NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

“I Pilan Yanggen Sumåhi…” by Michael Lujan Bevacqua Marianas Variety 11/2/11 Many people have asked me why I would name my column “When the Moon Waxes.” The simple answer is, I pilan yanggen sumåhi…which in English translates to “when the moon waxes.” These are my favorite words from a famous old Chamorro love song called “Dalai Nene.” The word “sumåhi” always stuck with me. It shares the same root word “såhi” with another well known word on Guam now, “sinahi.” This word is most famous as the Chamorro men’s necklace made of hima shell, but is also the word for “new moon.” The tragic lyrics combined with the imagery of the moon stuck with me so, influencing me to name my first child Sumahi. Like many cultures, the moon has been very important to Chamorros, especially in helping mark the passage of time throughout the year. The Ancient Chamorro calendar had 13 months, one for each moon. In the naming of their months, they noted that different moons symbolized different ideal mome

Gof ya-hu pumenta i pilan. Ti tu tungo' sa' hafa, sa' ti meggai i tinigo'-hu put i pilan yan i kinalamten-na. My daughter is named after a phase that the moon takes each lunar month. But I will admit that when I first heard the word many years ago, I didn't know exactly what it meant when the moon "waxes." I know also, that the moon was very important to ancient Chamorros, like so many cultures. It played a huge role in organizing their yearly schedule. It was the means by which they made their yearly calendar, with thirteen months, for the thirteen moons in a year. They also noted that different moons symoblized different ideal moments for different activities. A certain type of crab is best hunted after a particular moon, and the arrival of a certain moon means that people should prepare for a period of heat or regular rain. The moon was so important that "moon talk" or "fino' gualafon" or "talk of the full moon" wa