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Our Heritage

Land, lineage, traditions, and legacies

Ancient Guam Era, Ancient Guam: Economics, Chamorro Culture, Civic Society, Division of Resources, Early Historic Accounts, Economic Systems, Economics and Commercial Development, European Exploration, Trade and Scientific Studies, Historic Eras of Guam, Our Heritage, Trade, Transportation, Technology and Communications

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 most prominently mentioned application was canoe construction, a major preoccupation of high status men. The Marianas outrigger canoe played a vital role as the integrating mechanism for the islanders’ cultural unity, connecting their tano’ tasi (land of the sea) via inter-island transportation, communication and trade.

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Ancient Guam Era, Ancient Guam: Economics, Chamorro Culture, Civic Society, Division of Resources, Early Historic Accounts, Economic Systems, Economics and Commercial Development, European Exploration, Trade and Scientific Studies, Historic Eras of Guam, Our Heritage, Trade, Transportation, Technology and Communications

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 well as the first encounters with Dutch and English mariners.  However, a more significant exchange venue was established in the 30-mile wide Rota Channel to trade with the Spanish ships crossing regularly from New Spain (Mexico) to the Philippines.

The Matao Iron Trade Part 2: Galleon Trading and Repatriation Read Post »

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