Art
Hima: Conserving a Cultural Heritage
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
Chamorro Culture
Passion for Pugua
Betel nut use. Areca (Betel) nut is the seed of the palm known scientifically as Areca catechu. Betel nut is the fourth most widely used
Ancient Guam Era
The Matao Iron Trade Part 3: Appropriation and Entanglement
The matao fashioned the iron they acquired from trading with visiting ship crews into traditional tools, including punches, drills, fish hooks and adze blades. The
Ancient Guam Era
The Matao Iron Trade Part 2: Galleon Trading and Repatriation
Between 1565 and 1665, Guam’s southwest coast received sporadic visits from Spanish vessels, including the first wreck of a trade galleon (San Pablo, 1568), as
Ancient Guam Era
The Matao Iron Trade Part 1: Contact and Commerce
Members of the matao, the highest-ranking strata of Mariana Islands society in the 16th and 17th centuries, carried on the first sustained cultural interaction and
Ancient Guam Era
Ancient CHamoru/Chamorro Fish Weirs (Gigao)
When French explorer Louis Claude de Freycinet visited Guam between March and June of 1819, he observed CHamorus capturing mañåhak or juvenile rabbitfish (Siganus spp.)
Chamorro Culture
Pattida: Dividing Family Land Among Children
Ancient Chamorro/CHamoru people formed a matrilineal society and so inheritance and descent was through the mother’s family. Land was communal property that the clan used
Ancient Guam Era
Ancient CHamoru/Chamorro Calendar
Freycinet also noted that an examination of CHamoru words and phrases supports the idea that the islanders were knowledgeable about astronomy and maritime arts. For
Ancient Guam Era
Ko’lao yan Fattoigue: Custom of Bringing a Gift of Food
The term ko’lao yan fattoigue refers to the customary practice of bringing food to someone with whom you are visiting. Oftentimes, the visitor and the
Guinahan Famagu’on: Children’s Wealth
Commonly translated as “children’s wealth,” guinahan famagu’on refers to a type of traditional turtle shell valuable, or ålas, used in the highly reciprocal lifestyle of