Leroij Atama Zedkaia (1931 – November 19, 2010) was the Marshallese

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

, or Leroijlaplap, of

Majuro Majuro (; Marshallese language, Marshallese: ' ) is the Capital city, 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 Chain, Ratak ( ...

. Leroij Zedkaia spearheaded the movement to break the

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 c ...

away from the rest of the

Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (TTPI) was a United Nations trust territory in Micronesia administered by the United States from 1947 to 1994. The Imperial Japanese South Seas Mandate had been seized by the U.S. during the Pacifi ...

and form the independent

Republic of the Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 ...

. She was also the mother of

Jurelang Zedkaia Iroijlaplap Jurelang Zedkaia (13 July 1950 – 7 October 2015) was a Marshall Islands, Marshallese politician and Iroijlaplap. He served as the President of the Marshall Islands, President of the Marshall Islands from 2009 to 2012. He was 2009 M ...

, who has served as the

President of the Marshall Islands The following is a list of President (government title), presidents of the Marshall Islands, since the establishment of that office in 1979. The president of the Republic of the Marshall Islands is the head of state and government of the Marshall ...

from 2009 to 2012. Leroij is a title by a female paramount chief, or Leroijlaplap, in the Marshall Islands. Zedkaia was considered a key figure in the Marshallese

independence movement Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of a ...

. She worked to break the Marshall Islands away from the rest of Micronesia, which was incorporated into the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands at the time. According to

journalist A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

Giff Johnson Giff Johnson is a Marshall Islands-based editor and journalist. He is also the author of the self-published book ''Don't Ever Whisper'', which tells of his late wife Darlene Keju's fight to share the Marshall Islanders plight with the rest of th ...

, "From a traditional leader point of view, she was very active in the background in supporting the move that was being led by the political leadership here that ultimately was successful in rejecting a Micronesia wide

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

and then developing the Marshall Islands constitution in 1979 which is the foundation for government here ever since." Atama Zedkaia died on November 19, 2010, at the age of 79. President

's Minister in Assistance

Ruben Zackhras Ruben R. Zackhras (4 December 1947 – 26 December 2018) was a Marshallese politician. He was acting President of the Marshall Islands from 21 October 2009 to 26 October 2009. He previously served as Minister of Finance from 1992 to 1998. Zac ...

declared a week of national mourning following her death. Marshallese flags were ordered to be flown at half mast until November 28, 2010. She was accorded a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...

, which is customary for Marshallese traditional leaders. Zedkaia's state funeral ceremony was the largest in the Marshall Islands since the death of former President

Amata Kabua Iroijlaplap Amata Kabua (November 17, 1928 – December 19, 1996) was the first President of the Marshall Islands from 1979 until his death in 1996 (five consecutive terms). Background Amata Kabua was a scion of Marshallese Royalty. Amata Kabua ...

in 1996. Approximately 1,000 family and friends of Zedkaia, who were each dressed in black, took part in the state funeral procession. The participants marched behind a

hearse A hearse () is a large vehicle, originally a horse carriage but later with the introduction of motor vehicles, a car, used to carry the body of a deceased person in a coffin to a funeral, wake, or graveside service. They range from deliberately ...

and a Marshallese police

honor guard A guard of honour (Commonwealth English), honor guard (American English) or ceremonial guard, is a group of people, typically drawn from the military, appointed to perform ceremonial duties – for example, to receive or guard a head of state ...

. Zedkaia's remains were taken from Majuro Hospital to the

Nitijela The Legislature of the Marshall Islands ( ) has 33 members, elected for a four-year term in nineteen single-seat and five multi-seat constituencies. The last election was November 20, 2023. Elections in the Marshall Islands are officially nonpa ...

, or parliament building, for her state funeral, which was broadcast on national television. The remains of Atama Zedkaia were taken to the

Assembly of God The World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), commonly known as the Assemblies of God (AG), is a global cooperative body or communion of over 170 Pentecostal denominations that was established on August 15, 1989. The WAGF was created to provi ...

Church in Majuro for the funeral services following the end of the official state funeral. Her son, President Jurelang Zedkaia, assumed the title of paramount chief for all lands governed by Atama Zedkaia following her death. He had previously carried out chiefly duties for her during her life.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zedkaia, Atama 1931 births 2010 deaths Marshallese chiefs People from Majuro 20th-century Marshallese politicians 20th-century Marshallese women politicians