976 STREET& NUMBER TELEPHONE Koror g Palau District 352 CITY OR TOWN STATE Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. 96950

THE EVALUATED SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS PROPERTY WITHIN THE STATE IS: NATIONAL__ STATE __ LQCAL _JC_ Palau District

As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service.

STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER SIGNATURE K« ChaS6 * 1976 TITLE chief, Branch of Resources & Land Use^ Div. Lands /Survey^7 t'TPI 96950

GPO 888-445 SHEET 1144

30'00'(

Galumuleiaka- -_. 7 Vx.

;;_,,. ,-' X,--)7 ,/X i v \. VT .'. ' f Ongeluluul Melekeok UTM Referer.ce 53/460640/827920

27'30"

18 sand