NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

 I recently gave a lecture talking about the Maga'håga spirit and the matrilineal strain that runs through Chamoru culture. In putting it together, I had to scrounge for different quotes from the early accounts of the Spanish, when they encountered Chamorus in the 16th and 17th centuries. It provides a stark contrast in most ways we see gender relations today, but it must have felt nightmarish at times for a Catholic priest of the time. To see women with this much authority over life and over their husbands, I imagine it would have given San Vitores and others plenty a panic attack.  Here are some of the quotes I used in my presentation: *******************   In each family, the head is the father or older relative, but with limited influence. A son, as he grows up, neither fears or respects his father. In the home it is the woman who rules, and her husband does not dare give an order contrary to her wishes, nor punish the children, for she will turn upon him and beat him...

"Glass Kiss"   I can taste the ocean between us As I step towards you, it wades against me, salt stinging to my skin Your eyes are set, chained to the horizon Reminding me that I find it hard to breathe when you are not looking at me You are whispering something But it is lost in the wind, as if drowned quietly in the spiral corridors of a seashell As you turn and see my approach The ocean sighs, waters parting, revealing the heart of the world As I pull you to me, I gasp, as if searching for the land’s last breath When our lips meet, the ocean pours into the earth’s core Cooling every heat filled moment I have shared with you The sky trembles, lightning piercing all And you are forever mine in a sea of newborn glass

"Blue" I’m trying to find something she left, A kiss that has long been taped to my mind It was left there long ago, by someone who had no business inside my skull But found her way there, during a sweaty afternoon, complete with grass stains and sword cuts that stretched like clues on puzzle pieces from her limbs to mine At one point that kiss was an itch, a scar carved upon my memories, that blocked the flow of daily traffic, always taking my thoughts through detours towards that afternoon, when without a moment’s notice, she planted that kiss upon my life I would spend days taping, rock hammer rapping at the side of my skull, splintering bone and feeding air to that starving scar. Desperate to keep it alive, to force feed nourishment into the scar, to keep it crisp, to keep it breathing, humming, dancing between life and death.  But I simply write around that kiss. As I reach into my skull, digging for that scarred memory, as my own irritated bone tears into my finger fles...

Everytime Trump mentions Guam, it is like we get to walk on to some national reality TV show. It is always interesting, sometimes funny, sometimes scary, sometimes saddening. Here are some articles around our most recent mention, when Trump talked about statehood being off the table and not an option for Guam and other US territories.  *******************   Decolonization Commission: Trump comments superficial and selfish Steve Limtiaco Pacific Daily News USA TODAY NETWORK Oct 19, 2020  The government of Guam’s Commission on Decolonization on Monday responded to recent comments by President Donald Trump about the political status of Guam and other U.S. territories.   Trump, during an Oct. 1 phone interview with Sean Hannity on the Fox News Channel, accused Democrats of trying to add three new states to the union, including Guam, in an effort to get more power in the House and Senate.   “That would give them six automatic Senate seats,” Trump said. “It would be v...

 I have been spending quite a bit of 2020 reflecting back on past relationships, especially ones where I was in situations with people who up until today still perplex me, still confuse me, still frustrate me, when thinking about to the time I spent with them. Sometimes there is anger in these reflections, especially when I recall some who entered into a relationship with me, not being honest about what they wanted or who they were, even if I had tried my best to be honest with them.  Someday I might want to write a book or something, since so many of them were interesting in their own, ridiculous ways.  I was recalling today one past relationship, that sometimes I smirkingly refer to as "the chosen one." She strongly felt that she had a great destiny. That she was smart and strong and that she was gonna change this island. She was gonna save the Chamoru people. She was drawn to me because of my activism and wanting to talk about revolutionary change, about what the Chamo...

  SIGN THIS PETITION! DEMOCRACIES NEED DEBATES! CALLING FOR THOSE SEEKING TO BE ELECTED AS THE SINGLE NON-VOTING DELEGATE TO GUAM, MEET PRIOR TO THE NOVEMBER 3rd ELECTION FOR AT LEAST ONE DEBATE.  Text is below" *************************** Albert Toves  started this petition to  Congressman Michael San Nicolas  and  2 others The people of Guam are only allowed to elect one delegate to represent us in the U.S. federal government. While this is a non-voting delegate position, whoever is elected to this position has a lot of power as Guam’s main, and often only voice in Washington D.C. This person must ensure the even though we are thousands of miles away, our voices are heard. Our representative also has the ability to create new opportunities for Guam and should help keep us informed of federal policies and activities that might affect us.  Guam’s representative to Congress must have in-depth knowledge about the needs of our island and a solid understan...

This is a fascinating article on many levels.  It features the voices of a number of current and former elected officials from Guam, talking about activism and politics.  Much is said about Angel Santos as being the consulate activist politician, but there is much in the article that isn't really developed sadly.  On the surface I enjoyed the piece, and while it has some great quotes, it accepts too easily the different things that those interviewed are saying, even if they aren't historically true or just end up muddling the issue.  For instance, Angel Santos is definitely the most iconic Chamoru activist and he did become a politician, elected into the Guam Legislature for multiple terms. But he wasn't a particularly effective member of the Guam Legislature, in terms of getting his agenda into policy and converting bills into laws.  But this is part of a larger distinction between those who are leaders and those who are politicians.  A...

  For Immediate Release October 7, 2020   SENATOR MARSH (TAITANO) CONTINUES HER CRUCIAL CONVERSATION SERIES, BREADFRUIT  AS A MEANS FOR FOOD SUSTAINABILITY AND SECURITY Senator Kelly Marsh (Taitano) authored a bi-partisan supported bill to capitalize on Guam’s lengthy history of reciprocal intraregional relationships which have been part of the region’s traditional approach to surviving and thriving within the Mariana Islands, Southeast Asia, and Micronesia. Her bill would develop a Guam Intraregional Commerce Commission, which will spearhead efforts to strengthen regional resiliency and rebuild and re-envision our economy in the face of the current global pandemic era.  With this focus on the need for greater regional economic collaboration in mind, Senator Marsh (Taitano) this Friday continues her Crucial Conversation Series, highlighting ways that we can build more sustainable industries while preserving our environment and culture. This week’s episode will d...