NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

  Every week I get sometimes a few, sometimes quite a few requests for information, for interviews, for assistance. I am not a very well-organized person and so sometimes these requests fall through the cracks, and I miss them. But for the most part I try to accommodate as many people as I can. I recall that if I can help someone in their research, finish a paper, gain some perspective for their thesis or even provide a key quote or insight for their article, it could help put Guam or Chamoru issues in a more critical light, and it may push someone, tied to the island, to be more engaged about things important to me (and hopefully to them).  It is always nice to look back and see if I did have an impact, albeit even a small one on someone's perspective or even the course of their intellectual journey. A few months ago, I was a guest speaker for a college course focusing on cultural diversity in psychology. I talked about my experiences growing up Chamoru, but also not very ste...

The one the reasons why so many scholars, activists and often times community members feel the need to rethink or rearticulate or reimagine "Liberation Day" is because of a recognition of hope integral it is or has been to our relationship to the US. World War II changed dramatically the relationship between the Chamorus of Guam and the US. It changed it somewhat from the US perspective, but it was dramatically altered from the Chamoru side of the equation. Chamorus who felt a clear distance to their colonizer, even if some were eager to be patriotic, prior to the war, emerged from the war eager to find whatever way possible to express their loyalty, their newfound attachment to America. But as I've written many times before, what Liberation Day does as the basis for Chamoru identity in an American context, is create the Chamoru as a subordinate subject, a minor footnote, that must always be superpatriotic for fear that America will withdraw funds, support, recognition an...

Kada diha mamomokkat yu’ gi este na tåno’ Nina’homhom ni’ malamaña na halomtåno’ Bula trongko guini, lao labula triniste Labula chinatpågo, labula pinadesi   Sesso sinekkai yu’ ni todu este Kulang råmas, kalaktos kånnai Ginen i mantaklalu na trongko siha   Tåya’ deskånsa, tåya’ fanliheng’an   Lao kada diha anai tumunok ta’lo i atdao Ya mahuchom i ha’åni Linemlem yu’ ni oriyå-hu Sa’ kada nai i tai’ase na somnak Ha dingu i tano’ Ha na’lå’la’la’ lokkue’ i flores gi hatdin-mu   Ya ginen i hinemhom na halomtåno’ Hu tattitiyi ayu Esta ki humuyong yu’ Gi halom i hatdin-mu Bula flores Mannina’dokko’ nu i puti’on siha gi hilo’-hu   Ya guihi lokkue’ guaha såddok Ya i hanom-ña kulang bino Ya kada hu galamok, nina’malulok yu’ Ya nina’maigo’ yu’ lokkue’ Gi mañaña yan maipeñaihon na chå’guan