In ancient CHamoru society, the clan leaders arranged marriages. Women did not marry men in their clan since marriage was a chance to improve clan status and increase influence in gaining hunting, fishing and farming rights in other clan districts.
Marriage Traditions Read Post »
Åntes di finañågu The pattera (nurse midwife) and suruhånu (traditional doctor) played important roles in the Chamorro/CHamoru society, especially when it came to pre-birth-to-birth events in the family. They assumed
Church rites Primera Kumuñon (First Holy Communion) and Komfetmasion (Confirmation) are church rites that have become CHamoru traditions among Catholics. The celebrative nature of these occasions is not as elaborate
First Holy Communion and Confirmation Read Post »
The Mariana Islands has a history of pottery-making that is more than 3,500 years long. The first people to arrive in the Mariana Islands apparently had brought with them pottery-making skills; the broken remains of their pots, called sherds, have been found at archaeological sites dating back to circa 3,500 BP
Pre-Historic Pottery of Guam Read Post »
The birth of a child is the most important family event in CHamoru society. It marks the beginning of family celebrations and obligations that define the child’s CHamoru identity throughout his or her life.
In the past, picking a name for the child was a family affair. In the early matrilineal CHamoru society, the name of a newborn child comes from the mother’s clan members.
The signature weapon of the ancient Chamorro/CHamoru warrior, slingstones of various sizes were sharpened at both ends and hurled from a sling with deadly force in combative times. Slingstones were also used for hunting birds.
Slingstones: Weapons Read Post »
The coconut, called niyok in Chamorro/CHamoru and cocos nucifera scientifically, is undoubtedly one of the most important native plant foods in the Mariana Islands. Chief among other plants of primary importance to the original CHamoru people including taro, breadfruit, yams, sugarcane, bananas, mangoes, and lemons, coconuts are a staple of ancient, colonial, and contemporary CHamoru horticulture.
The latte is a manmade construct carved from limestone or basalt that was used as a foundation for a shelter against the elements or as a structure which may have represented a sacred place. The latte was constructed and used by the CHamorus throughout the Mariana Islands during the Latte Period from 1,000 Before Present (BP) to 500 years BP.
Latte’s Significance Read Post »
Karabao or carabao are water buffalo introduced to Guam from the Philippines during the Spanish occupation (1668 – 1898) for farming. In and since colonial times, the picture of this animal pulling a two-wheeled cart has evolved into one of the most vivid visual images of the collective social imagination of the CHamorus that recalls that era.
Karabao: Water Buffalo Read Post »
