Ancient Guam Era
CHamoru Seagrass Fishing Nets
The CHamorus often made their fishing nets out of the vascular bundles of fibers from Lo’u, a common seagrass. This seagrass is frequently called turtle
Ancient Guam Era
CHamoru/Chamorro Sidereal Direction Terminology
In 1817 Adelbert von Chamisso recorded the CHamoru terms for what he assumed were cardinal directions: Timi (North), Seplun (South), Manuu (East), Faniipan (West). These
Ancient Guam Era
Taga
Largest latte house in the Marianas. Found nowhere else in the world, latte first appeared in the Mariana Islands about 800 years ago, during a
Ancient Guam Era
Cultural Design with History in Mind
Art and History organizations offered workshop to prepare. In 2016, Guam hosted the Festival of the Pacific Arts, a regional festival showcasing the diversity of
Ancient Guam Era
CHamoru DNA Studies and the Origin of the CHamoru People
From where do the original inhabitants of the Marianas originate? How long ago did they first settle the islands? What kind of migration pattern describes
Ancient Guam Era
Galleon: San Pablo
On 15 August 1568 the Spanish galleon San Pablo, anchored off the southwest coast of Guam, was hit by a sudden violent storm, blown onto
Ancient Guam Era
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
Ancient Guam Era
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
Ancient Guam Era
The Matao Iron Trade Part 1: Contact and Commerce
Members of the matao, the highest-ranking strata of Mariana Islands society in the 16th and 17th centuries, carried on the first sustained cultural interaction and
Ancient Guam Era
Folktale: The Young Maidens
Åntes na tiempo (a long time ago), the ancestors of the modern day CHamorus came to the Marianas, a mighty race of people. They were