Ancient Guam: Religion

Ancient CHamoru/Chamorro Use of Human Bones

Archeological studies have revealed that during the Latte Period ancient CHamorus retrieved bones from deceased bodies after tissue had deteriorated, and used the bones for

Animism

Ancient religious philosophy. Animism is the belief that everything in nature – living and non-living – contains a spirit or soul. In ancient CHamoru society,

Kepuha: Quipuha

Kepuha (also spelled Quipuha) was a maga’låhi from Hagåtña, whose role in welcoming Spanish missionaries to Guam makes him a controversial figure in the island’s

Fu'una, goddess of creation and sister of Puntan, gave life to the earth and humanity. I Tinituhon, Guampedia

Ancient Guam Era

CHamoru/Chamorro World View

The idea of the world being divided into different realms, as was common in the Chamorro/CHamoru view after Christianity was introduced, is one promoted or

CHamoru Ancestor Worship

Ancient Chamorros/CHamorus, as well as CHamorus today, practice ancestral worship, or the veneration and respectful treatment of relatives who have died in hopes that they

Folktale: Puntan and Fu’una: Gods of Creation

Puntan and Fu’una are the Chamorro/CHamoru creation gods. Puntan, a male, and Fu’una, a female, are brother and sister. The account of their creation of

A village scene depicts the difference in caste through body language and building structures. Also illustrated is the lack of body coverings as being unnecessary. Bachelor’s houses were houses for young CHamoru/Chamorro men in the Mariana Islands from ancient times until the late 1600s. A village scene of the Ancient CHamorus illustrated by JA Pellion from Freycinet’s Voyage Autour de Monde, Paris, 1824. Guam Public Library System

Ancient Guam Era

Taotaomo’na

Taotaomo’na, the people of before, refers to ancestral spirits that inhabited the earth along with the living. Ancient Chamorros/CHamorus believed the world around them was