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This month, there’s plenty to celebrate
Hafa adai, readers
In the face of the tsunami of COVID-19 news inundating us on every imaginable media platform, the Guampedia newsletter offers you a break from the coronavirus. We hope you’ll join us and enjoy the respite.
May is a month of special days to celebrate everything from mothers, patron saints and ocean conservation to Star Wars. So, even though we’re not abuzz with the usual preparations for graduations, proms and weddings, and villages likely won’t be honoring their saints with fiestas and processions, we still can do much to escape the COVID-19 blues and enjoy life. Let’s dive in, have fun, and learn some things about Guam along the way. :) Read on for a list of some of the special days in May, and explore related content at right. For more information, click on the links. May 1: • International Workers' Day (aka May Day, Workers’ Day, Labor Day) May 2: • National Brothers and Sisters Day – To ancient CHamorus, the brothersister bond was unbreakable and completely reliable – unlike the relationship between husband and Continued on Page 2
Filipino workers’
barracks on Guam
in 1958. MARC
Filipinos on Guam: Rebuilding the island after WWII In 1946, after the end of World War II, the US military deemed there wasn’t enough qualified local manpower to rebuild Guam from the ruins of war – primarily because CHamorus were busy putting their shattered lives back together.
The military needed workers to build the Apra Harbor breakwater, to build up Andersen Air Force Base, to rebuild the island’s capital, Hagåtña, and to provide engineering services for basic Continued on Page 2
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wife. The ancient CHamorus also believed that the world and its people were created by gods who were brother and sister: Puntan and Fu’una. Learn more in this Guampedia entry: "Folktale: Puntan and Fu’una: Gods of Creation" May 3: • National Paranormal Day – Cue the spooky theremin music! National Paranormal Day seems tailor-made for the corona lockdown. Since we’re all shut in at home and our sleep schedules are completely out of whack, why not pop the popcorn, prep the drinks and settle in for a spooky film festival right in your living room, courtesy of the streaming service of your choice. The web is full of gems like “The Shining,” “The Babadook,” “The Blair Witch Project,” “Rosemary’s Baby” and many more. For more good ones, ranging from terrifying to hilarious, check out this list on IMDb. For a peek into Guam’s spirit world, check out this.
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infrastructure needs (water, power, road systems, and healthcare). So, the US and the newly independent government of the Republic of the Philippines in May 1947 negotiated an agreement for “the recruitment and employment of Philippine citizens by the US military forces and its contractors in the Pacific, including Guam.” Soon, companies began bringing in Filipino labor to provide support construction services for Andersen Air Force Base and the Guam Naval Supply Depot. Thousands of skilled and unskilled Filipino laborers eagerly migrated to Guam in 1947. By the mid-1950s, more than 17,000 Filipino laborers lived in makeshift camps, which later became cities, then
disappeared upon completion of contracts. Such camp-cities included Marbo (later Magsaysay Village located opposite the present-day Ben Franklin shopping complex in Yigo); Camp Quezon, a large, rambling site near the present-day University of Guam; and, Camp Roxas, which housed laborers near Naval Station in Santa Rita. Roxas was the largest camp, with more than 7,000 male laborers and one female. It contained miles of barracks, a 15-acre beachfront, an open-air movie theater, post office, sports facilities, and a bakery. Countless others, though, lived in less than idyllic conditions and suffered horrific abuses. To learn more, go to the Guampedia entry “Filipino Migration to Guam 1945 – 1975.”
May 4: • Star Wars Day – “May the Fourth be with you!” • Inarajan village fiesta for St. Joseph, the Worker May 5: • Cinco de Mayo May 6: • National Nurses Day and National Tourist Appreciation Day – While we currently have no tourists to whom we can show our appreciation, we certainly have plenty of nurses who are working as hard as ever – and risking their own health and lives – to protect ours. Here are some ways to thank them: • Help keep them safe: Help provide personal protective equipment (masks, gloves, gowns, etc.) to Guam’s healthcare workers Continued on Page 3
Parishioners of St. Joseph Church in Inarajan walk in a religious procession. MARC
Inarajan: Gåni islanders find new home on Guam Not much is known about the early inhabitants of Inarajan, which was a village before the Spanish arrived on Guam. The village was officially established in 1680 by the Spanish, along with St. Joseph Church, and was one of the main villages on Guam during the Spanish era. The village was designed in the Spanish custom with the church as its focus.
The Spanish were also responsible for an unusual addition to the residents of the village, as the residents of the northernmost Mariana Islands, known as Gåni (including Anatahan, Sarigan, Alamagan, Pagan, Agrihan, and Asuncion), were relocated to Inarajan and Merizo in the late 1600s. The Spanish relocation of the CHamorus, including the consolidation of the villages of Guam, was done to better control the local people during the CHamoru rebellion that was going on Continued on Page 3
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by donating to the GoFundMe campaign “PPE For Guam COVID-19 Response.” • Donate supplies: If you’re a business that’s bringing in and selling essential supplies – such as masks and rubbing alcohol – donate a portion of what you’re importing to health-care workers, hospitals and clinics. • Drop off groceries, essentials, and supplies to their home: If you know a nurse, the odds are she or he hasn’t had time to do much shopping lately, what with the lines of people waiting to just get into grocery stores. Now could be a great time to check if any nurses you know need a few supplies dropped off at home. • Arrange for a delivery of takeout food: Check first with the clinic’s/ hospital’s nursing unit manager to see if takeout food can be accepted. If it can, treat some hard-working nurses to a well-deserved meal! Here’s a list of restaurants offering takeout and delivery. • Send them some money: With PayPal and Venmo, it’s easy. • Stay home. And if you are going to the doctor, call ahead: "If you’re exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, like a fever or a cough, it’s extremely important that you do not rush to the doctor’s office for a test. First of all, there are limited testing kits available, so they may not even be able to test you. Secondly, COVID-19 is a virus, which means unless you are meet the CDC’s criteria for testing or experience complications, it’s best to stay home to recover and minimize spreading the infection to others.” – from www.nurses.com May 7: • Vesak – On Vesak, millions of Buddhists all over the world commemorate events of significance to Buddhists of all Continued on Page 4
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at the time. There is still a section of Inarajan known as “As Gani” today. The St. Joseph Church is named after the village’s patron saint of San Jose or St. Joseph. It contains a large statue of St. Joseph that, according to oral tradition, was brought to Guam
by the Spanish, who intended to bring it to Umatac. But a storm prevented the ship from going to Umatac, and it ended up landing in Inarajan, where the statue remained. Learn more about this southern village in the Guampedia entry “Inarajan (Inalåhan).”
The influences of many cultures are evident on Guam’s fiesta tables. Peter (Sonny) Ada
Melting pot? Look at the table!
The influences of ethnic diversity brought on by sea trade, colonialism and migration, can be seen in architecture, language, religion and are also evident in the cuisine found in restaurants, homes tables across the island and on the fiesta tables of today. The “Guampedia Fiesta Table Project” showcases the diversity of Guam’s community. Locally produced video vignettes showing step-by-step dish preparation are also featured as part of this project. While some dishes originated in the Marianas, some dishes’ origins can be traced back to various places from throughout the world – the Pacific, Europe, Asia, and North and South America. Guam’s native people, however, have a great knack for “CHamoruizing” things, including food, making them uniquely their own.
People brought different plants and knowledge of food preparation to the island but their recipes were adapted to what was available locally and to CHamoru tastes. Eventually, through the decades, the dishes met the approval of local palates and were incorporated onto fiesta tables as “local” dishes.
A fiesta line in Yigo in 2006. Leevin Camacho
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traditions: the birth, enlightenment and attainment of nirvana of Siddharta Gautama Shakyamuni (Sakyamuni) Buddha, the founder of the religion. Learn more about Buddhism on Guam – represented by the Fo Guang Shan Guam Temple in Barrigada (Chinese), Soka Gakkai International in Tamuning (Japanese), and Wat Buddharama of Guam in Mangilao (Thai) – at Guampedia. May 8: • Iris Day – Irises, which can bloom from early spring to fall, look a lot like orchids. On Guam, though, orchids are the more prevalent and prized monocots. For a detailed guide to growing orchids on Guam, check out this PDF from the University of Guam’s College of Natural and Applied Sciences. May 9: • World Fair Trade Day – According to the Fair Trade Federation, “Fair trade is about more than just paying a fair wage. It means that trading partnerships are based on reciprocal benefits and mutual respect; that prices paid to producers reflect the work they do; that producers share decision making power; that national health, safety, and wage laws are enforced; and that products are environmentally sustainable and conserve natural resources.” ge 5 • World Migratory Bird Day See Pa May 10: • Mother's Day – Did you know that Mother’s Day came about because of a peace activist who cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the American Civil War? May 12: • National Limerick Day – Limericks are funny, and often bawdy, rhymes. Here’s a Guam Continued on Page 5
Food for iron: CHamorus trade with Europeans Though it hardly could be called fair trade – an officer on the Trinidad, one of Magellan’s vessels, wrote that the islanders traded “coconuts and fish in abundance in exchange for a few glass beads from Spain” – members of the matao, the highest-ranking strata of Mariana Islands society in the 16th and 17th centuries, carried on the first sustained commercial exchange between Pacific Islanders and Europeans. From Ferdinand Magellan’s 1521 visit through the establishment of the 1668 Spanish Jesuit mission, these island traders regularly bartered food staples and craftwork for iron and other goods with Spanish exploration and trade vessels, Dutch expeditions, and English privateers. Learn more
CHamorus regularly bartered with explorers and traders on ships such as this Spanish galleon. Wikimedia Commons
about the trading practices of early CHamorus and European visitors to the Marianas at Guampedia entry “The Matao Iron Trade Part I: Contact and Commerce.”
Ninana: The CHamoru concept of motherhood Ninana is the CHamoru concept for motherhood or “to mother.” The act of mothering is an essential component of CHamoru culture and family structure. In CHamoru society, ninana was primarily the role of women. Ninana involves child rearing (poksai) and domestic activities. Ninana, however, is not exclusive to women. Every able body takes on some responsibility for maintaining the welfare of the family or clan. For example, children at a very young age are gradually taught to care for their younger siblings through cooking, feeding, and nurturing others. In a matrilineal culture, ninana understandably places women in high esteem. Learn more about it at Guampedia. Women holding children, 1902. Charles D. Lemkuhl/MicSem
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limerick that appeared in the July 1, 1950 issue of Maclean’s magazine: A daring young lady of Guam Observed, “The Pacific’s so calm, I’ll swim out for a lark” She met a large shark. Let us now sing the Ninetieth Psalm. For some fun on Limerick Day, gather your coronavirus quarantine crew and make up your own Guam limericks. Need help getting started? Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing: There once was a man from Mangilao, … Tan Ana from Pulantat, Yona, … A young lad from Agat once said, …
Native forest birds of Guam: A few remain
Mariana Fruit Dove
The limestone and ravine forests of Guam have historically supported fourteen species of terrestrial birds. Two of these fourteen birds are endemic to Guam at the species level. Five bird species are endemic at the sub-species level. One of the endemic species is now extinct. Seven have been extirpated from the island. The loss of these birds is believed to be largely a result of habitat alteration and the effects of the introduced brown tree snake. Three species are still living in the wild. Three species are being held in captive breeding programs on Guam and zoos in the United States mainland. Others are found in the Northern Micronesian Mariana islands. Honeyeater Learn more about the native birds of Guam in this Guampedia entry.
Did you know CHamorus have their own tradition of humorous verse, called Kantan CHamorita? Learn more about it at Guampedia! May 16: • National Armed Forces Day was created in 1949 to celebrate and honor all five branches of the military: Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard. May 18: • National No Dirty Dishes Day – What’s the #1 dish people order to avoid dirty their dishes? Pizza! Can you guess the rest of the Top 10? For the answers, go here. • Malojloj village fiesta for San Isidro May 19: • National Endangered Species Day – Here are three ways the whole family can celebrate National Endangered Species Day: • Every day, from May 11 to May 15, tune in to a live reading of a children’s book featuring endangered species at the Endangered Species Coalition’s Facebook page. Continued on Page 6
Micronesian Megapode
Fiestas: Spanish Catholics supplant ancient traditions In the long ago past, there were no fi’estas. What was practiced were gatherings of clans to celebrate special events such as harvesting of a good crop, clan contests, special village events to craft a canoe, a hut building, gupot åtof or just congregating to chant and dance, tell stories and legends, to give genealogy lessons, or just getting together to socialize and have fun. The Spanish Catholic missionaries introduced the system in which individual saints were honored and recognized on their patron feast date. This system was easily adapted into the CHamoru social celebrations at each village. It became an occasion to get together with families and friends from around the island to pray and celebrate. Today the villages celebrate particular saints who symbolize special powers. Many CHamorus are known for devotion to their patron saints. A nobena (special rosary) is held for nine days, culminating with the traditional village procession and festal masses. To learn more about Guam’s village fiestas, visit Guampedia here.
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• At 5:30 p.m. Pacific Time on May 15 (10:30 a.m. May 16 Guam time), watch the documentary “Racing Extinction” and participate in a live Q&A with the filmmakers. To participate, RSVP here. The film is also streaming on The Internet Archive (for free!), Amazon Prime, iTunes, and Google Play. May 22: • Harvey Milk Day – Harvey Milk Day is organized by the Harvey Milk Foundation and celebrated each year on May 22 in memory of Harvey Milk, a gay rights activist and San Francisco city supervisor assassinated in 1978. Harvey Milk Day came about as a day to remember and teach about Milk's life and his work to stop the discrimination against gays and lesbians. Stream the movie “Milk,” starring Sean Penn, here. LGBTQ public servants on Guam include Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio; Hagåtña Restoration and Redevelopment Authority Director Lasia Casil; and former judge, senator, and current Public Auditor Benjamin J.F. Cruz. Learn about LGBTQ rights on Guam here and here, and about Guam’s LGBTQ community here. May 23: • World Turtle Day – It’s time to shellebrate! Watch this short video to learn more, and download the World Turtle Day party pack here. May 25: • Memorial Day • Santa Rita village fiesta for Santa Rita Continued on Page 7
Green sea turtles can live to be about 80 years old. They were once common in Guam’s waters and played a significant role in the lives of ancient CHamorus. Shawn Wusstig, Department of Agriculture
Haggan: The green sea turtle Green sea turtles were once a common species of sea turtles found in Guam’s waters. They can still occasionally be seen around the island where rich sea grass beds are found, including channel areas, harbors, lagoons and also in shallow reef areas while the turtles are foraging for sea grass and marine algae. Green sea turtles can grow to approximately four feet in shell length and can weigh up to approximately 300 pounds. Being marine reptiles, the green sea turtles have slow growth rates. In the wild, the green sea turtles grow approximately 0.4 inches (1 centimeter) per year until maturity, then 0.2 inches after. These turtles can live to be about 80 years old. Learn more at Guampedia about the green sea turtle’s importance to ancient CHamorus and what’s being done to help it on Guam today.
Chalani: Guampedia’s mascot leads the way Guampedia’s logo depicts a dynamic green sea turtle named Chalani. The Guampedia team chose a turtle to represent our organization because it is a native species to our region, has a long life and it always comes home to nest. We named her Chalani, in honor of the CHamoru word meaning to lead, guide, instruct, give advice, or give counsel, as we hope that is what Guampedia serves as – a guide to learn about Guam history and CHamoru culture.
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May 26: • National Paper Airplane Day – This is a fun, creative, low-tech way to spend and afternoon with the kids (and reconnect with your own inner child, too)! :) Teach them how to build a basic paper plane, then let them come up with, build and test their own designs. Have a paper-plane contest! You can find dozens of tested designs here, or watch this video tutorial: “5 EASY Paper Airplanes that FLY FAR.” May 27: • National Sunscreen Day – We all need to protect our skin. But our reefs need protection, too! For a list of reef-safe sunscreens (that don’t contain the coral-harming chemicals petrolatum, titanium dioxide, oxybenzone or octinoxate), click here. May 29: • Learn About Composting Day – If you’ve been doing more work in the garden lately, now would be great time to learn how to compost your yard waste instead of burning it. Composting creates valuable soil for you. It also doesn’t pollute the air, and your and your neighbors’ lungs, with smoke. And it’s easier to do than lighting and tending to a fire. To learn how, go to Farm to Table Guam's tutorial, and also check out this fact sheet from the Guam Solid Waste Authority. And if you’re interested in taking a deeper dive into how our island aims to better manage its used materials, you can learn all about Guam’s Zero Waste Plan here and here.
May is also Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. – Learn about the people, history and culture of our Pacific Island neighbors at Guampedia’s Micronesia Portal.
Guampedia’s online gift shop is getting a revamp And you can help us make it better! When Guampedia became a nonprofit organization in 2009, with our visitor stats growing steadily up to 10,000 visits per month, we decided to include an online book store on the website. Using this as way to generate funds for programming, we also thought it would be a great way to make the growing collection of self-published books about Guam available beyond our shores. In 2014, we expanded as a gift shop to feature more local learning resources and art pieces. Since our Famalaoan Guahan T-shirt fundraising campaign in late 2018, we
To take our online survey, please click here also included CHamoru music CDs. We received an overwhelming response from the local community and abroad. We are now working to revamp our gift shop and expand our offerings of books, learning resources and products that reflect the rich cultural heritage of Micronesia. In addition to generating much needed programming funds, this will also be a great opportunity to showcase and support cultural producers throughout the region. We would greatly appreciate your helping us by taking our survey. Si Yu’os ma’åse!
This month in history On May 14, 1900, Naval Governor Richard P. Leary issued General Order No. 19 directing the gobernadorcillos (petty governors) to immediately remove all crucifixes and saint pictures from the public school rooms in their respective towns or districts and to direct the school teachers to discontinue instruction in the church catechism. Nine months earlier, Leary had outlawed public religious processions. General Order No. 4 stated: “Public celebrations of feast days of the patron saints of villages, etc.,
will not be permitted. The church and its members may celebrate their religious feast days within the walls of the church, chapel or private residence, in accordance with regulations for the maintenance of the public peace, and unless otherwise ordered, the only public holidays recognized will be Sundays and the holidays authorized by the United States statute laws, and by the proclamations of his excellency, the President of the United States.” This order was rescinded on Dec. 4, 1903 by Naval Governor W.E. Sewell.
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How a lesson from the past can help us live in this uncertain present Hafa adai, my name is Lazaro Quinata. I am a graduating senior at the University of Guam and a media production and research assistant at Guampedia. In my 17 months of working at Guampedia, I have learned to see history in everything. I often catch myself looking to the experiences of my elders and the generations of CHamorus who have lived before me for guidance and direction as I traverse the waters of my own life. And this pandemic is no exception. While I don’t claim to come anywhere close to understanding the very real experiences of those who struggle just to pay bills, work on the front lines, or maintain composure in the face of personal loss during this global pandemic, I wish to share with you a lesson that I have gleaned from the past that has helped me, an almost-graduate, to both persevere through and better appreciate the times we find ourselves in.
Life on hold
I vividly remember the day the urgency of the coronavirus pandemic became real for me. I was just leaving a birthday party for my nephew when my phone filled up with messages all saying the same thing: the island was going into a quarantine. The first week of this new reality was a hectic one. Classes were cancelled, new directives were put in place to work from home, and all my extracurriculars were temporarily suspended. Even the date for my graduation ceremony was up in the air. Life as I knew it was put on hold. Just like that I went from being a full-time student, working part-time at Guampedia, coaching a high-school paddling team, teaching Confirmation on the weekends, and socializing with friends and family to spending entire days without opening my front door. The absence of my regular activities left me with a deep feeling of emptiness, unproductivity, and anxiety about what my immediate future would look like.
War stories
One day, I was going through interview transcriptions for a project on the development of Guam after World War II and found myself completely drawn in. I was captivated by the stories of the people who lived through the war and saw Guam rise out of its own ashes. Reading through these interviews brought back memories of hearing stories from my own grandpa about his experience during the war. He recounted the many ways that his life had changed. Even though he was
only seven when the island was first bombed in 1941, the amount of detail he remembered impressed me. He talked about the drastic changes to his life, from living a carefree peaceful life before the war to one where his family had to ration their food and work tirelessly every day, struggling just to survive. Of all the things he told me, one always stuck out in my mind; his description of what living during a war felt like. Every day of the war felt as if he were carrying an unshakeable burden on his shoulders.
Constant fear and pressure
The fear that any day could be his last manifested itself into a physical pressure that loomed over him in everything he did. He told me to imagine the feeling of constantly looking over your shoulder just to make sure everything was ok, that no one was coming to hurt you, and that those around you were still there. As I remembered this, I felt that for the first time, I could actually understand a fragment of that feeling. Today, I am living in a similar, albeit significantly less intense, experience of change, uncertainty, and fear. The life I had considered normal is no longer. The new normal consists of social distancing and selfquarantine. While I was initially annoyed with this new situation and itching to break these rules, I remembered the experience of my grandpa and so many others like him who lived through the war.
The value of patience By looking to the past for guidance, I was reminded of the value of patience. I have learned to be patient amidst this pandemic and understand that, just as the war ended for my elders, making way for an era of unprecedented economic, social, and cultural development, so, too, will this period of social isolation and economic stagnation end and eventually lead to another era of growth. This pandemic and the quarantine we find ourselves in have given me the time to truly contemplate where I am in life. By fully accepting the reality of this situation, I have learned to stop stressing over what could be happening and instead appreciating what is. As we continue through another month of quarantine, with no certain end in sight, I urge us all to remind ourselves of the value of patience. As long as we continue to be patient with the processes that are in place, this quarantine, just as all things, will eventually end. In the meantime, I encourage us to take some time to stop lamenting over what’s missing from our lives and instead focus on what’s already there; things like friends, family, our relative health, the freedom to start new hobbies or return to old ones – and, for many of us – the time to finally appreciate all these things to the fullest.
