NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

My first forays into the world of public discourse and engagement came on the pages of the Pacific Daily News through letters to the editor. For years I conducted research in the Micronesian Area Research Center library and through interviews with politicians, activists and manåmko', but the thoughts and ideas that were spawning in my head didn't have many outlets save for discussions in classes or with trusted elders or friends. In 2004 I gave my first public presentation on the issue of decolonization or critical Chamorro Studies, when I shared a section of my research at a forum titled "World War II is it Over?" organized by the Guam Humanities Council at the Agana Shopping Center. I spoke alongside Dr. Patricia Taimanglo, the late historian Tony Palomo and Guam military historian Jennings Bunn. After that, I spent several years in graduate school presenting at conference around the US, often times to empty rooms, as Guam papers tended to be very low on the prior

Achokka' matai si Frantz Fanon kana' bente años åntes di mafañågu yu', Guahu un påtgon Fanon. Gof annok taimanu pinacha yu' nu guiya gi meggai na tinige'-hu, ko'lo'lo'ña gi tinige'-hu para "academia" yan put "decolonization." Hu fine'nina tumaitai gui' anai kumolelehu yu' gi UOG. Gi ayu na tiempo mabababa i hinasso-ku put håfa mismo i estorian i taotao Chamorro yan håfa mismo i estao-ta gi halom i Estådos Unidos. Lao ti gof klåru i hinasso-ku, meggai lumelebok, meggai ti hu gof komprende, ko'lo'lo'ña gi entre i taotao-ta ya sa' håfa na ti ma chachanda i ti gof maolek na estao-ta. Annai hu taitai "The Wretched of the Earth" ha ayuda yu' meggai. Ha nå'i yu' siniente, animu, palabras siha, todu enao, ya ma chonnek yu' mo'na gi este na chalån-hu. Estague un article put si Fanon yan i irensia-ña gi mundon på'go. *********************** Frantz Fanon's

The two images are flyers featuring quotes from the political status debates I hold in my Guam History classes.  Students are divided into Statehood, Independence and Free Association groups and develop their arguments for which status is better and also produce posters, brochures, flyers, stickers and sometimes even food to help make their points.  The first is a quote from Maga'låhi Hurao, who in 1671 became the first Chamorro leader to organize large scale opposition to the Spanish presence on Guam, is regularly used by students arguing in favor of Independence. In Chamorro I have seen that line translated as "Metgotña hit ki ta hasso" as well as " Megotña hit ki ta hongge. " Given that many peoples' resistance to the notion of Guam becoming independent is tied to generations of feeling like we are inadequate or subordinate to those who have colonized us, this simple notion can be very powerful in start the process of self-empowerment. Nihi

Building an indigenous coalition for radical resistance to colonialism We talk with Kanaka Maoli David Maile about indigenous coalition The Red Nation's efforts to unite different native people in radical resistance to colonialism, and how Native Hawaiians can stand in solidarity with other native peoples.  From Will Caron in Indigenous issues in Hawaiian Sovereignty April 07, 2015 03:24 P The Hawaii Independent     Yesterday, indigenous rights and decolonization coalition The Red Nation issued a statement of solidarity with the Native Hawaiians currently protesting the development of the massive Thirty-Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea. This statement of solidarity is in line with The Red Nation’s goal of building unity between indigenous peoples around the world and teaching these people effective methods of radical resistance to colonial-capitali

The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon is one of the books that has had a huge impact on me. You can interpret this book to be so many things, although people traditionally focus on the call for violent nationalist revolutions as a means of decolonization. For me I have used Fanon's work, in particular this book in order to articulate so many of my own ideas about social change, in particular in Guam. He wrote a time when decolonization was a tide and it was something that he both channeled and rode. In the context of that time, but also even today when so much of the world has banished his writing to echoes of a bloody and mistaken past, there is still so much power behind them. Here is his last chapter, his conclusion to The Wretched of the Earth, which more than anything shows the humanist and idealist of Fanon, and the promise that decolonization always holds. ************************ Now, comrades, now is the time to decide to change sides. We

Next week I am giving a colloquium on Chamorros their creation stories, the village of Humatak and decolonization. It brings together some of the important things I've been helping organize and simply participating in over the past year in a nice way to talk about decolonization and how we can make it a reality in our lives. The colloquium presentation I am working on would not be possible without the help of my Male' Victoria Leon Guerrero, who was key in organizing all the activities I'll mention, far beyond my meager contributions. We did a first draft form of this presentation last year to a group of visiting scholars from Taiwan. I'm hoping to improve on it and eventually we'll co-author it as a article for the journal Micronesian Educator.  Writing for me isn't that difficult a task. Para Guahu mamange' ti gof mappot. Editing, that is hard. Kinirihi. Enao sen ti ya-hu. Every article that I write starts with a writing session, either on paper or on

In my post last month Yobimizu , I wrote some of my thoughts about the Chamorro decolonization movement and progressive movement in general on Guam, and how the paralysis sometimes stems from the need to wait for the right leader to come along and bring sense to un gof kaduku na tano'. During the course of the past week, a statement related to that conversation came up. It was one I'd heard before in the precise form in which it was stated, but also the general sort of form that it carries is something we all hear in some way or another. The statement was basically a wish that Chamorros or Guam movements have their own "Haunani-Kay Trask." As I said, I've heard this diniseha uttered before amongst Chamorros, so it wasn't new, but hearing it this time made me reflect a bit more on what I was hearing. For those who don't know, Haunani-Kay Trask is a long time academic and activist in the Hawaiian sovereignty movement. She is one of the most well-known vo

Last month I had the honor of presenting twice at the Tetset Konfrensian Chamorro in Saipan. I wrote about my presentation on a panel on militarization and political status in the Marianas Islands in my post " Shiro, Sakman yan Fino' Chamoru: Pa'go Giya Guahan." My other presentation was a solo one, where I was put in charge of a session on "national identity" and Chamorros. The description (which I didn't write) was as follows: Identifikan Nasionat: Komu i tinituhon i ManChamorro sina ha' un rastreha mas ki kuatro mit anos tatte sigun i estoria i ManChamorro komu un grupu ha' manparehu na lenguahi, para na kustumbre yan parehu na rasa. Gi kinlamten-ta mo'na obligasion-ta para u ta susteni i hinengge-mu put Hagu mismo. There were a number of different directions that I could have taken this discussion. But given the importance of issues of preserving and sustaining Chamorro culture to the conference, I decided to intervene at that poi