Chelid/Kalit

The Chelid are powerful spirits from Palau sometimes identified as gods. It’s believed ancestral spirits called Bladek could become Chelid. Sacrifices were made to Chelid in a community house known as a Bai. These sacrifices were sometimes animals, but more often they were symbolic. The Father of all Chelid is called Ucheliangl. The Chelid would interact with humans through spiritual leaders known as Koran who would frequently undergo ritual possession and speak for the Chelid. Sometimes Chelid would only reveal themselves to certain people. They would typically be called to deal with issues too large for Bladek to help with. Often Chelid could be used to assist in divination, however this could anger the Chelid and require animal sacrifices to appease them. Sometimes a Chelid would demand people dance and would insist that pregnant women not eat pork. There are thought to be two major forms of Chelid; those based in politics and those based in nature. Political Chelid, often called Territorial Chelid, guarded villages and had major roles that varied depending on the political climate. They typically guard over a village, but if their village conquered another, then the Chelid could expand its reach. Chelid could also be “married” to connect two different villages. They have an upright stone symbol in the village, and this is taken with them if the village moves. Due to their significance, the Korong of these Chelid often served vital roles and sometimes even served as the chiefs of their villages. Sometimes the Korong was referred to as a Chelid themselves. The second form of Chelid are related to nature, and there are thought to be countless of them. The Chelid embodied the natural world and would need to be appeased whenever anything was taken from nature.

Citations:

Dobbin, Jay, and Hezel, Francis X.. Summoning the Powers Beyond: Traditional Religions in Micronesia. Germany, University of Hawaii Press, 2011.