Creative Expression

Traditional and contemporary arts and artisans.

Art, Art, Architecture, Body Adornment, Music and Food, Civic Society, Contemporary Art, Contemporary Guam: Education, Creative Expression, Education, Language, Modern Guam Rises

CHamoru Comic Strip: Juan Malimanga

“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. 

Art, Architecture, Body Adornment, Music and Food, Creative Expression, Historic Eras of Guam, Island Life, Music, People and Places, Villages, Heritage Sites and Island Life, Wars and Factors of Peace, WWII, WWII/Japanese Era

Song of Hope, Song of Faith

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.

Art, Art, Architecture, Body Adornment, Music and Food, Body Adornment, Chamorro Culture, Creative Expression, Division of Resources, Natural Environment, Natural Resources, Our Heritage, Resources, Sea (Tasi), Traditional Craft

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 hinged on what is called an umbo. Their flesh or mantle is the mechanism that secretes the clam’s shell.

Cultural Design Workshop
Ancient Guam Era, Archeological Investigations, Art, Art, Architecture, Body Adornment, Music and Food, Body Adornment, Chamorro Culture, Creative Expression, e-Publications, Guam CAHA Workshops, Historic Eras of Guam, Our Heritage, Traditional Craft

Cultural Design with History in Mind

Art and History organizations offered workshop to prepare. In 2016, Guam hosted the Festival of the Pacific Arts, a regional festival showcasing the diversity of arts and performances from over two dozen island nations and territories throughout the Pacific.

Art, Architecture, Body Adornment, Music and Food, Civic Society, Contemporary Guam Era, Contemporary Music, Creative Expression, Guamanian Era, Guamanian Era: Politics, Historic Eras of Guam, Language, Modern Guam Rises, Music, People, People and Places, Politics and Government, Women in Guam History

Lagrimas Leon Guerrero Untalan

Lagrimas Leon Guerrero Untalan (1911-1997) was an educator, political pioneer and cultural advocate.  Born and raised in Guam, Untalan was at the vanguard of bilingual education and will always be remembered for translating the Guam Hymn into the Chamorro language.  She was also one of the first Chamorro women to be elected to the Guam Legislature.  Untalan volunteered extensively with community groups, including service as President for the Guam Women’s Club from 1957-1958.  She also was involved with the various activities of her church and parish.

Art, Art, Architecture, Body Adornment, Music and Food, Artists, Creative Expression, Historic Eras of Guam, People, People and Places, Traditional Craft, US Naval Era, Women in Guam History

Lucia Fernandez Torres

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.

Art, Art, Architecture, Body Adornment, Music and Food, Artists, Body Adornment, Contemporary Art, Contemporary Guam Era, Contemporary Music, Creative Expression, Historic Eras of Guam, Music, Musicians, People, People and Places

Maria Yatar McDonald

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.

Flora Baza, Queen of Chamorro Music
Art, Art, Architecture, Body Adornment, Music and Food, Artists, Contemporary Guam Era, Contemporary Music, Creative Expression, Guampedia Resources, Historic Eras of Guam, Media Galleries, Multimedia, Music, People, People and Places

Flora Baza Quan

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.”

Art, Art, Architecture, Body Adornment, Music and Food, Artists, Contemporary Guam Era, Contemporary Music, Creative Expression, Guamanian Era, Historic Eras of Guam, Modern Guam Rises, Music, People, People and Places

Johnny Sablan

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.

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