NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

Independent Guåhan will discuss the need for stronger historic preservation laws at May General Assembly Independent Guåhan (IG) invites the public to attend their May General Assembly (GA) on Thursday, May 31, from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at the Main Pavilion of the Chamorro Village in Hagåtña. The educational discussion for the evening will focus on how an independent Guåhan can create stronger policies around the preservation of historic sites and cultural properties. Guåhan has a unique and rich cultural heritage that manifests in the island’s food, historic locations, artifacts, buildings, landscape, and oral history. On an island that is becoming increasingly modernized and militarized, having strong laws for historic preservation is essential in protecting the unique identity of this island, that which makes Guåhan Guåhan. While many think that improvement must come at the cost of preservation, in reality, strong policies that promote and protect the island’s cultural resourc

I came across this article while looking for examples about the way American media frames Okinawa, its history, its relationship to the United States, and the "problem" that it presents to US interests. The usual way in which the United States relates to places where it has bases, is through gratitude or lack of gratitude. If the people support the presence of the bases, then the media represents them as appreciative and understanding about how the US, as the greatest country in the history of the world, has helped protect them, develop them, given them freedom and democracy and capitalism. This is the case, even when those countries were former enemies of the United States and the bases were placed there during or after times of war. Even then, the US media and scholarly class has a way of making it seem as if the people there should appreciate the lesson they were taught about the world and global power. Hami i Yu'us, Hamyo taotao ha'.  But if the governments ar

  Seven years ago this article was featured in the Stars and Stripes, a feature about Ritidian and its beauty. It was a piece meant to inform the military on island about the special qualities of the place, encouraging them to visit. An interesting contrast between then and now. The ginefpago of the place remains the same, although the strategic interests change. I wonder if the Stars and Stripes ever had an article about Pagat and how special it is encouraging people to go and visit.   ******************** Ritidian Point: A gorgeous slice of tropical Guam

FROM WE ARE GUAHAN DOD SELECTS ONLY CRITICAL RECOVERY HABITAT ON GUAM FOR SITE OF FIRING RANGE COMPLEX DOD has released a draft Supplemental EIS or SEIS proposing a site for a firing range complex that impacts over 250 acres of critical recovery habitat at Ritidian.  A bill has also been introduced in Congress allowing DOD to place a “surface danger zone” over the Ritidian Wildlife Refuge.   WHAT IS THE SEIS? The Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement or “SEIS” is a DOD study that announces DOD’s preferred choice for the location of two things: DOD's proposed firing range complex; and DOD's proposed Marine base and housing.   The SEIS also identifies environmental, social, cultural and economic consequences associated with DOD’s preferred choices. WHY IS IT BEING PREPARED? The National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Guam Preservation Trust and We Are Guahan filed a lawsuit against DOD in November 2010 based on DOD’s failure to

Sumahi has been to Pagat several times at different points in her life. She first went there as a small baby who was carried most of the time and didn't really do much on the hike except be carried. She later went as a still small child who walked a little bit, but was still carried quite a bit. The last time she went, she walked most of it, but was carried over the limestone rope path. By the time she got to the cliffs though she was tired and not really into the hike anymore and just wanted to go home. This weekend however, she was for the first time truly into the hike. She walked the entire way and did not fuss or complain even though it was raining at the beginning. As you can see in the picture, she got to wear a trash bag rain coat and that was pretty fun for her. She arrived at the cliffs and for the first time was amazed at the ocean. She stared excitedly as the waves crashed and kept talking about them and asking about them. The high point was the cave.

--> I would love to do a research project on Yokoi. His name always comes up in the most random places. The connection that he felt to Guam is so unique and so interesting, and his actually gets in the way of us understanding it. He returned to Japan a hero, but seemed to chafe against that characterization. In his mind he had failed in so many ways, and the hero status he received missed everything he was and every value he cherished. The quiet jungles of Guam seemed to understand him more than the country he returned to. There was more meaning to that spartan existence than the flashy and fake Japan that he returned to. You could argue that his soul remained in Guam while the rest of him returned hooe. Here is an interview that a UOG student conducted with her grandfather Jesus Duenas, one of the two Chamorros who discovered Yokoi in 1972. I came across this in the most random way earlier today on a very old version of UOG's website. ***********************

Like everyone out there I hate haters. Even haters most likely hate haters, and while it is usually better not to think about them, sometimes you just can't help yourself. Este na post hu tuge'i'i i manggaichatli'e' siha! Although I am by no means a celebrity on Guam, or anywhere else, there is something to be said about when your name does become increasingly larger than yourself. No human can control the world of discourse around them anymore than the world of discourse about them. They may seek to try and dominate it, make it follow a certain course, mean what they would wish, and while it can appear to follow your desires, it never actually does. Part of becoming larger than life means being reduced to mean certain things, reduced to certain social/political shortcuts. In my case, there are people out there who I don't know, who know about me. The number of people who know about me in some way seems to be getting larger than the number of people that I c