Traditional weaver. Although weaving was once a practice in which nearly all CHamorus participated, a select few have been singled out over the past few decades due to their exemplary skill and commitment to perpetuation of the craft.
Elena C. Benavente Read Post »
Lucia Fernandez Torres (1933 – 2007) was a recognized Master of the traditional folk art of weaving. An advocate of the importance of cultural traditions, she shared her skills with others interested in learning how to weave. Her crafts have been displayed locally and in regional exhibits throughout the Pacific.
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Maria Yatar McDonald (1955 – ) is a multi-talented musician, traditional tattoo and visual artist influenced by a wide range of artists beginning with her parents. McDonald was born in 1955 in the village of Pali, Sumai before spending nearly two decades living in the village of Sånta Rita-Sumai, and then in Hågat. She graduated from George Washington High School in 1973 and received a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Guam in 1997.
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Flora Baza Quan is a renowned CHamoru/Chamorro singer and songwriter from Guam, who has been performing and recording for more than thirty years. Known affectionately as the “Queen of Chamorro Music,” Baza Quan is a pioneer of contemporary Chamorro music, lending her signature sound and vocal talents to perpetuating Chamorro culture. Some of her recognized favorites include “Hagu,” “Puti Tai Nobiu” and “Hinasso.”
Melvin Won Pat-Borja is a spoken word poet, slam poet and hip hop artist, and teacher, now serving as president of the Department of CHamoru Affairs. Spoken word poetry is performance-based poetry that is presented as a narration, as if the poet were engaged in a conversation. Won Pat-Borja recites originally composed poetry with a rhythmic presentation, akin to hip hop style. Unlike rapping, however, spoken word poetry does not usually incorporate music. Like many spoken word artists, the subject matter of his poetry reflects issues in social justice, education and identity. Won Pat-Borja has been competing in poetry slams since 2003.
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Johnny Sablan, (1948 – ) a pioneer Chamorro recording artist, received the “Island Icon Award for 2011” in a vote among fellow musicians and islandwide audiences at the Island Music Awards. This is the latest of a litany of accolades for Sablan who has promoted the island’s indigenous language and culture through a music career spanning more than five decades. The award is not surprising, considering Sablan’s 1968 release of “Dalai Nene,” the first commercially recorded album in Chamorro, marked the beginning of the Chamorro music industry.
Segundo Blas (1917 – 2004) was one of the most respected and well-known traditional woodcarvers to emerge from the Mariana Islands in the 20th century. His skill in crafting canoe models, storyboards and other three-dimensional pieces, especially from ifil hardwood (Intsia bijuga), won him awards and recognition as a master artisan and woodcarver.
Adriano Baza Pangelinan (1940 – 2022) is considered one of Guam’s pioneers in contemporary painters who began his prolific art career in the late 1960s, when he was a student at George Washington High School in Maite. Pangelinan went on to teach art at the University of Guam for 20 years. His remarkable understanding and use of color make his works memorable and unique within the arts community.
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Floren Meno Paulino (1925 – 2022) was a traditional master weaver, specializing in plaiting coconut palm and pandanus leaves into utilitarian and decorative items. She demonstrated her skills at the Gef Pa’go Cultural Village in Inalåhan, Guam for many years.
Francisco “Frank” Rabon (1954 – ) is the founder and director of the Taotao Tano’ Cultural Dancers, whose name is synonymous with cultural dance practices in Guam. After founding the Taotao Tano’ Cultural Dance group in 1983, he continued to advance in the field of cultural dance, most notably to personally research Chamorro history, origins, migration, connection and reconstruction of indigenous Chamorro dances, chants and songs.
