BIBA CHAMORU

At the fourth stop of the MNA cycle, Let's turn around the world, we stop at the Mariana Islands to learn more about its history and the Chamorro culture.

The first human groups settled in the Marianas around 1500 BC. They had to travel thousands of kilometers across the open sea. Thanks to archeology and linguistic studies, we know that its origin was the Philippines.

The latte stones, which give the period its name, are the pillars that supported some buildings, made with a wooden structure and roofed with coconut leaves. Lattes measure between 50 cm and 5 m. Today, they are a symbol of the Chamorro identity.

Chamorro navigators were guided by the stars and had extensive knowledge of the ocean. Their canoes were very fast, they reached more than 32 km / h. The canoes  were the means of transport and trade between the islands, and also used in fishing, their main source of protein.

The slings, atupat, were made of woven vegetal fiber and the projectiles, acho' atupat, made of stone, coral or clay. The aerodynamic shape of the projectiles allows for increased speed and range.
Slingstones are another of the Chamorro identity symbols.

The art of basketry and weaving of pandano leaves, akgak, or coconut, niyok, has been practiced in the Marianas from time immemorial to the present day. Bags, baskets, mats, sails for the canoes, cradles, hats, fans, sandals... were woven.

Heritage Day is celebrated on March 6, commemorating the landing of Magellan in Humåtak, Guam. The lack of understanding on the part of Magellan's men of local hospitality customs led to a confrontation in which 7 Chamorros were killed.

San Vitores established the first mission on Guam in 1668. Misunderstandings and intransigence led to the death of some missionaries and their assistants, including San Vitores. Thus began the Spanish-Chamorro Wars, which ended in 1695.

Around the churches and missions, the Spanish colonial authorities planned new settlements called reducciones, in which they grouped the local population under their paternalistic tutelage, detaching them from their own territories and customs.

During the colonial period, fishing is displaced by agriculture and livestock in small farms called lanchos. New crops are introduced, such as corn, sweet potatoes or tobacco, draught animals, such as carabao, and agricultural implements made with iron.

This item is a coconut grater. Among the traditional crops of the islands, coconut stands out, fundamental in gastronomy. The oil is used to hydrate skin and hair, its leaves in basketry and the roof of houses, with the shell containers are made...

The ships of the Manila Galleon called on Guam. What favored an intense transfer of people, objects, products and customs that has left a great mark on the Chamorro culture. An example is the metate, of Mexican origin, which is used to grind corn.

After the defeat in the war of 1898, Spain ceded Guam to the United States. The Northern Marianas came under German and then Japanese rule. In World War II, Guam and the Northern Marianas found itself on opposite sides of a war-not-theirs. 

Currently Guam and the Northern Marianas depend on the United States, although their legal status is different, Guam has less autonomy. The Marianas live a moment of great cultural effervescence. An example is the works of the sculptor Melissa Taitano.

BIBA CHAMORU, it ends here, or it begins, it doesn't matter, because for the Chamorro culture time is circular. This idea is expressed by the term mo’na, which refers to both the future and the past, because both times are the same.