Many people mistake cultural beliefs for the Modekngei religion because it has been around for a long time. Some even suggested that the religion involved sorcery and Satanism. Modekngei is a traditional religion which is defined as "coming together as one." Some people believe that this religion originated from a combination of Christianity--Catholic and Protestant--and old Palauan beliefs that were entwined together, thus creating the Modekngei religion.
Written documents have been made about this topic, but the authors of such documents rely mostly on interviews with people whom are not involved in this religion because members of this religion were very secretive about it.
In the olden days, Palauans believed in a set of hierarchically placed gods (or chelid in Palauan), each with a title. They consisted of the high gods of all Palau, the gods of the villages, and the gods of the clans. The people of Palau worshipped all kinds of gods, but there were two very distinct groups of gods which were worshipped and/or feared. Their will is made known through the chiefs, the elders, the seers, and the magicians, as well as through dreams and omens. They were once men, and like men, they rivaled amongst themselves for their own betterment.
The first group of gods are the bladek. These are the gods that the people worshipped. They could also be considered as "guardian angels" because they looked out for members of the clans and protected them if they needed to. They are known to communicate with the living through a medium. A medium is chosen by the elders of a clan or was "visited" by the spirits. A medium is needed mostly at funerals. There, they are told ...