NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

Esta hu dingu i isla-ta.

Ai na'ma'ase todu, Adahi hamyo todus ni' mangaige giya Guahan. Adahi hamyo esta ki hu na'bira yu' tatte...

Sigi ha' yan difende, prutehi yan adahi i tiguang-ta, i keturra-ta, yan i isla-ta...

Ti apmam bai hu dingu este na isla ni' hu gof guaiya. Meggai gi sanhalom-hu sumangagani yu', mungga humanao. Umbee, Chamorro hao, ya este mismo i ligat-mu, saga' magi. Lao megggai giya Guahu, tumatago' yu', Fanhanao! Fanhanao yan Faneskuela mas, ya pues bira tatte gigon na gaiPh.D. hao, ya pues fokkai yan fa'om i manhaoles guini giya Guam, ko'lo'lo'na giya UOG.

Disehayi yu' fan ni' suette gi lagu...sa' siempre bai hu nissisita gui'

Last week I emailed out my notice to defend my thesis here at the University of Guam. I sent it out to everyone in my address book. For the last week I've been getting emails of support, solidarity and of course regret...

I say regret, because half of the emails are from people in my address book who are off-island. All these emails begin with statements like, "I'm sorry I'm not on island," or "If you pay for my airfare, then..."

The reality of diaspora. The internet and other forms of media and communication technology can make up for it, or limit it, but the harshness of the reality still persists. Chamorros as a people are being stretched thin, almost torn into two (or three depending on how you view the relationahsip between Guam and the CNMI). The diaspora continues to threaten our place on Guam, and the vitality of our culture.

Mata'ta'chong Si Buddha gi pappa' trongkon. Mientras me'meditate gui', maloffan un taotao, ya ha faisen Si Buddha un finaisen. Ilek-na i taotao, "Oh Buddha, kao Linanghet hao pat tinanao'?" Ineppe-na Si Buddha este ha', "taya', makmata ha' yu'."

While designing revolutionary t-shirts with a friend of mine in San Diego, she told me the above story. I think it fits mine, and the perspective of alot of activists and activated individuals out there. In that there is truly no rest, for those who can now see with eyes less clouded by fear or power. Once you are able to look beyond the looking glass, there isn't much reason to go back...

Hu takpangi este "no rest for the awake," put este na hinasso...para siha ni' manmakmata', ya ma komprende hafa mismo guaguaha yan maloloffan, ya ma li'e i eriyan-niha laklaru (pi'ot kinu ni' manlabachet) makkat mumaigo an pupuenge sa' todu i tiempo un hahasso n…

Poem I'm working on, mungga machatge, esta annok na ti munhayan. Dipotsi na un taitai este yan dandan achagigu...


Kinattayi yu' ni' sindalun Chamorro giya Irak...

Manrisibi yu’ katta
Na un tuge’i yu’
Nai gaige hao gi gera

Sumaonao hao
Sa’ taikepble
Lao ti un hasso
Put I linachin militat

Lao nai un li’e
Estao Iraki
Ya taimanu ti manmalibre
Un hasso I Chamorro
Ya un tungo’ hafa debi di u macho’gue

Ilek-mu
Ti bai mumu, para Siha
Bai hu tachu, para Hita
Esta ki manlibre hit fanhongge
Mungga hinalang
Lao usuni

Umessalao hao gi langhet
Lao paki ha’ umoppe
Ilek-mu ti dinanche
Na mana’gera yu’
Achokka’ taya’ bota-hu
Lachi hu konfotme

Ilek-mu
Ti bai mumu, para Siha
Bai hu tachu, para Hita
Esta ki manlibre hit fanhongge
Mungga hinalang
Lao usuni

Ti amerikanu
Ti sahnge
Ti achaigua

Hafa todus hamyo, ni' manmatto (yan manaitaitai)...

I guess as the first post I should write this in English so people can actually read it.

Why am I starting a blog? Several reasons, but first if you don't know me, let me introduce myself. My name is Michael Lujan Bevacqua, from the Bitot (Lujan) and Kabesa (Flores) families. I'm 24 years old, currently attending graduate school at the University of California, San Diego.

I started this blog, because there is so much that needs to be done for our culture, our island(s) and our people. And I feel that even such a small thing as this can help in both small and large ways. I have spent my life as a Chamorro in both Guam and California, and I have seen so many of the problems that are affecting our people, and I'm not the best person to deal with or solve any of them. But I do have a love of writing and expressing myself, and so perhaps through forums such as this, or through website and message boards, we can create not …

Lana, ti payon yu' ni' este na klasin kinalamten internet. Kada na hu li'e i site-hu, hinasso-ku, lana ti bunita ayu, kalang gof mafnas esta (ya pa'go hu hu fa'tinas gui'!)

Lana ti siguru yu' an kao dinanche i chine'gue-ku guini. Pa'go ha' hu tutuhun este, ya ma'a'nao yu' esta na esta malafunkshun. Nangga na'ya ya bei chek kao maolek ha' este.