Our Heritage

Land, lineage, traditions and legacies [of the CHamoru people].

Ancient CHamorus/Chamorros referred to themselves as taotao tåno, or people of the land. This reveals the close connection that Chamorros have historically had with the Mariana Islands, and how land intimately shapes the lineage, traditions, and legacies of the Chamorro people. In this section, you can dive into learning about how these traditions have evolved over time, and under the impact of different colonial eras — ranging from the Spanish, Japanese, and American administrations. Learning about how the lineage, traditions, and legacies of the Chamorro people have persisted despite a long history of colonization also demonstrates the deep connection to the land continues to define Chamorro heritage, across both the Marianas archipelago and the diaspora.

About Guam/Guåhan

Biographies

Chamorro Culture Category

Birth and Childhood Practices
Chamorro Folktales
Division of Labor
Division of Resources
- In Chamorro culture, chenchule’ is a system of social reciprocity that guided the division of resources and labor in ancient Chamorro society and still persists to structure community relations in Guam and the Marianas today. As a key cultural value, chenchule’ is an expression of inafa’maolek, centering on interdependence and valuing the well-being of the entire community over that of the individual. Reciprocity, and community care though times of both celebration and grief, remains foundational to Chamorro culture. In this section, you can learn about how the division of resources in Chamorro society is shaped by chenchule’ as a system of reciprocity, as well as intricate matrilineal cultural practices. You can also delve into histories of trade between Chamorros and Europeans, and ancient Chamorro customs around wealth and social relations.
- Economic Systems
- Resources
Funeral Practices
- Studying a social group’s rituals, practices, and beliefs around death and the afterlife can teach us about their history and cultural values. In contemporary Guam, rituals and practices surrounding death are rooted in traditions of the Catholic Church, which can be traced back to the Spanish era beginning in 1668. Archaeological records, along with early accounts written by Spanish missionaries, reveal how ancient Chamorros cared for their dead. For example, Catholic missionary Fray Juan Pobre de Zamora wrote that Chamorros honored the skulls of their ancestors and kept them inside their homes to show them respect. Throughout the Marianas, ancient burials can be found along the coastline, where thriving villages once existed. Archaeologists have found that ancient burials occurring during the Latte Period are often found with their heads directed inland, with their feet towards the sea. In this section, you can learn about how contemporary Chamorro beliefs around death reveal a mix of Catholic and indigenous practices. One example is the important role of the techa, a traditional prayer leader who directs Catholic prayers, including the lisayo and nobenas. In Chamorro Catholicism, the role of the techa is normally fulfilled by a respected elderly woman, whose prayerful recitations hold similar rhythms and nuances to traditional chanting.

Spanish Catholic Changes

Gender Roles
- Women’s Roles. In the Chamorro creation myth, siblings Fo’na and Puntan devise a plan to use their spirits and bodies to create the Chamorro people and life on earth. As the mother of the Chamorro people, Fo’na uses her spirit to divide her brother Puntan’s body parts to make up the earth and heavens, and brings life to flora and fauna. After her work is finished, Fo’na throws her body to the earth and it transforms into Lasso’ Fu’a (Fouha Rock). The first humans then emerged from Lasso’ Fu’a. This creation story reveals the power and centrality of women in Chamorro culture, and the intimate connection that Chamorros as people who were literally birthed from the land. Ancient Chamorro society was matrilineal, meaning that wealth and titles were inherited through the woman’s side. Matrilineal clans were the basic unit in ancient Chamorro life and politics, and women held special status and were consulted on all major decision making. In this section, you can learn more about matrilineal politics, and critical perspectives on women in Guam history, politics, religion, and art.
- Men’s Roles. In the Chamorro creation myth, the first gods were Puntan and Fo’na, a brother and sister who created the universe and gave life to the Chamorro people. In the legend, Fo’na used Puntan’s body to make up the universe — one eye became the sun, the other the moon, and his back became the earth. In other Chamorro legends, men are depicted as having superhuman strength and gigantic size. These stories also worked as oral histories to preserve the names and feats of ancient Chamorro chiefs. In this section, you can learn more about Chamorro men’s roles, and how these roles and mythological depictions changed under colonial eras and influence in Guam.
- Oral Histories
- Spanish Era Changes
- Other Entries
Marriage
Matrilineal Systems
- Definitions
  - Che’lu/Mañe’lu: Siblings
  - Physical Anthropology of Ancient Guam and the Mariana Islands
- Roles of Family Members
- Spanish Era Changes
  - Låncho: Ranch
Social Stratification
- Ancient Chamorro society was divided into three classes — the Matua or Chamori, the highest class, the Acha’ot middle class, and the Manachang as the lowest class. Historical accounts show that the Matua controlled most of the lands and resources, and not as much is known about the other two classes. In ancient Chamorro society, the Mariana Islands did not have a centralized government, meaning that there was no governance system that organized the entire archipelago or specific islands. Instead, politics were organized at the level of individual clans and villages. Clans were made up of groups of families and organized matrilineally, meaning that the families in a clan could trace their lineage back to a similar matrilineal ancestor. The leader of the clan was the maga’haga (first daughter), who was the oldest and highest ranking women in a clan. Her eldest sibling or son would be the maga’låhi (first son). In Chamorro culture, manåmko’, or elders, are also respected and hold revered status. Manåmko’ are recognized as knowledge bearers and valued for their role in passing down Chamorro culture, traditions and language to the next generation. In this section, you can learn more about Chamorro social stratification, community organization, and leadership. You’ll also see how ancient Chamorro matrilineal systems were changed under Spanish colonialism and systems of racial hierarchy.
- Social Control
  - Manåmko’
  - Manma’gas: Leaders
- Social Organization
- Spanish Racial Hierarchy
- Symbolism
Value Systems
- CHamoru value systems of social reciprocity, community care, and responsibility shaped ancient CHamoru culture and continue to make up the foundations of CHamoru culture today. In this section, you can learn about core CHamoru values, from their roots in ancient times to the continuation of many of these practices in modern life.
- Concepts and Beliefs
- Practices

e-Publications

Food

In CHamoru/Chamorro culture, preparing food to share with guests and loved ones is an expression of inafa’maolek, a key Chamorro value that teaches reciprocity and familial cooperation. In Guam, villages often hold fiestas to honor and celebrate patron saints. Tasting the delicious food on the fiesta table can be a journey through the island’s history — from traditional Chamorro dishes using local ingredients and flavors, to specialty foods which reflect the histories of different cultures that have also made the island their home. In this section, you can discover how even the placement of dishes holds importance in the Chamorro culture, and venture through a collection of popular fiesta dishes, each with their own unique flare and a story to tell!

Ancient Chamorro Entries

Language

The CHamoru/Chamorro language expresses the worldview and wisdom of the Indigenous people of the Mariana Islands. Many Indigenous ways of knowing and navigating the lands and waters of the Marianas can only be fully expressed in the native language. While Chamorro was spoken by the native people of the Marianas long before the arrival of Europeans in the Pacific, the langauge’s written form, or orthography, is still relatively new and remains the topic of community discussion and debate. During the US Naval administration, the Chamorro language was banned in Guam, and people were punished for speaking the language as the Naval government worked to institute English as the official language of the island. Today, however, movements for Chamorro language revitalization and Chamorro immersion schools speak to the strength and the resilience of the Chamorro people.

Special Projects

Voices of Our Elders Media Files