Land, lineage, traditions, and legacies
Evolution of the term. Matå’pang is a Chamorro/CHamoru word currently used to describe a person who is acting careless, rude or stupid. It is a highly-charged word, which can almost be considered to be a casual slang in some instances and a very insulting appellation in others.
Matå’pang: Evolution of the Term Read Post »
Ancient religious philosophy. Animism is the belief that everything in nature – living and non-living – contains a spirit or soul. In ancient CHamoru society, the CHamorus held animism as a religious philosophy that supported the concept of the interconnectedness between people and nature.
Source of life. Ancient Chamorros/Chamorus believed that women held the power of life and controlled the environment.
Mythological Depictions of Women Read Post »
Of the different regional groups of the Pacific, the physical anthropology of the peoples of Micronesia is probably the least studied. While archeologists have collected human skeletal remains from Micronesia for examination since the beginning of the 20th century, much of the current understanding of the physical anthropology of the region was developed in the 1980s and 1990s.
Physical Anthropology of Ancient Guam and the Mariana Islands Read Post »
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.
CHamoru women have a legacy of leadership that helped keep the culture and history of their people alive. The earliest accounts of ancient CHamoru society state that women maintained their family’s wealth, had final say in the governance of both their home and village and were the primary caretakers of their children and land.
CHamoru Women’s Legacy of Leadership Read Post »
The social ranking of individuals, whether by age, gender or social status, has always been important in Chamorro society. In pre-Spanish times, social status dictated occupations and activities, living situations, marriage rules, social etiquette and taboos, and access to power, wealth and prestige in the form of control over land and ocean resources.
Social Classes in Traditional CHamoru Society Read Post »
Fino’ gualåfon was a style of language developed and used by young bachelors in ancient CHamoru society. The term fino’ gualåfon translates as follows: “fino’” is language and “gualåfon” is the full phase of the moon, or specifically, full moon language or language of the full moon.
Fino’ Gualåfon: Moonlight Talk Read Post »
The Chamorro/CHamoru word mo’na points to the idea that the CHamoru cosmology, in particular during the ancient period of Marianas history, was a circular one rather than linear.
Mo’na: Circular Concept of History Read Post »
Ancient Chamorro/CHamoru people formed a matrilineal society and so inheritance and descent was through the mother’s family. Land was communal property that the clan used for the benefit of the entire group.
Pattida: Dividing Family Land Among Children Read Post »
