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W
hen we think of what
“Chamorro culture” means
to us today, particular images and forms come to mind. Most people would recall terms such as “respect”
“chenchule’” or “inafa’maolek.” Others
might think of latte stones or sakman
sailing the seas. A great many people
might think of dance groups such as Pa’a
Taotao Tano’, Inetnon Gefpago or chant
groups such as I Fanlalai’an.
Chamorros see themselves today as
being in the midst of a cultural renaissance, where Chamorro language and
culture are being celebrated and promoted.
If you asked Chamorros 60 or even
160 years ago what their idea of
Chamorro culture was, it would have
been very different from the answers
today. Some things — such as respect or
chenchule’ — might be similar, but almost all the symbolism would be different, in particular with regards to thing
such as chanting and dancing.
The evolution of this Chamorro cultural consciousness has a great deal to do
with Guam’s participation in the Festival
of Pacific Arts, or FestPac. As Guam has
sent delegations to represent itself and its
native culture at this event, it has provided a mirror through which Chamorros could see themselves and how others
see them, and cultural practitioners and
political leaders have taken strides to
shift that representation.
Very different
In the 1970s, when FestPac was first
formed and Guam began to participate,
the consciousness of the island was in
a very different state. Although this
was a time when there was a growing
“brown power” movement and the
birth of a bilingual education program,
there was still a heavy intoxicating
haze of Americanization. English only
was being emphasized in public and in
the homes.
Chamorros saw their culture and their
place in the world in a very limited and
Copyright © 2015 Pacific Daily News 04/24/2015
Matched expectations
narrow way. They considered themselves
to be tragic victims of history, where centuries of colonization had bequeathed
them a culture which they could not call
their own, but was instead a mishmash
of everyone else’s heritage. The way
Chamorros saw their own culture, was
through the eyes of an antiquated anthropologist, that it was meant to be static
and never change or adapt.
Because they had changed over time,
they felt they had little to show in terms
of their “arts” and their “culture” to the
rests of the Pacific.
The first FestPac that Guam formally
attended in 1976 reflected this. The delegation they sent featured entertainers
who sang contemporary American songs
and danced about to rock and roll and
pop music. The next FestPac featured
primarily the work of non-Chamorro fine
artists living in Guam.
The message at that time seemed to be
that Guam had no native culture to speak
of, and this was sadly already something
that other islanders in the Pacific assumed for Guam.
The Marianas were the first islands in
the Pacific to be colonized by Europeans.
With the introduction of Catholicism in
1668 and centuries of colonization under
various powers, most people in the Pacific saw Chamorros as reflections of
their colonial history rather than their indigenous resilience and adaptation. It did
not help that Guam had a reputation for
being American real estate and a symbol
When other islander delegates saw
that first FestPac performance from
Guam, it matched their expectations.
They knew of Guam as a big American
military base, and so of course they
would have American rock bands for
culture.
The experiences that Chamorros had
at those early FestPacs created the impetus for the shifts in cultural consciousness that we see around us today. FestPac
is meant to be the cultural Olympics of
the Pacific, a time when each of the close
to 30 island nations that participate share
with great pride their particular way of
expressing Pacific islander identity and
sense of history and place. In the 1970s,
Chamorros largely felt that they didn’t
have anything to show the world. Their
continuity with their ancient ancestors
had been cut in terms of the most visible
facets of culture.
Living and breathing
But what cultural practitioners, some
of whom led the dance and chant groups
of today, realized is that culture is not
simply some static inheritance that one
merely passes between generations. It is
a living, breathing and changing thing.
Even if we do not know the exact dances
and the chants of Chamorros before, it
does not mean that Chamorros cannot
create new dances and new chants that
are meant to reflect, through research
and through creativity, interpretations of
our past.
Guam is no longer viewed the same
way when our delegations attend FestPac. People now see Guam as a place
which has a vibrant culture and is rich
with expressions of that culture.
In 2016, as we take the honor of being
the host island for the festival this is our
chance to continue to show our cultural
traditions and creativity.
Michael Lujan Bevacqua, Ph.D., is on
the Board of Directors of the Guam
Council on the Arts and Humanities.
April 27, 2015 1:54 am / Powered by TECNAVIA