Indigenous Lenses - Guampedia

For many years, the only written sources about the Marianas and CHamoru/Chamorro history were written by outsiders — from early accounts by Spanish missionaries to documents and studies by visiting anthropologists or scholars from the US and abroad. While these sources can offer valuable insights into Chamorro life throughout history, it is important to remember that they were written by outsiders whose perspectives could be tainted by their own racist bias or colonial aims, as we can see in Spanish missionary accounts that often misrepresent Chamorro culture or refer to Chamorro people using prejudiced language. Even more recent scholarly sources by outsiders can fail to capture the nuance and complexity of Chamorro worldviews.

When studying history, it’s important to carefully consider the sources that you use. Who is the author? What do you know about the background or context shaping their perspective, or the way that they chose to convey information? What voices are included or excluded? In this section, we chose to privilege and elevate Indigenous Chamorro voices. Here, you can find entries authored by Indigenous people on topics ranging from Colonialism, Guam’s Political History, Chamorro Self-Determination, Culture and Identity, and Oral Histories. In the Masters of Tradition section, you can read profiles of cultural practitioners who are recognized for their mastery of traditional art forms, and their contributions towards perpetuating the Chamorro culture.

Colonialism, Guam’s Political History, and CHamoru/Chamorro Self-Determination

In this section, you can read about Guam’s history of colonialism and long struggle for political rights and self-determination, from the perspectives of Chamorro writers and scholars. Throughout the history of the self-determination movement, Chamorro activism has engaged with issues of forced displacement, land theft and language loss, and efforts to achieve political sovereignty by advocating through US federal and international frameworks. Through these entries, you’ll see how Chamorro activism has transformed in responses to different eras of colonialism, as Chamorros adapted strategies to use the tools available to them.

Culture and Identity

In this section, you’ll find a compilation of entries on topics of Chamorro culture and identity. Entries on foundational Chamorro cultural values like inafa’maolek and Chamorro proverbs can offer insight into Chamorro worldviews, from an Indigenous perspective.

Masters of Tradition

Masters of Tradition celebrates cultural practitioners who use their artistry and craftsmanship to perpetuate Guam’s history and unique cultural traditions.

Oral Histories

Many Indigenous cultures place tremendous value on oral storytelling as a way to pass down histories, lessons, and wisdom from elders. As an oral culture, Chamorros often use storytelling as a tool to convey important lessons about life, and to perpetuate cultural values. Oral histories of historical events serve as first-hand, eye-witness accounts to the momentous events that have shaped Guam’s place in the world and the stories of the Chamorro people. In this section, you can access oral histories from Guam’s elders.