Iroijlaplap ( Marshallese: ; feminine: Leroijlaplap, ) are the traditional

paramount chief A paramount chief is the English-language designation for the highest-level political leader in a regional or local polity or country administered politically with a chief-based system. This term is used occasionally in anthropological and arc ...

s in the

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Inte ...

. Ordinary chiefs bear the title of Iroij (feminine: Leroij); -' is a

superlative Comparison is a feature in the morphology or syntax of some languages whereby adjectives and adverbs are inflected to indicate the relative degree of the property they define exhibited by the word or phrase they modify or describe. In languages ...

suffix.

Legal basis

Article III of the

Constitution of the Marshall Islands The Constitution of the Marshall Islands is the supreme law of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, in force from 1 May 1979. Its text is both English and Marshallese. The Constitution was approved on 1 March 1979 by constitutional referendum ...

recognises the title, and establishes a Council of Iroij, composed of holders of the title of Iroijlaplap, or other analogous traditional titles, chosen from holders of the chieftainship among the several constituent islands. The council is empowered to "consider any matter of concern to the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and it may express its opinion thereon to the Cabinet". The council is also entitled to formally request the reconsideration of any bill in the Nitijela (the country's Legislature), that affects customary law, traditional practices, or land tenure.Constitution of the Marshall Islands
, s. III

Reigning Iroijlaplap

There are currently two Iroijlaplap, one of whom once served as President of the Marshall Islands: *

Imata Kabua Imata Jabro Kabua (20 May 1943 – 18 September 2019) was a Marshallese politician, who served as the President of the Marshall Islands from 14 January 1997 to 10 January 2000. He became the Iroijlaplap of Kwajalein Kwajalein Atoll (; Marsh ...

Kwajalein Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese: ) is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking residents (about 1,000 mostly U.S. civilia ...

(President 1997–2000) * Remios Hermios of the

Ratak Chain The Ratak Chain ( Marshallese: , ) is a chain of islands within the island nation of the Marshall Islands. Ratak means "sunrise". It lies to the east of the country's other island chain, the Ralik Chain. In 1999 the total population of the Rata ...

(excluding

Majuro Majuro (; Marshallese: ' ) is the capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak (Sunrise) Chain of the Marshall Islands. The ato ...

Arno The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a ...

and Mili atolls).

References

Marshallese culture Titles of national or ethnic leadership *Main {{poli-stub