Health and wellness. Because of the biological nature of our bodies, people get sick, and people die. Illness and death are a part of life. However, people are not just physical beings—our complex cultures separate us from other living organisms.
Ancient CHamoru Medicine Making Read Post »
Tooth staining. Unlike clothing or hairstyles, body modifications are changes made to the body itself that are of a more permanent nature. Among the CHamoru people, the most remarkable examples of these kinds of modifications were tooth etching and staining.
Ancient CHamoru Body Modification Read Post »
Body ornamentation. All human cultures practice some form of body ornamentation. Body ornamentation refers to the ways in which people decorate or dress their bodies for any number of reasons or occasions.
Ancient CHamoru Jewelry: Manmade Accessories and Body Coverings Read Post »
The nature of warfare. In any human society, there are different reasons and circumstances in which people might engage in warfare. Warfare, by definition, is when violence occurs between political entities, such as communities, districts or nations.
Ancient CHamoru Warfare Read Post »
Prelude to war. For the ancient CHamorus warfare was sporadic and functioned primarily to resolve political, economic, and social conflicts among different clans or villages. Although these confrontations were not large in scale, nor extremely violent, the ancient CHamorus took warfare seriously.
Cultural Aspects of Ancient CHamoru Warfare Read Post »
Beauty as a cultural concept. Different cultures have different ways of defining and understanding “beauty.” In general, beauty is a characteristic of a person or object that people find appealing. Beauty evokes an experience of pleasure or satisfaction.
Ancient CHamoru Concepts of Beauty Read Post »
Eastern coastal village. Located on the eastern coast of the island of Guam, Pago is one of the oldest villages that predate Spanish contact with the ancient CHamorus. The village was settled near the mouth of the Pago River, which feeds into Pago Bay, the largest bay on the island; it is also the site of several important archeological investigations.
Early northeastern coastal village. One of only four recorded latte sites on the northeastern coast of Guam; Pågat (which means to counsel or advise in the CHamoru language) is an important cultural resource for the CHamoru people; the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands.
In the social organization of Chamorro/CHamoru society, individuals from the lowest class were known as manachang. In her study of early CHamoru culture, anthropologist Laura Thompson noted in the early Spanish mission accounts that the manachang were supposedly of smaller stature and had a darker complexion than the noble class matao.
Early accounts of traditional Chamorro/CHamoru society describe at least two distinct social castes—the chamorri, or upper caste, and the manachang, or lower caste. The chamorri caste was further divided into the social rankings of matao and acha’ot.
