KLEBLIIL vs KEBLIIL

[johnbent]

KLEBLIIL vs KEBLIIL created by johnbent@gmail.com on 2017-02-11 13:02:33

[johnbent]

johnbent@gmail.com replied,

Masaharu and everyone else,

I received the below email from someone asking the difference between KLEBLIIL and KEBLIIL.

[johnbent]

johnbent@gmail.com replied,

Ak milnguiu er a hong el okedongall el kmo Siukang er a Belau el lilechesii a Rengulbai Ngeburch ma Masaharu Tmodrang e mlarngii a teblo el tekoi el kebliil ma klebliil mlara chelsel tial hong el mle soak el mo medengei a belkul eng di dimlak el bleketakl ma lechub el cherrungel a omesodel. A kulengit ma leborngii a temiu e mluut el smaod a belkul a ikal tekoi.

Sulang.

[johnbent]

johnbent@gmail.com replied,

Can you provide a better definition for KLEBLIIL please especially one that distinguishes it from KEBLIIL?  All we have right now is:

klebliil a betok el kebliil.

If you do the definition in Palauan, I'll translate it to English.

By the way, the copy of the  SIUKANG ER A BELAU book on tekinged is incomplete.  It ends abruptly in the middle of the 38th page.  Actually it ends right in the middle of the description of KEBLIIL.  Does anyone have a complete copy of this book?

[johnbent]

souangtellei@gmail.com replied,

Kebliil is a clan. Klebliil is a clan federation.

souang

[johnbent]

johnbent@gmail.com replied,

Like a group of clans that together make a super-clan?

Can a kebliil belong to multiple klebliil?

Can you provide an example pls?

Thx Souang!

[johnbent]

johnbent@gmail.com replied,

Also, every kebliil has a name and a chief right?

Do klebliils also have names? Do they have a chief?

[johnbent]

mngiruchelbad@gmail.com replied,

Kebliil is the main clan. Klebliil is what forms the clan. 

[johnbent]

mngiruchelbad@gmail.com replied,

Houses make klebliil that makes the clan. Most houses have 'rubak and rubak'ldil'. Kebliil is the main house, klebliil are under the kebliil.

[johnbent]

jimgeselbracht@yahoo.com replied,

I just finished the book "The Sacred Remains:  Myth, History and Polity in Belau" by Richard Parmentier, an anthropologist who spent several years in Ngeremlengui in the late 70s.  I highly recommend it.  In there he defines kebliil as a "house affiliation network."  He describes how "prominent houses maintain strong ties of affiliation (kebliil) with equally high-ranking houses in other districts ..."  He doesn't use klebliil that I can see. File that under the "for what its worth" department ...

[johnbent]

johnbent@gmail.com replied,

Good idea to check SACRED REMAINS. I've exchanged emails before with Richard so I've just now emailed him to ask him if he can help with this question. I'll report back whatever I hear from him.

[johnbent]

johnbent@gmail.com replied,

I heard back from Rick:

"Yes, the infixed l in klebliil has been a puzzle to many. But kebliil is actually mysterious. I devoted a technical paper to this, and I think my account is the most comprehensive published."

Here's a link to the paper:

House Affiliation Systems in Belau http://tekinged.com/misc/pdf.php?file=parmentier_house

It definitely talks a lot about KLEBLIIL and KEBLIIL but it's not super-conclusive to me. At one point, on page 672, it offers a simple definition:

multiple ongalek come together to form telungalek and multiple telungalek come together to form kebliil and multiple kebliil come together to form klebliil

but then it seems to say that this simple inclusion hierarchy isn't quite correct.

[johnbent]

johnbent@gmail.com replied,

http://tekinged.com/misc/pdf.php?file=parmentier_house

[johnbent]

johnbent@gmail.com replied,

Here's a table from the paper that seems to show all the Ngeremlengui kebliil and perhaps how they are organized into klebliil:

[johnbent]

mngiruchelbad@gmail.com replied,

Yes, each village has 'saus" (four corners)-main clans(kebliil) from those four corners-comes the houses-'ongalk' from those ongalk comes telungalk-telungalk and ongalk make the klebliil to the kebliil.