Everything about The Chamorro People totally explained
The
Chamorro people or
Chamoru people are the
indigenous people of the
Mariana Islands, which include the
American territory of
Guam and the
United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in
Micronesia. Today, significant Chamoru populations also exist in several U.S. states including
Hawaii,
California,
Washington,
Texas and
Nevada. According to the 2000 Census, approximately 65,000 people of Chamoru ancestry live on Guam and another 19,000 live in the Northern Marianas. Another 93,000 live outside the Marianas. The Chamoru are primarily of
Austronesian stock.
Most Chamorros are
Roman Catholic and few in the Marianas still maintain some customs and beliefs from the time before the first European conquests. Some residents of the Marianas will still ask permission from ancestral spirits before entering parts of jungles. Traditional healers called
suruhanas are still greatly respected for their knowledge of herbal treatments and spirits. Before Spanish colonization, Chamoru life centered on one's
clan. Today, large extended families remain central to life in the Marianas.
Chamorro language
The Chamorro language is included in the
Malayo-Polynesian languages of the
Austronesian family. Because Guam was colonized by Spain for over 300 years, many words derive from the
Spanish language. Some words come from
American English,
Japanese, with a few from other Asian languages, like
Chinese, and Austronesian languages, such as
Hawaiian. Linguist
Donald M. Topping states in his introduction to the Chamorro-English Dictionary that "it is most closely related to the languages of the Philippines", although at the time the dictionary was published, it was indeterminate
which of those languages it was most closely related to, because "it shares common grammatical features and vocabulary with many of them". This is due to the considerable immigration from Filipinos to Guam during Spanish colonial times, when the
Mariana Islands were ruled as part of the
Spanish East Indies from the Philippines. Among numerous linguistic similarities were the numbers used by the ancient Chamoru, several of which also bear a distinct resemblance to those used by other
Oceanic cultures such as the
Māori and
Hawaiians. After colonization by Spain, the traditional Chamoru number system was replaced by Spanish numbers. Chamoru is often spoken in many homes, but is becoming less common. However, there's a resurgence of interest in reviving the language, and all public schools on both Guam and
Saipan must legally teach the Chamoru language as part of the elementary and high school curriculum.
Ancient Chamorus
The Chamoru are commonly believed to have come from
Southeast Asia at around 2000
BCE. Based on appearance and culture, they're most closely related to other Austronesian natives to the west and
Carolines to the south. They were expert seafarers and skilled craftspeople familiar with intricate weaving and detailed pottery making. Early European explorers noted their unique houses and
canoes. The
latte stone, a megalithic rock pillar topped with a hemispherical capstone, was the foundation of ancient Chamoru architecture and is a "national" symbol. Chamoru society was based on what sociologist Dr. Lawrence J. Cunningham termed the "
matrilineal avuncuclan", one characteristic of which is that the brother(s) of the female parent plays more of a "father" role than the actual biological male parent.
Ancient Chamorus believed that the world was created by a twin brother and sister, Puntan and Fu'uña. Upon dying, Puntan instructed his sister to make his body the ingredients for the universe. She used his eyes to create the sun and moon, his eyebrows to make rainbows, and most of the rest of his parts for various features of the Earth. After she was done, she turned herself into a rock on the island of
Guahan/
Guam, and from this rock emerged human beings. Some believe that the rock was once located at the site of an
Agat Church, while others believe it's the phallic-shaped "Laso de Fua" located in Fouha Bay in
Umatac. Ancient Chamorus engaged in
ancestor veneration, but didn't practice "religion" in the sense that they worshipped deities. However, there's at least one account, provided by Christoph Carl Fernberger in 1623, that human sacrifice was practiced to curry the favor of a "great fish". It was a "great fish" that theatened Inarajan Bay as an ancient legend tells that women were very important because they weaved a giant net containing their hair to capture the fish after all the men gave up.
Chamoru society was divided into two main
castes and continued to be so for well over a century after the Spanish first arrived. According to the historical records provided by Europeans such as Father
Charles Le Gobien, there appeared to be racial differences between the subservient
Manachang caste, and the higher
Chamori/
Chamurre, the Manachang being described as shorter, darker-skinned, and physically less hardy than the Chamori. The Chamori caste was subdivided into the upper-middle class
Achoti/
Acha'ot and the highest, administrative
Matua/
Matao class. Achoti could graduate to
Matua, and Matua could be reduced to Achoti, but Manachang were born and died as such and had no recourse to improve their status. Members of the Manachang and the Chamori were not permitted to intermingle. All three classes performed physical labor, but had different specified duties. Le Gobien theorized that Chamoru society comprised the geographical convergence of peoples of different ethnic origins. This idea may be supportable by the evidence of linguistic characteristics of the
Chamorro language and social customs. Father Pierre Coomans wrote of the practice among Chamoru women of teeth blackening/dental lacquering (also a custom among the
Japanese and
Vietnamese), which they considered beautiful. Fernberger wrote in his account of the Chamoru that "penis pins" were employed as a chastity measure for young males, a practice similarly employed by inhabitants at least as far south as
Indonesia.
Taotaomona, duendes and White Lady
Chamorro people believe in tales of
taotaomonas,
duendes and other spirits. Duende, according to the "
Chamorro-English Dictionary" by Donald Topping, Pedro Ogo and Bernadita Dungca, is a
goblin,
elf,
ghost or spook in the form of a
dwarf, a mischievous spirit which hide or take small kids. Taotaomona are spirits of the ancient Chamorro that act as guardians to
banyan trees.
White Lady hauntings surround buildings like the old Bordallo mansion in
Yona, schools, hotel elevators and the Maina bridge.
Foreign rule
Over the centuries, the
Marianas have been occupied by several foreign countries, and present-day Chamoru society is almost entirely racially mixed, with the inhabitants of Luta/
Rota being the least so. The Chamoru are primarily of
Austronesian stock, but began to significantly intermingle with
Spanish during the Spanish Colonial Era (1600-1898 AD). Primarily since the late 19th century onward, many Chamorus have intermarried with other
Pacific Islanders, Mainland
Americans,
Polynesians,
Chinese, and
Japanese.
During the Spanish Colonial Era, the Chamoru population was greatly reduced by the introduction of European diseases and changes in society under Spanish rule. The Spanish killed many Chamoru men and relocated most others to Guam where they lived in several
parishes to prevent rebellion. Some estimate that as many as 100,000 Chamorus may have populated the Marianas when Europeans first arrived in the 17th century. By 1800, there were under 10,000. Within the parishes, the Spanish eventually focused their efforts on converting the natives to
Catholicism. Father Frances X. Hezel stated that Chamorus caught or reported engaging in
pagan "sorcery" were publicly punished.
Due to the fact that the Marianas are a part of the United States, the Chamoru people enjoy greater economic opportunities than many other
Micronesian peoples. "Cosmopolitan" Guam, where Chamorus make up approximately 40% of the island's population, poses particular challenges for Chamorus struggling to preserve their culture and identity in the face of acculturation. The increasing numbers of Chamorus, especially Chamoru youth, relocating to the U.S. Mainland, has further complicated both definition and preservation of Chamoru identity. On Guam a Chamoru rights movement has developed since the
United States gained control of the island. Leaders of the movement seek to return ancestral lands to the Chamoru people, and attain
self-determination.
The remaining islands of the
Northern Marianas, comprise the
U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and have many economic privileges (such as being exempt from federal
income tax) while maintaining rights to control much of their own immigration, trade, and domestic policies. While this has led to controversy over some of the commonwealth's labor practices, it has provided rights to Chamoru people that residents of Guam don't enjoy.
"Chamoru" vs "Chamorro"
The word "Chamoru", a spelling based on the native pronunciation of "Chamorro", the latter a Spanish word and surname acquired by the natives of the Marianas during Spanish rule and most likely, in the context of the Marianas, rooted etymologically in the native word "Chamori", is increasingly being used in writing for the people and language indigenous to the archipelago, at least partially due to a growing
zeitgeist among its aboriginals primarily characterized by a desire for assertion of post-Spanish (and what therefore might be considered post-imperialist) cultural individuation. (However, in the current day and age of United States administrative authority, some would disagree that the Marianas actually exist in a post-imperialist era.)
Centuries of Spanish rule influenced aspects of Chamoru society such as its vocabulary, attitudes and social hierarchy, and while the "Chamori" social caste no longer exists and is, as an ethnic term, of therefore questionable appropriateness in reference to those living in modern times, a word (which could be viewed as a sort of "re-incarnation" of that word) born of their own language by themselves as an ethnic group is considered by some among them to be preferable to a term for their ethnicity and language which they were labeled with by foreigners, which is one reason why some individuals with ethnic roots in the Marianas prefer the word "Chamoru" over "Chamorro".
Actually, the "Chamorros" still exist. They are one of the most powerful families in Nicaragua, Central America. An example of this, is the ambassador of the republic of Nicaragua, whose name is Maria Rubiales de Chamorro
Outlook
Chamorro on Saipan rank third on the world’s list of indigenous people with
diabetes. The disease afflicts 25% to 30% among all Chamorro on Saipan. The cosmopolitan nature of Guam, as well as Saipan, poses challenges for Chamorros struggling to preserve their culture and identity amidst forces of acculturation. The increasing numbers of Chamorros, especially Chamorro youth, relocating to the U.S. Mainland has further complicated both definition and preservation of Chamorro identity.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Chamorro People'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://chamorro_people.totallyexplained.com">Chamorro people Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
