Tinestigu para Historic Inalahan

The website of Pale' Eric Forbes is a great place for information on Chamorro language, culture and history. He has everything from Chamorro sayings, to translations of Chamorro texts, to little tidbits and footnotes from Chamorro history. It is a great resource for those who want to deepen their knowledge about so many of the things that make Chamorro Chamorro. He has a creative way of drawing out interesting parts of our native and pre-contact history, but also our colonial history. He has an equal excitement for both dimensions, which many find surprising because of his work as a Catholic priest.


Below is the transcript of some testimony given recently at the Legislature gi Fino' Chamoru. Pale' Eric provides not only a transcript but also a translation. Often times when he provide a text like this he'll have detailed notes on some of the words used and their origins. The testimony was given in favor of a bill to support the Historic Inalahan program. It is nice to hear more and more people speaking Chamorro at the Legislature, especially after we lost our best Chamorro speaker there recently, Senator Ben Pangelinan.

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Supporters of the "Historic Inalåhan" program came to the Legislature in support of a bill intending to help fund this endeavor.  The majority of the testimonies were given in Chamorro.  Here was one of them.

Guåho si Rosita San Nicolas, uno gi “crafter” yan i taotao i kusina ta’lo,

(I am Rosita San Nicolas, one of the crafters and kitchen crew also,)

gi guåho fuma’titinas i asiga guihe påpa’.

(I am the one making salt down there.)

Dångkulo na si Yu'us ma'åse', Senator Cruz, Aline yan si Tina.

(Thank you very much, Senator Cruz, Aline and Tina.)

Man måtto ham, man magof ham gi annai man mamaisen ham ayudo.

(We come, we are happy to ask assistance.)

In agradese todo i ineppen-ña si Tina nu hame.

(We appreciate all of Tina's answers to us.)

I representånte-ña as si Stephanie måtto påpa'

(Her representative Stephanie came down)

gi sagan-måme ya ha kuentuse ham.

(to our place and spoke with us.)

Pues man gaige ham på'go guine

(So we are here today)

para bai in sangåne hamyo na in agradese todo i ayudo

(to tell you that we appreciate all the help)

yanggen siña en na’e hame para bai in abånsa ha’ mo’na.

(if you could give us so we can move forward.)

Yan an man måtto i bisita

(And when the visitors come)

pareho ha' i estråño yan hita ni taotao tåno'.

(the foreigner as well as the locals.)

In fanunu’e håftaimano mo'na i kinalamten i man antigo

(We show them how things were in the past)

guihe påpa' gi lugåt-ta.

(down there in our place.)

Yan guåha na biåhe na man mamaisen bokan Chamorro.

(And there are times that they ask for Chamorro food.)

Pues in na' posisipble ennao gi anggen man mamaisen

(So we make that possible when they ask)

para bai in na’ guåha.

(that we provide it.)

Ennaogue’ testigo ha’ si Sen Cruz gi annai måtto un biåhe.

(There is Senator Cruz to witness when he came one time.)

In na’ sena guihe påpa'.

(We made him eat dinner down there.)

Pues in kombida para bai in fan gupot an si Senator.

(Then we invited Senator to feast with us.)

Si Tina ti måtto ha dalak hame guihe na ha'åne.

(Tina didn't come to follow us that day.)

Lao hu tungo' ha' dångkulo i korason-ña

(But I know that her heart is big)

para u bisita i taotao Inalåhan lao chumatsaga guihe na ha'åne

(to visit the people of Inarajan but that day it was difficult to do so)

annai måtto påpa' si Sen Cruz.

(when Senator Cruz came down.)

Pues in agradese na dångkulo yanggen mumaloffan este i finaisen-måme

(So we appreciate a lot if this our request moves ahead)

ni para en ayuda ham gi håftaimano mo'na para bai in abånsa mås i kinalamten i historical Inalåhan.  

(that you help us in our endeavor to advance more the activities of Historical Inalåhan.)