SPAM® in Guam history and culture. SPAM®, the famous pink loaf in a blue square can found in kitchens around the world, has a particular place in the Guamanian household. Alongside, and maybe more so than, canned corned beef, SPAM® is probably the most versatile food item that people on Guam have handled, prepared and consistently consumed since its introduction to the Pacific islands in the mid-20th century.
CHamoru’s Love of Spam Read Post »
“Juan Malimanga” is the first comic strip in local print news that is written completely in the CHamoru language. The comic strip, originally written by Clotilde Castro Gould and illustrated by Roger Faustino, centers around humorous observations and adventures of the character Juan Malimanga. Despite its continued publication in the Pacific Daily News (PDN), the origins of this iconic comic strip signaled a landmark victory in efforts to overturn the controversial language policies of print media on the island of Guam.
CHamoru Comic Strip: Juan Malimanga Read Post »
If you have ever visited the Governor’s Office complex in Adelup, or attended Mass in the old Santa Teresita Church in Mangilao, or were a student at Price Elementary School, then you have seen buildings designed by architect James Murray Stewart.
James Murray Stewart Read Post »
Ditty urged the Americans to return. I used to listen lo my auntie’s stories about the invasion, occupation, liberation and other things concerning the Japanese on Guam back then. She told me all about the “Uncle Sam” song and used to sing different versions of it, all the while a smile upon her face.
Song of Hope, Song of Faith Read Post »
Our food choices. As with most communities, the necessity for food is interwoven with cultural and social needs. For the people of the Mariana Island, food is, and always has been, central to the cultural practices and traditions that have shaped daily life in the community.
Health Consequences of Modern Diets on Guam Read Post »
Basic biology. The giant clam is a member of the Phylum Mollusca and the Class Bivalvia. These clams have two shells (called “valves”) that are hinged on what is called an umbo. Their flesh or mantle is the mechanism that secretes the clam’s shell.
Hima: Conserving a Cultural Heritage Read Post »
Jump Start Your Art: Marketing, Resources, and Guides. The Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency (CAHA) hosted Jump Start Your Art: Marketing, Resources and Guides – two workshops for artists, cultural producers and entrepreneurs in 2016. These educational and capacity building workshops enabled artists to connect with representatives from various fields in a creative business.
Jump Start Your Art Read Post »
First CHamoru Woman US Naval Officer. Genevieve Perez Ploke Snow (1941 -2011) was born in Hågat, Guam on 15 March 1941. As an infant and toddler during World War II, she survived the Japanese occupation of Guam, raiding of her house, capture of her father (CPO John F. Ploke, Zentsuji POW), starvation, emaciation, dysentery, witnessed the torture and execution of some of her family and friends during the forced march to Manenggon, and the near execution of her grandfather, Antanacio Taitano Perez, as a suspected American spy.
Genevieve Perez Ploke Snow Read Post »
First Woman to Establish a Music and Arts School on Guam. Carmen “Meling” Romualdez Dela Cruz (1910-1995), a life long musician, is the first woman to open a school for the arts on Guam. She is the daughter of Beatriz Buz and former Philippine Supreme Court Justice Norberto Romualdez.
Carmen Romualdez Dela Cruz Read Post »
In 2016, Guam hosted the Festival of the Pacific Arts (FestPac), a region-wide festival celebrating the various arts and cultures of the Pacific. As the host of FestPac 2016, Guam chose what kinds of events to highlight, although traditional performances, arts and craft displays and demonstrations, music and story-telling are often part of the many activities available for participants. Hosting the Pacific wide festival represented an important and exciting opportunity to highlight cultural identity and heritage among a diverse group of Pacific islanders, many of whom share a colonial past and have felt its impact on traditional practices and lifestyles.
2nd Workshop: Visual Arts Committee Read Post »
