NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

Every week I get at least one request for an interview, several requests each week for information related to Guam history or the Chamoru language. Sometimes the requests can become a bit much, as I'm not able to get back to everyone. And sometimes I've responded to people close to a year later (ai lokkue'). But if I had more time I would respond to everyone I could, since the knowledge that I have or have access to, is useless unless there are ways it can get out to others.  After I gave a guest lecture in an English rhetoric class last year, one of the students contacted me asking for some help on understanding Hagåtña and its contemporary and historical place in Guam. I appreciated her wanting to know more about a village that most everyone takes for granted nowadays on Guam. So I wrote up responses to her 8 questions. Here they are below. ******************** 1. What makes Hagatna unique from other villages?  What makes Hagåtña unique is that because

Independent Guåhan October General Assembly will commemorate the history of Chamoru petitions for self-determination For Immediate Release, October 21, 2019-  Independent Guåhan (IG) invites the public to attend their upcoming General Assembly (GA) to take place on Thursday, October 24 th from 6:00-7:30 pm at the Main Pavilion of the Chamorro Village in Hagåtña. This month’s GA will commemorate the more than a century of petitions by the Chamoru people for improvements in their political status. In this spirit, the group will honor as  Maga’taotao  the late Senator Francisco R. Santos, a long-serving local leader. Within months of the US takeover of Guam in 1898, the Chamoru people were already politely requesting improvements in their political status. Dozens of petitions were sent to the US Congress and the US Navy prior to World War II, some bearing thousands of signatures asking that the US improve the political status of the Chamoru people, whether by granting US citize

Independent Guåhan will present on the risks of drafting a constitution as a territory and honor the late Lt. Governor Frank F. Blas for June GA For Immediate Release, June 18, 2019-  Independent Guåhan (IG) invites the public to attend their upcoming General Assembly (GA) to take place on Thursday, June 27 th ,  from 6:00-7:30 pm at the Main Pavilion of the Chamorro Village in Hagåtña. This GA will focus on the risks involved should Guam decide to pass a constitution as a territory of the US. As part of this educational focus, the group will honor as maga’taotao the late Lt. Governor of Guam Frank F. Blas.  Following the passage of a federal law that enabled Guam to draft a local constitution, the second Guam Constitutional Convention (ConCon) was held in 1977. A constitution was drafted and approved by the US federal government; however, it was rejected at a 4-1 margin by the voters of Guam. There are many reasons why the draft constitution was rejected, but many of them ste

Infotmasion put i siudat (mismo songsong, lao i maga'songsong para i Islan Guåhan) gi Fino' Chamoru. Hu tuge' este para un curriculum project dos años tåtte. Ya-hu bei na'huyong guini lokkue', sa' hu Tango' na guaha estudiante pat otro e'eyak ni' sesso manmambisisita guini gi este na blog, ya ma kekealigao este na klasen tiningo'. ********************** Put iya Hagåtña Guåhan i mås dångkolo’ na isla gi islas Marianas. Hagåtña i kapitåt na siudat. Gaige meggai na ofisinan gobietno giya Hagåtña. Gaige lokkue’ i gima’ i Gobietno yan i Lihelaturan Guåhan. I Plåsa de España mahåtsa desdi i tiempon Españot; manggaige guihi i kosas yan estorian i manmasusedi gi duranten i tiempon Españot. Gaige i Plåsa gi fi ʹ on i gima ʹ yu ʹ os Dulce de Maria Cathedral-Basilica.  Dångkolo’ este na guma ʹ yu ʹ os ya ma silelebra i gipot Santa Marian Kamalen gi diha ocho gi Disembre guini. Dångkolo’ este na silebrasion giya Guahan. I hinenggen Katoliko gi

Independent Guåhan will honor the legacy of Richard Flores Taitano and discuss reforming local government in June GA Independent Guåhan (IG) invites the public to attend their June General Assembly (GA) on Thursday, June 28, from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at the Main Pavilion of the Chamorro Village in Hagåtña. The educational focus for the evening will be on how Guåhan’s government can be radically reformed in an effort to provide more checks and balances and participation for the island’s residents. Media coverage and social media chatter provide regular reminders of Government of Guam corruption and malfeasance. Many feel that the levels of corruption are so high that they provide an obstacle to ever achieving independence. In this month’s GA, Independent Guåhan will discuss ways that the government of a decolonized Guåhan could be reformed to reduce corruption and also provide more means by which people can participate in the functioning of their democracy. Models from other Pac

Independent Guåhan’s educational outreach continues in Dededo and with their monthly General Assembly returning to Hagåtña For Immediate Release, August 25, 2017 –  In dependent Guåhan (IG) continues their efforts to educate the island community about the possibilities for Guåhan should it become an independent country, with two educational outreach opportunities in the last week of August. The first, a village meeting, will take place at the Dededo Senior Citizens’ Center on Wednesday, August 30 th from 6:00 -7:30 p.m. The second, the latest in their monthly General Assemblies (GA) will be held on Thursday, August 31st from 6:00 -7:30 p.m. at the main pavilion of the Chamorro Village in Hagåtña. Both events are free and open to the public.   Over the summer, IG held a series of successful village meetings in Malesso’, Chalan Pågo and Toto, drawing more than 150 people total. Under the leadership of Melvin Won Pat-Borja, IG will continue thi

Independent Guåhan to hold monthly General Assembly in Chalan Pågo Launching New Village Outreach Campaign For Immediate Release, April 24, 2017 – In their continuing efforts to educate the island community about decolonization, Independent Guåhan will be holding their monthly General Assembly at the Chalan Pågo Community Center on Thursday, April 27 from 6 -7:30 p.m. This month’s assembly represents a new initiative by the group to bring informational resources and critical conversations about independence as a political status option directly into the island’s villages.  Since August of last year, Independent Guåhan has been holding monthly General Assembly meetings in the Main Pavilion of the Chamorro Village. This month’s meeting in Chalan Pågo represents a new phase of educational outreach, where each monthly assembly will move to a new village. Jessy Gogue, Mayor of Ordot-Chalan Pågo, is working closely with Independent Guåhan to invite village reside

INDEPENDENT GUÅHAN HOLDS ITS FEBRUARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING Will discuss the importance of environmental stewardship under the theme of “Hu Guaiya iya Guåhan.” Independent Guåhan invites the public to its monthly General Assembly (GA) meeting on Thursday, February 23rd from 6 – 7:30 pm at the Main Pavilion of the Chamorro Village in Hagåtña. The theme for this GA is “Hu Guaiya Iya Guåhan” and will focus on efforts to encourage environmental stewardship through the revitalization of Chamorro values.   The Inifresi outlines the six core elements that we must protect and defend in order to sustain and prosper as a community. This month’s GA will focus on the importance of tåno’ (land) and how an independent Guåhan can help protect this essential element of life. Over the past century, the Chamorro relationship to land has changed dramatically, primarily because of postwar displacement and changes in Guam’s economy. Land has moved from being somethin

If you are interested in learning more about decolonization and independence for Guam, please come and join us for Independent Guahan's October General Assembly meeting, this Thursday (10/27) at 6 pm at the Main Pavilion of the Chamorro Village in Hagatna. For our educational presentation, we will be discussing what is known as a transition or implementation period. This is a temporary phase whereby a colony that has chosen to become independent, negotiates a gradual reduction in dependency on programs provided by the colonizer, and receives funding in order to develop new revenues and new programs to fill any needed gaps. For each monthly General Assembly meeting, Independent Guahan chooses a "maga'taotao" or a pioneer/hero which we honor for their role in helping push the island towards decolonization. This Thursday, we will be honoring the late Senator Ben Pangelinan, for his tireless efforts as a Guam lawmaker to protect the rights, lands and heritage o

The first monthly General Assembly meeting of the Independence for Guam Task Force will take place this week, Thursday, August 25th from 6 – 7:30 pm at the Main Pavilion in the Chamorro Village in Hagåtña. The public is welcome to attend, merienda will be provided as well as presentations, educational materials and a chance to join the Independence for Guam Task Force in its ongoing educational campaign. A General Assembly meeting of this type will be held each month. This first gathering is in honor of Ed Benavente, a Chamorro language teacher, a former Maga’låhi of Nasion Chamoru, and a fervent supporter of independence for Guam, who passed away last month.

I just finished up an article on tourism, colonialism and cultural revitalization in Guam. Part of the article discussed recent interventions by both government and private entities to diversify Guam's tourism industry by trying to make it more locally focused and take it out of the bubble of Tumon. I discussed several failed campaigns over the years which often didn't amount to anything. Some of those campaigns seemed to hold a lot of promise, such as the village ambassador program (my grandfather was chosen as the ambassador for Mangilao because of his status as a cultural master). I am looking forward to seeing if this new program We are Guam, which was a name used several years ago for another initiative, leads to more concrete results and improvements.     ************   Former Miss Earth Guam and GVB to Launch We are Guam Program Written by  Roselle Romanes Pacific News Center January 19, 2015   In an effort to boost the island's tour

Living by the Light of the Moon by Lacee Martinez GUAM PDN 1/24/14 Beyond illuminating the night sky, the moon synchronizes the life cycles of the flora and fauna of the islands and ocean. Guam's ancient seafaring people also relied on moon phases to guide their lives, says John Calvo, a local fishing advocate. "Modern Chamorro traditions and cultural values have evolved from these practices that encourage living in respect and harmony with the island environment," he says. Celebrate the continuing connection between life and the moon on Sunday at the 6th annual Gupot Fanha'aniyan Pulan CHamoru, or the Chamorro Lunar Calendar Festival. The Guam Fishermen's Cooperative Association, with support of various agencies and groups, will hold a celebration at the cooperative's grounds beside the Chamorro Village and Greg D. Perez Marina in Hagåtña on Sunday. Expect a day packed with cultural activities, local crafts, fruits and vegetab

Every Wednesday I'm at the Chamorro Village where I open my grandfather's blacksmith shop. My grandfather is a Chamorro Master Blacksmith and the only remaining pre-World War II blacksmith. Due to my grandmother being ill we haven't made much lately and so the case of tools for sale is fairly empty right now. Above is a picture of the last time that it was truly full and the last time my grandfather was down at the shop. Each of those tools or knives in there is slightly different and has its own story or rationale. It is interesting to know and to feel that story and that complexity even if for more who walk into the shop it is simply a piece of metal. I thought just for education sake I'd list the tools in the showcase above and give some background on each of them. Kamyo: A tool for grating coconut. You attach the metal blade to a wooden stool and then grate halves of coconut over the metal teeth in order to shred the coc

“Crazy Talk” Michael Lujan Bevacqua The Marianas Variety July 4, 2012 The same scene happens every couple of months at my grandfather’s shop at the Chamorro village. A military family comes into the check out my grandfather’s handmade tools. They look around and are impressed. I answer their questions and give them some background on my grandfather Tun Jack Lujan’s role in perpetuating the Chamorro culture today as a Master Blacksmith. As they are leaving one of them turns to me and says “I want to thank you for showing this to us and answering our questions, you aren’t as terrible a person as I thought you were.” The first few times this scene took place I was taken aback. How did they know anything about me and what did they know that made them assume I’d be terrible? We’d never met before and how could they possess such strong negative feelings to me already? I’ve come to learn that the reason for this is because of my internet presence, primar

Last weekend there was no Chamorro Village night market on Wednesday, the reason being because a terrible accident had taken place there. A man driving on Marine Drive left the road and jumped the curb driving directly into tents and vendors where the Sagan Dinana' used to be on the Chief Kepuha side of the Chamorro Village. The car didn't hit anyone, but smashed into equipment and tables, sending them flying which struck several people who were barbecuing. The car eventually was stopped when it ran into a concrete structure, the bathroom, breaking a waterfountain. The medical examiner stated that the driver died from the injuries from the crash, and could find no evidence of any prior trauma or damage, such as a heart attack which could have caused him to careen off the road the way he did. When I arrived at the Chamorro Village in order to open my grandfather's blacksmith shop, the police had put up yellow tape and had brought in a tow truck to take the car away. Doze

Whenever I read about some new development in Arizona, it constantly reminds me why Ethnic Studies is important as an academic discipline. Since graduating from Ethnic Studies UCSD, I've been trying to get a job at the University of Guam. I haven't been successful yet, and sadly I don't have much hope for the future either, lao sinembatgo bai hu konsigi. One of the reasons why I don't have alot of hope, is because while you could say that all academic departments or schools have their conservative or archaic elements, UOG, as a mixture of a colonial and a "isolated" institution is tough to beat. Most of the faculty, in all departments at UOG have never heard of Ethnic Studies (or many other similar critical disciplines which have come into being over the past 40 years), and have no clue as to what it could be. I'm used to non-academics not knowing and assuming that the degree has something to do with anthropology or "mere" culture, but its stran