Guampedia.com September 2019
Know our island. Know our history. Click to know! –– Volume II. Issue IX.
Conference Reworks, Recontextualizes Islander History This Month in International scholars and aficionados of Pacific Islander history two weekends ago converged at the University of Guam for the 4th Marianas History Conference. Close to 300 presenters, volunteers and members of the public gathered at the twoday weekend conference to share insights and ideas about the past, present and future of the people and cultures of the Mariana Islands. In Saturday’s first keynote address,Tina Taitano DeLisle proposed thinking about and creating a counter-history to the ones written and promoted by the nations that have battled over and occupied the Marianas for centuries. This thread, the idea of retelling the archipelago’s history from a native and oceanic perspective, wove its way through many of the conference presentations. Such retelling,
incidentally, is much of what Guampedia has been doing for more than 10 years. And while CHamoru culture, Guam, and new island-centric research were the conference’s main focus, speakers such as Rene Escalante and Elicita Morei helped place the Marianas story in a larger Pacific Islands context and offered examples, from the Philippines and Palau, respectively, of how the Marianas’ native CHamoru and Rafalawash can take steps toward ever greater self-knowledge, self-expression and self-determination.
Epublish your presentation!
Interested in epublishing your 4th Marianas History Conference presentation? Please contact Nathalie Pereda at pereda. nathalie@gmail.com. Deadline is Tuesday, 1 October 2019.
History
419 years ago - On September 15, 1600, Admiral Olivier Van Noort, in command of four Dutch ships, stopped in Guam and exchanged pieces of iron for fish, fruits, rice, fowl, and water during their two-day stay. About 200 canoes met the ships.
Guampedia Newsletter, Septemper 2019 | Page 2
CHamoru Quest
for Self-Determination
New entry: Challenge to CHamoru Self-determination: Davis v. Guam
Gaige Ha Yu Guini - I am Still Here by kie susuico
Guampedia has added a timely entry to our extensive section (55 items) on CHamoru Self-Determination, this one describing the Davis v Guam case. This is a key court case which addresses the question of who is able to participate in the process to determine Guam’s future political status. The case was challenged first on Guam and then in the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The CHamoru people, throughout Guam’s 350 year colonial occupation, have never been able to exercise self-
WIGH Reprinted A second printing of Famalao’an Guåhan: Women in Guam History will be availble soon. Purchase the last of the first edition here.
This Month in History
37 years ago - A plebiscite was held September 4, 1982 where the voters overwhelmingly chose Commonwealth as the preferred future political status for Guam. This was a runoff election between commonwealth and statehood. Commonwealth garnered 73 percent of the vote and statehood 27 percent. The other status option, Independence, was previously eliminated as it received less than 10 percent of the vote.
Fanhita Conference Watch the live broadcast of the Fanhita Conference September 12 and 13. It will be broadcast on KGTF, Channel 12. This conference brings together a wide array of decolonization experts from the Pacfic and Caribbean. Presentations will feature experiences, insights, and
determination and chose their political destiny. CHamorus have a long tradition of working for their self-determination through various legal and political means. These efforts are ongoing. Arnold Davies, a non-CHamoru resident of Guam, filed a suit against the Government of Guam in 2011, claiming that his inability to register on the Guam Decolonization Registry (only open to “native inhabitants”) violated his Constitutional rights. Read about the case here: Challenge to CHamoru Self-Determination.
critical analysis of other non-self governing territories in hopes of increasing local awareness about Decolonization in Guam. We invite the community to listen and learn about this important issue that will impact every aspect of life on our island.
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