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Interpretive Essays

Civic Society, Guamanian Era, Historic Eras of Guam, Interpretive Essays, Modern Guam Rises, Politics and Government, Post WWII Era, Spanish Era, US Naval Era, WWII/Japanese Era

Guam and Its Three Empires

 

Few peoples in the world have had continued colonial status for the past 330 years. However, the CHamoru people can claim this unfortunate distinction. It all began when Ferdinand Magellan, and his three small ships stumbled upon the Mariana Islands 6 March 1521. Totally exhausted, sick with scurvy and half-starved, Magellan and his crew were fed and the ship’s stores replenished. Magellan stayed just long enough to take vengeance on the islanders’ for their theft of his ship’s skiff, and, reportedly, carve out human entrails for his sick crew.

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Civic Society, Historic Eras of Guam, Interpretive Essays, Politics and Government, US Naval Era, US Naval Era: Politics

Early American Period has Profound Implications

 

Captain Henry Glass’ bloodless seizure of Guam on 20-21 June 1898, his quick departure without establishing an American take-over government, and even the tears of the last Spanish governor – Juan Marina – who was overwhelmed with the kindness of Lieutenant William Braunersreuther for not looking at the letter Marina penned to his wife as he and other Spanish officers were taken away to Glass’ ship in a sudden downpour, are all part of the complex historical and contemporary consequences following this commencement of the early American period of Guam history.

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Civic Society, Historic Eras of Guam, Interpretive Essays, Politics and Government, US Naval Era, US Naval Era: Politics

American-Style Colonialism

 

Colonialism is a process of usurping an existing order or orders of meaning for a territory or a people, and replacing them with a new order which is defined by the colonizer at that order’s apex. The intended result is that the colonizer will from then on be understood as the source of the colonial world’s order, and the source of any potential progress.

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Ancient Guam Era, Art, Architecture, Body Adornment, Music and Food, Body Adornment, Early Historic Accounts, Historic Eras of Guam, Interpretive Essays

On The Question of Tattoo by Ancestral CHamorus

 

Interpretive essay: No evidence of CHamoru tattoo from ancient times. Tattoo is often thought to have been a universal cultural practice in the Pacific islands. However, that probably isn’t true. Archaeologists have found no evidence that the CHamoru people of the Mariana Islands used tattoo.

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