NO REST FOR THE AWAKE - MINAGAHET CHAMORRO

 If anyone knows how I can contact Rodrigue Levesque, please let me know.  He researched, translated and published the History of Micronesia series, which is an amazing set of primary source documents dealing with Micronesia. It is a collection of information that has yet to be fully incorporated into how we tell the history of our islands.  The books, when they were published were gof guaguan, very expensive, at least $100 each. But they were massive. When I was a graduate student at UOG, spending time at the University of Guam Micronesian Area Research Center, I loved reading through the lepblon Levesque siha.  They featured completely different perspectives from the traditional or canonical history of the Marianas, but using not just the official histories or accounts of events, but also letters by priests, government officials, soldiers and sailors, that he was able to collect in his research.  A few years ago Levesque finished his History of Micronesia seri...

Taga', the Great Maga'lahi of the CNMI and in particular the island of Tinian. He is well-known for the latte house in Tinian that bears his name. In Rota there is a statute of him that stands before the As Nieves quarry there. LIke Gadao in Guam he is a larger than life figure for whom there are many stories and not just the ones that people write on monuments and record in story books. But like so many figures of this type there are those stories that are flattering and those that aren't so flattering. Taga' for example is not only associated with the erecting of great latte houses, but he is also known for being an angry and cruel parent. Take for example the story below from Pedero Ogo in 1962 about Taga'. Ogo is best known for helping Donald Topping and Bernadita Dungca with the creation of the Chamorro-English Dictionary that is widely used today. In this story, Taga' is not a great hero, but a father who sees that his son may surpass him in streng...