Culture of Guam
The culture of Guam reflects traditional Chamorro customs in a combination of indigenous pre-Hispanic forms, as well as American, Spanish and Mexican traditions.[1] Post-European-contact CHamoru Guamanian culture is a combination of American, Spanish, Filipino, other Micronesian Islander and Mexican traditions. Few indigenous pre-Hispanic customs remained following Spanish contact, but include plaiting and pottery, and there has been a resurgence of interest among the CHamoru to preserve the language and culture. Hispanic influences are manifested in the local language, music, dance, sea navigation, cuisine, fishing, games (such as batu, chonka, estuleks, and bayogu), songs and fashion.
Background and customs
The island's original community is of Chamorro natives who have inhabited Guam for almost 4000 years.
Dress
Early European navigators and missionaries described the aboriginal inhabitants of Guam: the men wore their hair loose or coiled in a knot on top of their heads, though there are also records of men with shaving their heads with the exception of a patch of hair about a finger long, which they left on the crown. Some of them also wore beards.
Women's hair was worn very long, often reaching to the ground. Women wore a lower body covering in the form of a small apron-like garment made of the inner bark of trees.[5] They also wore a top called a tifi made out of gunot, while men remained bare-chested due to hot climatic conditions.[6] Women occupied themselves with weaving baskets, mats, and hats of Pandanus leaves, and doing other forms of domestic labor around the house.[5] Women decorated themselves with flowers and belts made of coconut shells as adornments over their skirts, and also wore a head dress made of tortoise shells. In addition to domestic chores, women were also involved in fishing in the reefs and collecting wild breadfruit called dokdok from the forest. [7]
Marriage and festivals
Before marriage, it was customary for young men to live in
Festivals were celebrated with the men and women collecting in separate groups, forming semi-circles. They would sing and chant their ancestral legends and fables. Sometimes these traditional songs would be sung with treble, contralto, and falsetto singers in a three-part harmony. The songs were accompanied by certain gestures and movements of the body. Women used rattles and
Social customs
Two aspects of indigenous pre-Hispanic culture that withstood time are chenchule' and inafa'maolek. Chenchule' is the intricate system of reciprocity at the heart of CHamoru society. It is rooted in the core value of inafa'maolek. Historian Lawrence Cunningham in 1992 wrote, "In a Chamorro sense, the land and its produce belong to everyone. Inafa'maolek, or interdependence, is the key, or central value, in CHamoru culture ... Inafa'maolek depends on a spirit of cooperation and sharing. This is the armature, or core, that everything in CHamoru culture revolves around. It is a powerful concern for mutuality rather than individualism and private property rights."[citation needed]
The core culture or Pengngan CHamoru is based on complex social protocol centered upon respect: from sniffing over the hands of the elders (called mangnginge in CHamoru ), the passing down of legends, chants, and courtship rituals, to a person asking for permission from spiritual ancestors before entering a jungle or ancient battle grounds. Other practices predating Spanish conquest include
Religion
Historically, the native people of Guam venerated the bones of their ancestors, keeping the skulls in their houses in small baskets, and practicing incantations before them when it was desired to attain certain objects. The spirits of the dead were called aniti, and were supposed to dwell in the forests, often visiting the villages at certain times, causing bad dreams and having special sway over fisheries. People who died a violent death were said to go afterwards to a place called Zazarraguan. Those dying a more peaceful death were said to have instead gone to a subterranean paradise containing coconut groves and banana plantations, as well as sugar cane and other edible fruits.[10]
During Spanish rule (1668–1898) the majority of the population was converted to
Cuisine
Historically, the diet of the native inhabitants of Guam consisted of fish, fowl, rice, breadfruit, taro, yams, bananas, and coconuts used in a variety of dishes. They traditionally cooked by means of heated stones buried in a pit, much like the method used by many present day Polynesian cultures. The principal crops introduced by European missionaries were maize, tobacco, oranges, lemons, limes, pineapples, cashews, peanuts, eggplant, tomatoes, and several species of Annona, besides a number of leguminous vegetables and garden herbs. Coffee and cacao were introduced later.[12] Post-contact Chamoru cuisine is largely based on corn, and includes tortillas, tamales, atole, and chilaquiles, which are a clear influence from Mesoamerica, principally Mexico, from Spanish trade with Asia.[citation needed]
The modern-day cuisine of Guam is a fusion of that of the indigenous tribes of Chamorro with other Pacific Islanders, Asians and Europeans. Spanish colonialism, which came to the Marianas via Mexico and lasted 200+ years, has had an especially strong influence on the cuisine blended with the present American influence. Some popular dishes include the
Architecture
Historically, Chamorro houses were raised on wooden posts or pillars of stone (called latte), and thatched with palm leaves. Their boats were kept in pillar-supported sheds near the water.[9] The latte stones are stone pillars built integral to every house on the Guam island and also in all other Marianas islands.[16] The latte stone houses built length wise were narrow with a rising roof with long rafters. The rafters were extended to the ground level and buried in the ground as a protection against cyclonic winds. Hardwood (of ifil or seeded breadfruit trees or palo maria) formed the main framework of the houses with woven palm leaves covering the sides. The flooring was made of wood from betel nut trees or of split bamboo. Usually the kitchen was made as a separate house. [17] Most of the 180 or so villages in Guam were mostly destroyed during the Spanish-Chamorro war between 1670 and 1695, and only the latte from 20 houses still remain, where remnants of pottery, shell tools and stone are scattered.[18]In modern times the latte stone has become a symbol of Chamorro identity and concrete lattes have been fashioned into new buildings, while actual latte stones can be seen incorporated into residential landscaping.
Art
Master traditional craftsmen and women specialize in weavings, including plaited work (niyok- and åkgak-leaf baskets, mats, bags, hats, and food containments), loom-woven material (kalachucha-hibiscus and banana fiber skirts, belts and burial shrouds), and body ornamentation (bead and shell necklaces, bracelets, earrings, belts, and combs made from tortoise shells and Spondylus).[19]
While only a few masters exist to continue traditional art forms, the resurgence of interest among the CHamoru to preserve the language and culture has resulted in a growing number of young CHamorus who seek to continue the ancient ways of the CHamoru people.[20]
Pottery
Chamorro pottery is a local ceramic art form which according to archaeological finds dates back more than 3,000 years. Items in the form of domestic kitchen ware were handcrafted with geometric designs with lime impressions. During the Latte Period (800 AD–1521 AD), ceramics were made with red clay mixed with volcanic sand. These were decorated on the surface along the rim but were smaller in size compared to the pre-Latte ware. They were also designed with a round or cone-shaped base with small openings to facilitate cooking. However, during the Spanish colonial rule this traditional craft was discontinued and imported ceramics came to be used instead. In the mid-1960s, the University of Guam has promoted the revival of this form of craft work, and it is now once again a specialized art form of Guam.[21]
Painting
Painting is a recent practice which has evolved in Guam since the 1980s.
Film-making
A number of films have been shot on Guam, including Shiro's Head and the government-funded Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon (2004). Although set on Guam, No Man Is an Island (1962) was not shot there, but instead shot in the Philippines. Likewise, in the 2015 film Pixels, the scene of the first alien attack takes place at Andersen AFB.[23] More recently, a 2020 Netflix film Operation Christmas Drop was also shot on Guam. It is one of the first movies filmed in Guam to receive wide recognition.[citation needed]
Sports
Guam's most popular sport is
Guam hosted the
The
The
The national team plays at the
Guam is represented in rugby union by the Guam national rugby union team. The team has never qualified for a Rugby World Cup. Guam played their first match in 2005, an 8–8 draw with the India national rugby union team. Guam's biggest win was a 74–0 defeat of the Brunei national rugby union team in June 2008.[citation needed]
See also
References
- This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: W. E. Stafford's "Guam, an Account of Its Discovery and Reduction, Physical Geography and Natural History: And the Social and Economic Conditions on the Island During the First Year of the American Occupation" (1912)
- ^ Wuerch & Ballendorf 1994, p. 44.
- ^ Cunningham & Beaty 2001, p. 5-6.
- ^ Cunningham & Beaty 2001, p. 5.
- ^ Cunningham & Beaty 2001, pp. 13–14.
- ^ a b c Safford 1912, p. 9.
- ^ a b Cunningham & Beaty 2001, pp. 19–20.
- ^ Cunningham & Beaty 2001, pp. 20–1.
- ^ Safford 1912, p. 10.
- ^ a b Safford 1912, p. 12.
- ^ Safford 1912, p. 11.
- ^ Liston, Clark & Alexander 2011, p. 55.
- ^ Safford 1912, pp. 13–14.
- ^ "Guam: The best place you never considered going to". BBC.com. 7 February 2011. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
- ^ Quammen 2012, p. 131-132.
- ^ Hanauer 2001, p. 13.
- ^ "Contents of a Latte Village". Guampedia. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
- ^ Cunningham & Beaty 2001, pp. 26–27.
- ^ Cunningham & Beaty 2001, p. 28.
- ISSN 1573-7748.
- ^ "» Voices of Our Elders". www.guampedia.com. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
- ^ "Ceramics". Guampedia.com. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
- ^ a b "Painting". Guampedia.com. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
- ^ "guam under pacman attack". YouTube. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- ^ Robert Balajadia (January 10, 2014). "GUAM'S FAVORITE PRO TEAMS". Guam Sports Network. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- ^ "GBA: Bombers hold off MVP for season 3 title". Archived from the original on July 17, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
- ^ Tomas, Jojo Santo (April 9, 2020). "Samoa Pacific Games: Guam basketball teams notch wins". Pacific Daily News. Retrieved January 10, 2021.[permanent dead link]
- ^ FIFA.com. "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia - Qualifiers - Asia". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
- Bibliography
- Cunningham, Lawrence J.; Beaty, Janice J. (1 January 2001). A History of Guam. Bess Press. ISBN 978-1-57306-068-4.
- Hanauer, Eric (2001). Diving Micronesia. Aqua Quest Publications, Inc. ISBN 978-1-881652-19-9.
- Liston, Jolie; Clark, Geoffrey Richard; Alexander, Dwight (2011). Pacific Island Heritage: Archaeology, Identity & Community. ANU E Press. ISBN 978-1-921862-48-9.
- Quammen, David (23 October 2012). "One Man's Meat: The Dilemma of Fruit Bat Cuisine on the Island of Guam". The Boilerplate Rhino: Nature in the Eye of the Beholder. Scribner. ISBN 978-1-4391-2543-4.
- Safford, William Edwin (1912). Guam, an Account of Its Discovery and Reduction, Physical Geography and Natural History: And the Social and Economic Conditions on the Island During the First Year of the American Occupation (Public domain ed.). General Books.
- Wuerch, William L.; Ballendorf, Dirk Anthony (1 January 1994). Historical Dictionary of Guam and Micronesia. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-2858-2.
External links
Media related to Culture of Guam at Wikimedia Commons