Guampedia is a non-profit affiliate of the University of Guam with operations funded by the Government of Guam’s Tourism Attraction Fund.
Culture of Connecting A New Way to Reach the Community In response to the new realities shaped by the global pandemic, the profound crisis sweeping around the world, and the sobering reminder that many of Guam’s World War II survivors have since passed on, Guampedia and the University of Guam, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences with the support of Dr. James Viernes, at the University of Hawai`i Manoa, Baltazar Aguon, and Jay Castro, partnered to produce a virtual community outreach program series; “Culture of Connecting.” During these trying times we look to our past to seek the wisdom and experiences of our mañaina, to navigate the uncharted, and often, uncertain waters of our future. And what better place to cultivate this culture of connecting, than in the kusinan sanhiyong, or the outside kitchen. If you grew up in the Marianas, you’ll know the kusina served as an anticipated gathering place for families. As you sat at the table in the back kitchen, more than just meals were shared - stories and family matters as well. To this day, it serves as a space for connecting and sharing the CHamoru way! In this program, we invited 14 people across all generations and from different walks of life to take part in a virtual kusinan sanhiyong to speak to the experiences of their elders; highlighting the skills, resources, and cultural values that they used to survive amidst the struggles of war. The program was broken up into four sessions, each focusing on a different aspect of the CHamoru experience: Fanhasso:
War for Guam, Culture & Values in Crisis, Lancho: Survival and Sustainability, and Our Island, Our History: Commemorating and Connecting. Participation in this virtual back kitchen was made available to the public as well to comment on the stories of our panelists and create even more meaningful discussion. Within our CHamoru culture is a deep reverence for our mañaina. Even after they have passed on, we call upon their spirits for protection and guidance. Through hearing the stories of those before, we become inspired to take action in our own lives as well. We ourselves make history every day, making stories that we can pass on and share. Studying history gives the experiences of our people continuity, and connects us through the stories of a shared past. By recentering Guam’s World War II narrative to the perspectives of our mañaina, we bring to light their enduring spirit of resilience that shaped Guam’s history in the rebuilding and recovery after the war. The recordings of three of these sessions are available in our Culture of Connecting collection on our Vimeo page. The hour long sessions have been broken up into smaller videos that highlight each individual speaker. These small vignettes are perfect for classroom screenings or leisure watching. Click on the images on the right to explore the topics discussed and views shared in each session.
