Guampedia Newsletter, May 2020 | Page 4
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
