NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

The almost week long break from this blog has been an unfortunate side effect of the shifting of priorities since I came back to Guam.

I put alot into this blog over the past two months mainly because of the Democratic National Convention and also my own close following of issues of race and gender in the campaign and the pick of Sarah Palin for VP by John McCain. I'm scaling things back now in order to spend more time trying to be a good father to my 17 month old nene Sumåhi, and also working on finishing up my dissertation as soon as possible.

Both activities require lots of attention and plenty of focus, and so sadly I might be posting less than usual for the next few months. This doesn't mean that I don't have plenty floating around in my head to post about, in fact sigi ha' machuchuda' i hinasso-ku desde matto yu' para Guahan! I have way too many things to write about now that I'm back, Guam is far from boring there is plenty happening that I'm a par…

Since I've come back on island I hear all the time, from the radio, the TV, I read it in the paper, and I hear it in offices, businesses, about the incredible and massive challenges that Guam is facing over the next few years. Challenges could mean anything, but in this context is almost always means, how are we going to prepare for the massive population increase, which the most recent conservative estimate claimed would be 43,000 people, that will result from the proposed US military buildup to the island?

The challenges are things we all think about, utilities, economy, education, social well being, roads, pollution, environment, etc. But these challenges are divided into two dangerously narrow categories. The first is, how can we change ourselves and improve ourselves in order to best take advantage of the coming invasion? The second is, how can we mitigate the inevitable damage it is going to cause to just about everything on the island?

Although we can see and feel the poor pl…

Today is California Native American Day at i eskuela-ku, UCSD. So in honor of the day I'm sharing with you below the press release with the list of planned events and also a call on all students, faculty and staff to honor the heritage and contributions of Native Americans. After reading this release, read the article I pasted below it, "A Story Dying to be Told" by Tim Giago from the Huffingtonpost.

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UCSD CAMPUS NOTICE
University of California, San Diego
OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR
September 23, 2008

ALL ACADEMICS AND STAFF AT UCSD
ALL STUDENTS AT UCSD

SUBJECT: California Native American Day Celebration at UC San Diego

It gives me great pleasure to announce this year’s California Native American Day Celebration at UC San Diego. This is the third year UC San Diego is participating in the celebration and it is designed to promote events that enhance the relationship between the San Diego tribal communities and the UC San Diego community.

A sample of this year’s…

Este na sakkan mana'saonao yu' gi i Konfrensian Chamorro. Banidosu yu' na bai hu apatte i mandana' guihi i hinasso-ku put i estao i taotao-ta, giya Guahan, giya i CNMI, yan i mangaige lokkue' gi lagu.

Bai hu fa'nu'i put "National Identity," ya taimanu sina i Chamoru mandana' ta'lo. I manera siha na manafa'sahnge hit put kuttura ya taimanu gi un kinalamten "decolonization/reunification" sina i Chamoru manunu ta'lo. Solu gi este na kinalamtan sina matto "agondumana'" giya i Marianas. Todu i otro na chalan, para u na'fanmalingu hit.

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Conference aims to strengthen Chamorro language, culture
Friday, 19 September 2008
By Junhan B. Todeno
Variety News Staff

ORGANIZERS of the 3rd Annual Chamorro Conference yesterday finalized the program for the two-day gathering which aims to provide a forum for the new generation and the senior citizens to articulate their views on Chamorro language an…

I wrote last month in my post "Sa' Hafa Ti Manacha?" about the regular murmurs that I hear about the possible reunification of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands. I promised to post an interview that I gave several months ago to a student about the topic, but in the hustle and bustle of the Democratic National Convention and my moving back to Guam, I completely forgot.

I thought of this again because I will be presenting next week up in Saipan at the Tetset Konfrensian Chamorroon this very topic, "a national, pan-Marianas Chamorro identity." Achokka' ti humanao yu' para i fine'nina yan mina'dos na dinana', hu hungok na ti ma diskuti put este gi i fotmat na panels siha, lao siempre gi entre i batkada madiskuti. Taimanu na ti sina?

With the CNMI Federalization being approved and now being challenged, the military build up looming ahead, a massive Chamorro diaspora from the CNMI forming in the United States to join the on…

Desde ma anunsia na Si Sarah Palin inayek as John McCain para u VP gi i banda Republican, hu gof nanangga para i ineppe i Campaign Obama. Taimanu para u ma chonnek tatte kontra i dinagin McCain yan i inayek Palin? Put fin gi este na simana, ma na'publiko hafa iyo-niha strategy. Pau ma na'dana' gi i mensahi-niha, manasunto Famalao'an yan Ikonomia.

Ya bei sangani hamyo, ti desganao yu'. Ti nina'desganao yu'. Put ma ayek este na tactic, ma apreba nu Guahu na magahet i fino' Obama yan Biden. I inetnon Democratic, ma ofrefresi "ideas" yan "policies" gi este na botashon, yan i inetnon Republicans, ma ofrefresi "personalities." Pau ma kena'hasso i taotao Amerika hayi mismo umofrefresi "solutions" para i prubleman-niha, ya hayi umofrefresi "tinaya'." Manmiresi i taotao Amerika gi maseha manu na ma bota.

In recent weeks, given the glowing coverage that the Republicans have received as Sarah Palin shows a ma…

September 12, 2008

Open letter by Kanaka Maoli Scholars Against Desecration

As Kanaka Maoli professors and scholars we write to publicly condemn the state-sponsored desecration of a Native Hawaiian burial site at Wainiha, Kaua`i resulting from the construction of a new home at Naue Point by California businessman Joseph Brescia. For years Brescia has been trying to build a home on top of our ancestral graves despite a litany of environmental, legal and community challenges to his construction. In 2007 Brescia unearthed and then covered over the bones of our ancestors when he began clearing the area. The illegal and immoral disturbance and desecration of our ancestors’ remains must stop now.

The Hawai`i revised statute 711-1107 on Desecration specifically states that no one may commit the offense of desecrating "a place of worship or burial," and the statute defines "desecrate" as "defacing, damaging, polluting, or otherwise physically mistreating in a way that th…

I'm getting tired of hearing pundits and Republicans complain that Obama should have been dominating and winning this election in a landslide and that somehow the fact that polls have been tight for months, states that he can't "seal the deal."

A more mature look at the electoral landscape of the US, and the tendencies that we can find in terms of race, gender, class, political ideology, all of these factors make clear that we should actually be shocked beyond belief that Obama is close at all. That if anything he should losing this election horribly, because of America's unwillingness to deal with issues of race and racism, and the extra criticism it forces upon those from marginalized groups when they emerge into the "mainstream."

If we actually take into account much of what the media and the American people refuse to accept, we see a country which will elect the worst possible, least qualified and most intellectually crude "white people." I …