NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

If you ask just about any Chamorro about their thoughts on reunification or the unification of the Marianas Islands, they would most likely all say " Hunggan, gof maolek enao. Hu gof sapotte enao." In the past, differences between the islands due to colonial divisions and anger over treatment during World War II may have kept Chamorros from the north and the south apart, but that isn't really the case anymore. There maystill  be some latent feelings of superiority that people of one island may have over another, because they feel culturally, linguistically or technologically superior, but even that is started to fade at the political level as all the Marianas Islands are basically territories of the United States now, one with more power than the other. So while common sense has changed on this issue, there has been little substantive efforts. All governors of Guam that I can remember have at some point expressed interest in unifying the Marianas Islands. They have sa

Every month the group SPARK (Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea) holds a peace action in near the US embassy and the city hall in downtown Seoul. It’s called Self-Reliance Peace Unification Action, and it is basically a small sit-in style rally. The event even comes with its own small red-seat cushions which are laid out prior to the start of the event, rewarding those who come early with more comfortable seats from which to listen and observe. When I first arrived at the protest, it was primarily old people there, who were all holding signs which I was told described different things such as reunification, demands of the South Korean government to stop trying to take away civil rights and the closure of US bases in the country. After seeing so many manåmko’ I asked my interpreter and guide Sung-Hee if this was a good representation of the activist community in South Korea, meaning are most of the progressives here are a little bit older? For several years, when I first

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. ****************************** 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

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 Chamorro on 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

In recent months I have been hearing more and more rhetoric from Guam, the CNMI, on the internet and even in the diaspora, about a desire amongst Chamorros to reunify the Marianas Islands. I've received some requests for interviews by students writing papers, and alot of emails from Chamorros, who just out of the blue want to know why we are so divided, and to use an already fihu mausa sinangan "why can't we all just get along?" But these are the questions of people who haven't really asked themselves or their families these questions. All Chamorros, whether they are raised in Guam, the CNMI or in the diaspora have some answers as to why we are divided. These answers may seem faint, like traces of someone else's life or vendettas, and such is usually the case with trauma, but they are present in the being of all Chamorros. There are simple historical or legal answers, about empires dividing up the islands, and laws, treaties and Congressional acts which treat

Here is the text from a radio interview I did at KPRG for students in Peter Onedera's Chamoru 102 class. The topic was something I know very little about, but I was a last minute replacement for the students, the reunification of the Marianas Islands. Sorry, to those that can actually read and understand the questions, my MS Word spell check messed up alot of my sentences, by turning Chamorro words into similarly spelled English words. What does reunification mean? Mandañata’lo, pat agondumaña kumekeilek-na na I islas Marianas u marikohi gi pappa’ un gobietno yan un politiku. Yanggen maloffan este na kinalamten, u na’magahet I guinefin meggai na Chamorro gi meggai na tiempo siha. Explain the Government of the Marianas Islands before the separation. Antes di manhalom I Espanot, manggaige I Chamoru gi todu I isles Marianas, ya achokka’ unu ha I lenguahin-niha yan hinnggen-niha, taya’ kapitat, taya’ sagan I maga’lahi para todu I islas yan todu I sengong. Manmacha’gue I politi

Just wanted to give everyone and anyone an update on the Famoksaiyan conference that is taking place this April 14 -15 in San Diego. Our initial deadline for submissions passed two weeks ago and we received alot more submissions than I thought we would. The only problem though is that they are too far spread out to form all of our panels. While half of the panels for this conference are set now, the other half are still up in the air because we couldn't find three to four submissions which worked well around a particular theme. So if anyone out there is interested in presenting their work or ideas at this gathering please feel free to get in touch with me, my email is below as well as a description of what Famoksaiyan is supposed to be. Right now we are looking for people to present on possibly Chamoru/Chamorro language, Chamorro creativity whether in arts, theater, literature, Chamorro/Guam history, or Chamorro activism/networking (whether in Guam or the US mainland). These are th

I've just sent out the invite for the Chamorro gathering to take place next April. I'm posting the final draft here, and please if you are interested in participating or supporting, please let me know. CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS FAMOKSAIYAN: Decolonizing Chamorro Histories, Identities and Futures April 14-15, 2006 Ginnen i Manaina-ta siha. Ginnen i Mangguelo-ta siha. Hita I Chamoru, I taotao Guahan yan Luta yan Saipan yan Tinian. Hita i taotao tano yan i tasi. Mungga en fanmaleffa I Manma’pos yan Fanmanhasso todu tiempo put I Manmamaila. Ginnen Manu Hit? Hayi hit pa’go? Para Manu Hit? These are questions of our past, present and future which we can never ever let go. As simple as these questions may appear, finding indigenous answers to them is harder than one would think. While questions of cultural preservation (What to keep?) and adaptation (What to change?) are vital to our survival, they must always be asked in relation to less visible and potentially more difficult probl

Chamorro conference update! I've finally finalized the dates for the conference, April 14 and 15, 2006 at the Sons and Daughters of Guam Club in San Diego. Matto di mampos exciting este! I'm posting the latest draft of our call for papers/invite for the conference below, I'll be sending it out early next week so if you want to give me some feedback on it, please post it here or email it to me. Otro fino'-ta, the decision to name the conference Famoksaiyan is explained in the text below. Call for Papers FAMOKSAIYAN: Chamorro History, Identity and Decolonization April 14-15, 2006 Ginnen i Manaina-ta. Ginnen i Manguelo-ta. Hita I taotao Guahan yan Luta yan Saipan yan Tinian. Hita i taotao tano yan i tasi. Mungga maleffa I Manma’pos yan Fanmanhasso todu tiempo put I Manmamaila. Ginnen Manu Hit? Hayi hit pa’go? Para Manu Hit? These are questions of our past, present and future which we can never ever let go. As simple as these questions may appear, finding indigenous