Inafa'maolek: Muna'fanmetgot Hit

 

I have been around and involved in movements and organizations that do work around language and culture for more than 25 years now. Sometimes I think of my start in these discussions as beginning when I started to learn Chamoru 25 years ago while a senior at the University of Guam. But in truth, it started in small ways a few years earlier while I was helping my grandfather sell his blacksmith tools at this shop at the Chamorro Village in Hagåtña and at different cultural fairs. While I was by no means an expert and often times could care less about the conversations around me, because I was my grandfather's driver and his helper, I ended up participating in cultural politics years before I became passionate about them.

Sometimes as I look back, given how involved I've been it is easy to feel that things have changed or things are different because I am so familiar with the issues that what might seem inconsequential to some or minor to others, seems major or significant to me. 

For example, I hear people all the time make platitudes about things I can deeply about, such as political status, language, culture other issues. They say things like "no one cares about decolonization" or "no one is doing anything about the language, culture or our rights." Or they might say "there's no resources or nothing is out there to help people learn Chamoru." For your average person who isn't paying much attention, these things might seem true. But if you are someone like me who studies these things, collects information related to these things and writes about them, you can clearly see changes.

People are much more outwardly passionate and interested in learning Chamoru, and this is no doubt tied to things such as increase in available resources and also the fact that there has been a dramatic decline in the number of active speakers. It is natural for there to be increased interest to accompany the loss of speakers. What we do with that increased interest will determine the vitality of the language after we lose the majority of the first language speaker soon and have to contend with the reality of endangerment and precariousness being the foundation for the future, not just an attribute. 

Political status is also something where we can see definite shifts, although not dramatic shifts that might lead to someone not paying close attention to detect a sharp difference. But the changes are significant enough that studies on political status attitudes and preference have found that in the last 20 years there has been an increased openness and interest in political status options like independence and free association in contrast to the past where people preferred statehood or remaining status quo as a territory. 

But as much as I feel like things have shifted, there are always reminders that things around us, especially those that are part of larger systems, have likely remained the same. Or that they have remained the same with some minute, superficial tweaks. 

I was reminded of something like this during September when for one of my Chamoru language Zoom practice groups we were reading the essay below by Mary Ann Salas Tajito, who was the Gehilo' for I Kumision i Fino' Chamoru in the 1990s. She wrote this essay to talk about some of the important issues that were facing language advocates and teachers at the time and some of the dreams that the Kumision had for the future. I was struck by how much of this essay which was written more than 25 years ago, remains true and salient today. You can make some very minor changes to this article and it would be just as relevant today as it was then. 

It was a sobering reminder for me that while the Chamoru community has changed and our identity has changed, the larger society both in the Marianas and in the US has not, at least not changed in ways that are conducive to further decolonization, further language revitalization and so on.

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“Inafa’maolek: Muna’fanmetgot Hit”

 Tinige’ as Mary Ann Salas Tajito

Latte Magazine)

 

Para månu i hinanao-ña i lengguåhen Chamoru? Para månu hinananao-ña i lengguahi-ta?

 

Gof impottånte este na kuestion ya mås impottånte i eppe-ña.

 

Yanggen manmalago’ hit na para u tungo’ yan para u fambanidosu i famagu’on-ta nu i lengguahen-ñiha pues impottånte na ta fandanña’ komo Mañamoru ya ta disidi I destinu-ta.

 

Hunggan esta meggai manmasusedi para i minaolek i lengguåhi yan kotturan Chamoru. Esta ta lili’e’ siha gi tapbleron tenda yan otro siha na guma’ pubpleko na ma u’usa i Fino’ Chamoru.

 

Bente åños tåtte ti pusiple este. Yanggen malago’ hao umeskuela gi Fino’ Chamoru guaha meggai na siña un cho’gue este.

 

Siña ha’ malak i Kumision i Fino’ Chamoru, manmafa’na’gue ha’ i famagu’on lokkue’ gi Dipattamenton Edukasion, lao este mås na’magof na siña lokkue’ un chule’ i inestudion Fino’ Chamoru gi Unibetsedåt Guåhan.

 

Hunggan magåhet meggai este na adilånto lao memeggai ha’ mås ta’lo. Esta humuyong ginen i Kumision i Fino’ Chamoru i Utugrafihan Chamoru, nihi fan ya ta fana’ayuda ya ta tattiyi este na areklamenton mandeletreha yan konsisite i tinige’ gi lengguåhi.

 

På’go nu este i kadakuåt i dinilitrehå-ña mampos nina’faninafefekta i famagu’on-ta ya ti ma tungo’ månu lachi pat dinanche.

Hasso na taotao sanhiyong fine’nana tumuge’ i lengguahi-ta, ya kumu taotao sanhiyong ha tuge’ gi taimanu hiningok-ña.

 

I membron I Kumision I Fino’ Chamoru desde annai ma tutuhon i Kumision trenta åños tåtte, ayu ha’ di’åriu bidan-ñiñiha i para u ma estudia i lengguåhi.

 

Ma e’ekungok yanggen manguentos i Chamoru. Ginen ayu siha na mañainå-ta yan este på’go na manmembron I Kumision na humuyong este na utugrafiha.

 

Ya hunggan guaha ha’ siha tinilaika ginen i tutuhon-ña, sa’ kumu lå’la’la’ este i lengguåhi siempre umatulalaika yan u a’ayao ginen otro lokkue’ na lengguåhi siha.

 

Kumu I Gehilo’ I Kumision I Fino’ Chamoru, estague guinife-hu.

 

Na u mafa’nå’gue i Fino’ Chamoru gi Dipåttamenton Edukasion desde i kattiya esta i dosse grådu, ya u manå’i estao-ña taiguihi i estao otro siha na suhetu.

 

Na u fanmanå’i i ma’estran Chamoru siha kuåtton-ñiha taiguihi I pumalu siha na ma’estra

 

Na u kabåles tråstes mama’nå’gue yan lepblo para i fina’nå’guen Chamoru.

Na yanggen manmåtto i bisita ya manhuyong gi pettan båtkonaire, tåya’ duda na manggaige siha Guåhan.

 

Sa’ ma huhungok i dåndan Chamoru, manmabailalåyi gi bailan Chamoru, manmasaluda “Håfa Adai” osino “Buenas.”

 

Yanggen manmåtto gi sagan-ñiha u ma li’e’ siha pinentan Chamoru ya para yanggen para u fañocho guaha fina’mångnge’ Chamoru.

 

Ya-hu lokkue’ na fåtta i attistan Chamoru siha. Meggai taotao-ta manmalåte’ yan manmenhalom. Nisisita ta fåtta este siha.

 

Estague na siña i famagu’on-ta u fanbanidosu nu i lengguåhi yan kotturan-ñiha ya siempre ma espiha empeñu para u ma tungo’ yan ma praktika.

 

Pues mañe’lu-hu, mañainå-hu, manachataotao-hu, nihi ta fanagotte kånnai yan ta fanafa’maolek mo’na guini na karera para i minaolek i lengguåhi-ta, para i minaolek i kotturå-ta, para i minaolek-ta yan pues i minaolek i famagu’on-ta.

 

Hasso na mås di dos mit åños manlå’la’la’ hit ni’ Mañamoru yan i lengguahi-ta yan kotturå-ta lokkue’. Pues komo manafa’maolek hit fåset dos mitt åños ta’lo.

 

Biba Fino’ Chamoru! Biba Kotturan Chamoru! Biba Mañamoru!