Voices of the Diaspora
- Page 2 and 3: Voices of theDiasporaBrought to you
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- Page 6 and 7: PATRICIA ANN POCAIGUE BEUKEDOLORES
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- Page 14 and 15: VisitingGrandparents,2015Shaylin Sa
- Page 16 and 17: A Letterto theTaotaomo’naMañaina
- Page 18 and 19: ZACHARYBELCHERTHE WIND AND THE SEA
- Page 20 and 21: JOANNA MALPICA
- Page 22 and 23: ZACHARY BELCHERETCHEDKULU’LO’Ñ
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- Page 48 and 49: IDENTITYMY CULTURE HAS ALWAYS BEEN
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Voices of the
Diaspora
Brought to you by
Fanachu! Podcast
@fanachupodcast
Publication design by
Amara Rose
San Agustin
@kimchimara
The Next Great Voyage
Annai kahulo’ yu’ gi båtko
Hinasso-ku gua’ot i langhet
Hinasso-ku na u libianu
Lao ai para hu maså’pet
When I was going up to the ship
I thought it was the stairway to heaven
I thought it would be easy
But no, I am going to suffer
This verse is drawn from a pre-World War II Chamoru song documenting the ups
and downs in the lives of those young Chamoru men who joined the US Navy in the
1930s and left Guam for the United States. Chamoru scholar Robert Underwood
quotes this passage in his 1985 article “Excursions into Inauthenticity: The
Chamorros of Guam” which was one of the first critical articles to tackle the issue of
migration, identity and the development of a Chamoru diaspora.
The Chamoru diaspora to the United States has its earliest origins during the late
Spanish period, the second half of the 19th century, when hundreds and perhaps
thousands of young Chamoru men left island as whalers and settled in places like
Hawai’i and California. The Chamoru diaspora as we know it today has its most
direct origins in those who left the islands through US military service, first through
the US Navy and later through the US Army and other branches of the US military.
These men left island with their eyes dazzling about glorious promises of
opportunity and prosperity in the United States. But as the song makes clear, far from
paradise, life in the diaspora was just as complicated as life back home. It came with
new opportunities, but also new challenges and barriers. The Chamoru diaspora at
this point has evolved far beyond communities around military bases. Chamorus can
be found in every corner of the United States.
Thousands of miles away from their home islands, some families have continued to
maintain a strong connection to the Marianas. Others have minimized or erased those
ties. Across the diaspora some families have found innovative and heartwarming ways
to retain a sense of identity, a feeling of rootedness. Others have not, leaving children
and grandchildren with questions as to what is this heritage that has been kept from
them, and why has it been kept from them at all? The artwork, poetry and writings
collected in this zine are meant to reflect the diverse range and depth of experiences
from those Chamorus who have lived outside of the Marianas sometimes for just a
few years and others for a few generations.
This zine comes at a critical moment where every 10 years a new census reminds us
of the new reality: for the first time in 4,000 years, the majority of the Chamorus in
the world, do not live and breathe most of their lives in the Marianas. Our diaspora,
the communities small and large of Chamorus living across the United States now
represent the majority of the Chamorus in the world.
This zine has not been created in the spirit of lamentation of loss, but is instead
represents call for us to challenge and move past the old ways that our own people
have understood ourselves, our settlements and migration. In the past, the Pacific has
divided our people between those at home and those in the diaspora, and we have at
times accepted this division and reinforced it as if we lived in separate universes or
were distinct species. This way of dividing ourselves must be rejected.
Our resiliency in today’s world, how well we can overcome these geographic divides
re dependent on the stories we tell, the networks we form, the technologies that we
make our own, and the ways we can reimagine things such as chenchule’ and
inafa’maolek across time zones, to create possibility and empower our people.
Our people sailed thousands of miles across uncharted, open oceans in order to the
settle the Marianas. They likely did this long before any other people on this planet.
Some historians call that journey, the first great voyage in human history. Traversing
the diasporic divide is but another great voyage that on our horizon. We hope that this
zine is but one of many stars in the sky that can help guide on our way.
Michael Lujan Bevacqua
CONTRIBUTORS
TÅDDONG GOGUE TEDPAHAGO HA/GUI/ÑA (ALEX M. WHITE)
JESSIE RAÏSA
MINA FLORES-CANTRELL
JACOB JARDEL
ROSWENA BRENNAN
RANDIZIA CRISOSTOMO
ZACHARY BELCHER
MORG/HOBBYOFSLIVERS
DREW DAMES
LADISA DAWN QUINTANILLA
TOR SHIMIZU
CLAIRE TAIJERON JOKERST WHITE
DILLON QUITUGUA
DANIELLE WILLIAMS
SHAYLIN SALAS
DAVID CHARLESWORTH
BRIANA MAZZOLINI-BLANCHARD
JOEY SWATZELL
JOANNA MALPICA
BRIKI CAJANDIG
DEREK NOCHEFRANCA
PATRICIA ANN POCAIGUE BEUKE
DOLORES TAIJERON
LATECIA MESNGON
HOPE MESNGON
KULU’LO’ÑA
TAYLOR ‘PAIGE’ AGUON
GABRIELLE MONIQUE TOVES
COURTNEY BOWEN
ED SABLAN
CARRERA DIEGO
ANGELA CARRIER
HURAO PABLO-COOK
FELISA CONCEPCION
CONNIE ANN EBIO SANTOS
EMILY WOOD
NATALIE "SISSY" SANTOS VELASCO
AREN KERR
JEREMY CASTRO
ROLDY AGUERO ABLAO
GUMA’ GELA’
JAY CASTRO
ISA GAGARIN
"Throws of water
away, drown
drinking
for brush and blood
/ color and such
Look yourself in the
eye and reel,
<< but tell me how
you really feel>>
Mirror holds space
portal through face,
time, water
Daughter, everyone
is afraid of the
ocean."
Jessie Raïsa
ZACHARY BELCHER
“WRITE AS IF EVERYTHING YOU LOVE IS ON
THE LINE.
BECAUSE IT IS.”
JULIAN AGUON (2021)
Randizia Crisostomo
1- prep
a spoonful of rice
passing through my lips, provides a sense of
comfort.
i stand, my mother sits
the sound of metal against plastic board fills the
air.
a spoonful of rice, of home
accompanied by salty meats and sour treats
this is how we care for each other, on soil that is
not made to carry the weight of our name.
a spoonful of rice, of love
passing through my lips, nourishing me as learn
and grow.
2- restituyi (to return, to undergo restoration)
the pure joy upon landing on the tarmac
i am home. the home i will always know,
always yearn and dream of.
i am still suspended in midair
when my family surrounds me.
my life resumes as we order food
from everyone’s favorite places.
laughs on top of laughs fill the home.
Daze of Assimilation
Courtney Bowen
4- growing pains
the earth has settled around me- i
warm under the pressure. the seal of
comfort is thin.
my mind buzzes and blurs. time
passes and goes.
but i relish the whirlwind. the ache is
welcomed.
comprehension be damned.
home is but a memory.
the earth has entered and consumed
me.
my body is indistinguishable from
land.
3- drifting further
constant volley of decisions
needs and wants for comfort.
familiar pains trouble me once again.
arms ache for release.
but what once soothed me has changed,
as the waters surrounding me have.
and struggle against the wind.
the sweet heat of home
settles in my blood.
shall i let the earth swallow me
and reclaim me?
5- acceptance
cold and clear skies over a foreign
home I've grown to love.
the cold bites and I must bite back.
my mother tongue has left me, but I
long for her sweet embrace once
more.
harsh and bumbling words come from
my mouth now.
the rhythm and dance of my
language still
thunder deep inside me.
the cool heat from my native home
calls and calls until I return.
but this once barren and
desolate land I reside in grows lush
with every passing season.
Daze of Assimilation
Courtney Bowen
6- tradition
I wear the face of long dead ancestors.
Have they stories of wondrous victories and memories of peace?
Is there a blessing I have yet to realize?
Do they look upon me and are reminded of glorious youth?
Will my efforts be enough for them and those after me?
My children-
Will they call upon my name and sing their praises?
I shall gift my face to inheritors long after me.
7-a fortress
built up and broken down
o, isolation- my lonely mistress
have i exhausted all my efforts to
stand tall and proud for those before me?
am i bound to stumble and
to be buried under iron and steelthe
instruments of destruction and separation.
to have a fate sealed by other’s greedthe
green eyed monster that stalks the land.
to long for release from perpetual solitudethe
tower of shame and confusion.
the endless view from our point reveals a tired path.
Photo by
Joanna
Malpica
As we sit by the pool,
sucking our sticky-fingers,
slurping the sugary streams that
slowly drip down our elbows,
stillness sits beside me.
Some, we pluck from saplings or
spot sprouting in the sod.
Seedlings of all varieties
seduce our playful kisses,
and we savor each bite- slowly.
Strands sticking in our teeth,
sap of orange spilling across t-shirts,
shucked skin scattering across sand
that soothes the strain of time.
Skies and oceans separate us now.
Seasons pass as if in slumber,
but,
standing at city fruit stands,
some times, these secrets I see.
“A Song for Mångas”
Mina Flores-Cantrell
Over
(Being)
Grown
I drew these two pictures as one art piece that reflects on my life growing up as
a Micronesian American in the states.
My mom is Chamoru and she was raised on Guam but after she married my
Chuukese dad and he joined the Army, we moved to the states where I spent my
whole childhood in the scraggly suburbs of Virginia.
The two pictures show my wildness as a happy child that is overshadowed by
the overwhelming reality of adulthood, something intensified by the realization
that I never got to truly get to know my island culture and my uncles, aunts,
grandparents, and cousins across the sea.
Upon deeper reflection, I like to view this piece conversely as my inner child
forever happy and yelling for adventure — and how I never want to forget that
excited island girl.
Roswena Brennan
Visiting
Grandparents,
2015
Shaylin Salas
Jacob Jardel
“It’s like I know more about Guam than you do.”
He has countless / memories of Guam / from when his dad was stationed there
/ for a couple of years, / remembers it with / a pre-teen fondness / that borders on
infatuation: / eating kelaguen and rice / while his dad did his military work, /
going to Micronesia Mall / with his family, / taking trips to the / touristy parts of
the island / that made him marvel— / things native Chamorus typically bond
over / with our mainland friends. // The Guåhan I remember / comes in faded
snapshots: / eating roast pig / at my nino’s fiestas / while nina shooed flies away /
with a paper plate, / taking baths in outdoor sinks / during visits with my mom’s
cousins, / watching Power Rangers / and playing with my Pogs / while grandma
made rosketti, / visiting my grandpa’s siblings / whose identities blend into / one
collective nginge’, / one collective ñot-ñora— / things that come with the
territory of living on the island. // All I’m missing / is the island— / the part of
the territory / I can’t replicate stateside.
“Funny how that works.”
Sometimes, we are niyok
Traveling by twilight and current
With hånom from the homeland
Prepped for survival
Sometimes, we are isa
Two feet straddling two lands
Looking to the sky
Untouchable
And sometimes, our leaving
Is also returning
When we meet those
Who help us remember what we have
lost
Together,
We braid and we weave and we root
And we tend and we heal
And we grow
Tor Shimizu
ZACHARY
BELCHER
A Letter
to the
Taotaomo’na
Mañaina,
I can’t seem to explain what I am feeling…
My heart is too heavy with the weight of my
emotions it cannot bear. I miss you with every
fiber of my body and it feels like the longer I
am away from you, the more I decay from the
inside out. I pray for your wisdom and
guidance, because I know you understand
what it is like to travel far from home when
you would voyage through the ocean. Let the
past of our people move me through this
turmoil that is my life.
Do you remember the conversations we
would share as I trekked through our
abundant island? I would imagine the kind of
experience-filled advice you would bestow
unto me when I am acting too rash or being
harsh on myself. Hågu i rason na tumatachu
yu’-you are the reason I am still standingbecause
you act as that quiet voice in the
back of my head saying, “Hoggen maisa hao
yan cho’gue ha’ (Believe in yourself and just
do it)”.
You taught me how to be strong and
resilient by always pushing me to my limit,
but never over the edge. I wish I felt as
strong a connection to you now as I did
back home. Until then, I will continue to
imagine the words of wisdom you would
share with me.
Gof mahålang yu nu hågu. Hågu i
fuetså-hu yan i kinahulo’-hu.
I miss you so much. You are my strength
and my resiliency.
Love,
A Girl Who Misses Home
Gabrielle Toves
Fruit Bats in the Belfry
by Disa Dawn
A novel released December 1, 2022.
Book 4 in the Tennessee England series. Tennessee is part of the
CHamoru diaspora.
As the series progresses, Tennessee reclaims her cultural
identity while battling demons and all sorts of supernatural
misfits.
ZACHARY
BELCHER
THE WIND AND THE SEA ARE ALL THAT I NEED
I CAN THINK OF NO GREATER BLISS.
FOR ON THE DEEP BLUE I FEEL BORN ANEW
AND NOTHING IN LIFE IS AMISS.
IN THE DARK IT’S THE STARS THAT I COUNT ON TO
GUIDE ME
AND THEY DO SO EACH NIGHT WITHOUT FAIL.
IN THE LIGHT IT’S THE SUN GIVING SITE TO THE
WORLD
AND FROM WHOM I HIDE IN THE SHADE OF MY
SAIL.
I SHALL BE NOT AFRAID WHEN THE GULLS
SEARCH FOR LAND
AS THE WORLD BECOMES WINDY AND GRAY.
WITH TILLER IN HAND AND BOW POINTING WEST
MY VESSEL GOES NEVER ASTRAY.
THOUGH I MAY BE TOSSED AND PULLED BENEATH
WAVES
UNDYING IS THE FLAME IN MY CHEST.
FOR MY LOVE OF THE SEA IS WILD INSIDE ME
AND NOTHING MAY PUT IT TO REST.
SHALL BE NOT AFRAID WHEN THE GULLS
SEARCH FOR LAND
AS THE WORLD BECOMES WINDY AND GRAY.
WITH TILLER IN HAND AND BOW POINTING
WEST
MY VESSEL GOES NEVER ASTRAY.
THOUGH I MAY BE TOSSED AND PULLED
BENEATH WAVES
UNDYING IS THE FLAME IN MY CHEST.
FOR MY LOVE OF THE SEA IS WILD INSIDE ME
AND NOTHING MAY PUT IT TO REST.
JOEY SWATZELL
Morg/HobbyofSlivers
In this latest garment, I took inspo from pre-colonial
CHamoru wear, Mestiza, and designs of CHamoru
pottery and blended it with my preference of Alternative
Subculture and also put the Runes on there. "Raidho"
("R" looking rune) to symbolize a "Journey" and "
"Kenaz"("C" looking rune) to symbolize "Torch" which
often associate with passion to pursue knowledge and
truth. This skirt shows how I try to embrace all that love.
JOANNA MALPICA
Zachary Belcher
Snow Flower
Thick, black California cotton could not conceal
the pallor of her welcoming
like the meat inside the fruit of the niyuk tree:
fresh, shredded.
She is a ghost that set foot onto the land
of cocoa skinned warriors
baked bitter and broken
by pressure of the sky’s relentless red
Their slanted brows and hard mouths
the edge of jungle machetes.
They need not eyes to see through the thing.
They need not words to reveal rancor.
They pricked, they poked,
pulled each petal- mixed in to potions and spells
but the sun failed to burn the babe dry.
She bloomed quietly instead.
Mina Flores-Cantrell
ZACHARY BELCHER
ETCHED
KULU’LO’ÑA
ALTHOUGH MY SKIN IS WHITE,
THERE ARE THREE THINGS
I KNOW ARE RIGHT.
MY SKIN IS LIGHT LIKE MY
COLONIZERS’
BUT THE BLOOD I BLEED IS
CHAMORU.
UNDERNEATH THIS SKIN IS
CENTURIES
OF SAINA ETCHED INTO MY
VERY SOUL.
I LIVE AND BREATHE
THE SCENT OF THE OCEAN
AND THE SOUND OF THE
WAVES.
RESPETU, INAFA’ MAOLEK, YAN
CHENCHULE’
ARE ENGRAVED IN MY HEART.
JUST AS I WAS BORN FROM THIS
SACRED LAND,
SO I WILL RETURN TO FO’NA YAN
PONTAN,
ENGULFED BY THEIR LOVING
EMBRACE.
Everywhere my heart
EVERYWHERE
Is Breaking
into fractals
CLAIRE TAIJERON JOKERST WHITE
All at once
Nanoseconds away
Everywhere is
manufacturing silos
To Get Us off
Our balance
Seems like every Child
Naturally Gravitates
Toward Dancing
the Sunlight
through Her veins
whether on the street or field
She radiates upon our faces
She provides the Fruit blood
Reaching Her hands
Through the dirt
Tending to Her/Their seeds
Providing us nutrition
We didn't Know We Needed
Will Always Need
Feel the wind
They breathe out
The water They spin
round and round
Our life force
Tends to Us
as much as We allow
Let me Transmute carbon for You
Let me Keep Dancing for You
Let me Keep Dancing for You
Gof Mahålang-yu
gof mahålang-yu:
to deeply long for something or someone.
Randizia Crisostomo
TWO SONNETS / FOR MOTHERS
DANIELLE WILLIAMS
any foreign mother knows america
has it’s own fees / so do we / the children
the slow erasure / the vessels crossing many
seas / these high-tides strong like rush hour highways
to nowhere / which way is america? / how long
til water becomes dirt? / til the journey brings us
to safety? / safely? / we’ve been promised / lives / land
there is a trigger- / fish stretched over saipan
trace the points along it’s body / let the rising and
setting stars become a guide / find whatever it is that
serves you / in america / being a color / not white / is
like
serving time / chain bolted to feet bolted to ground
the ash of dust / collecting at your ankles / the sound
of the waves / so close / so close / how long til dirt
becomes grave?
any foreign mother will point / you / to the wall
closest to the door / motion for you to take off your
shoes
in her home / my own / mother /
is a complicated woman
for most of our lives / we have been foreign /
to one another
watching afar / biding / waiting for a place to call
our own / we live on the surface / drown with our
backs turned / who knows what we yearn / I don’t
know her well / she doesn’t know / me / I am a rogue
wave / my own way / I am destruction / sometimes
I am / saving lives / my own way / writing away
from the chaos / from the blood / that bonds us
sometimes / I am afraid / to ask / what haunts you?
sometimes / I am afraid / that / you / won’t / bring
yourself
to show me / you / at my home / there is a mat at the
door / for shoes
DILLON QUITUGUA
I was raised in Hawai’i, a world away from Guam.
A world away from nana’s cooking. A world away from Tata’s smoked meat.
I grew up learning about my culture from my father, but never understanding my culture
was more than just my household’s red rice, my household’s hu guiyas haos, or my
households way of prayer.
When my family had enough flight miles, we would go home.
Home to a place where I did not fit in. I was a Chamorro, but I wasn’t.
“He wasn’t raised here” they said. Chamorro was spoken to me, but never spoken back.
I’d look to nana to ask what they said. She’d say, “ they say you're so handsome.”
A foreigner in my own home. Alien to Guam, alien to Hawaii. A third generation child
who didn’t belong where I was from, and who didn’t belong where they lived.
I live now to be just who I am. A Quitugua from Dededo who climbs mountains and runs
hundreds of miles for an island I love and for voices I don’t understand.
REMEMBERING THE DANCE
One-two-three, one-two-three, one-two-three.
I did not know then what she was doing, my grandmother, calling my sisters and me into her kitchen.
But I smell Gram’s cigarette—smell the cucumbers pickling in soy sauce and vinegar, the spare ribs
simmering, the rice steaming—and I know I’m home.
“Come here, triplets,” Gram says, handing us each a pair of sticks. “I want to show you something from
Guam.” She presses play on the boombox and fills that familiar kitchen with a bouncing waltz and voices
singing in an unfamiliar tongue. Tipi tipi tip, tipi tan,
Kada un kånno’ i kek, kånno’ i pån.
Tipi tipi tip, tipi tan,
Tipi tapi tipi tip.
I had heard Gram use that same language when she phoned her family back on the island, or when that
family flew to visit her, their sister marooned in Massachusetts, gathering in that same kitchen where
Gram now herded my sisters and me.
Here, in her kitchen-turned-dance-studio, Gram joyously sings along to Johnny Sablan as she
demonstrates a Chamorro stick dance. The first step is easy: tap the sticks on the floor—one—then twice
against each other—two, three. “There you go, my boy!” Gram beams, her hands over my hands syncing
my tapping to the beat, then doing the same for Kristen, then Jessica. But things soon unravel. Between
the next step—reaching over my head to tap sticks against my sister’s—and the next—tapping
over the head while touching one foot to hers—Gram does all the work. Maneuvering us into the proper
position, bending down to pick up our feet, she is stubborn, a headstrong puppeteer resolved to make us,
her stiff marionettes, do the dance. But if anything is on display that day in that kitchen, it’s that this stick
dance isn’t sticking.
After some time, Gram relents, turns away to check the ribs and ash her cigarette. In this brief privacy,
what, I wonder, was Gram thinking? Was she figuring when this pre-dinner diversion would end?
Concerned about overcooking the meat? Or did she interpret this moment within the larger scope of her
story, which was also our story, and her history, which was ours, too? Was she transported to her
earliest memory of the stick dance, reminded of the loved one who first showed her the movements
she’d fossilize and unearth decades later and nearly 8,000 miles away? Seeing our clumsy bodies, was
she overcome with the generational loss, or at least the losing, of her Chamorro customs and culture? Or
did she see in us a kind of hope? For the sweat and sacrifice that so sanctified her life—a life achieved
despite her husband’s vodka breath and violent hands, despite six mouths to feed with little means but
prayer, despite the everyday ache for her island home—were we the reward?
Or the nightmare?
For these questions, I can’t have answers. About a decade after that dance lesson, Gram was stricken
with ALS, a disease that slowly imprisoned her mind in her body. In her final months with us, even the
headstrong puppeteer could not have done the stick dance. What I do have is enough, though. The
sound of her joyous singing mixed with the smell of those soy-soaked cucumbers and simmering ribs.
The glint in her eye and
the awesome charge of her “There you go, my boy!” Her warm hands cocooning mine, shaping a legacy,
showing me the way.
I did not know then what she was doing, my grandmother. But I now know that she was laying seeds to
live on. I now know she was surviving. Once, twice, three times.
D A V I D C H A R L E S W O R T H
Indigenous Lands
MANY THINGS COME UP FOR ME WHEN I REFLECT ON LIVING
AWAY FROM GUÅHAN. ONE THAT STANDS OUT, THOUGH, IS A
CONCEPT THAT I DIDN'T ALWAYS APPRECIATE MYSELF. THE
CONCEPT THAT WHETHER YOU ARE HOME OR NOT, WHETHER
YOU ARE HERE OR THERE, ALL LAND IS INDIGENOUS LAND.
THERE ARE BEAUTIFUL AND DEEP CONNECTIONS WITH
PLACES WHEREVER YOU GO. AND IT'S UP TO YOU TO
CULTIVATE THOSE CONNECTIONS.
BIBA INDIGENOUS LANDS.
Shaylin Salas
TOGETHER AND APART
I Am an island
In the infinite Swallowing
of Life and death
I Am the echo
Isolated in the mud
wind kissed bustle
of so many words
Hunting each other
for the sake of Being seen
I am under the table
Hiding loudly
Wiping the sediment
of your gaze
Sequestering our chaos
Establishing the next call time
What time do You Go on stage?
Where Does it hurt?
As my neurons Codify dopamine
through actions that mean nothing
Feelings that mean more
i Kneel to Pay penance
To the revolutionaries of love
Of feeling
why have We Made
Ourselves islands
To Drown in the noise
Forgetting the thread,
the beauty of mundane touch
and bread breaking
together and apart
CLAIRE TAIJERON JOKERST WHITE
PHOTOS
BY
JOANNA
MALPICA
FELISA CONCEPCION
Scattering seeds
That are near and far
Håfa adai, that is you and me
We have ventured beyond the reef
To find our greatest destiny
But alas, it has always been inside
Within the soul, is home to where our very seeds have been
planted
Our roots connected
As we are all connected as one
One living breathing collective ecosystem
Depending on each other in order to survive
Tåno, Tåsi, yan TauTau
Thanks to you, I am alive
We come from a great land
Full of natural medicine that lies inside her heart,
For our marianas trench you unlock all of life's greatest
mysteries
You are right beside me, no matter how high I fly
Who am I?
I am a warrior
I am a daughter of a chief
I am the daughter of the sea
I am the creation of Fouha
I am a slave to mankind
I am the trees,
I am the very air you breathe,
I am no different from you
As you are no different from me
Diaspora
Paige Aguon
We are all one,
From one seed
We have bloomed into these amazing things called human
beIngs
Colour does not define the path of our very life Instead it
gives us a sense of identity
Americanized
Militarized
Colonized
Diaspora
Paige Aguon
No matter where I go my voice remains unheard
Washington D.C.
Emmitsburg
Maryland
Simply know nothing about me
Oh, so you live inside huts?
As thy bicker and taunt me
Oh, you have no technology?
So how do you know all about me?
I replied..
We have been forced to learn about you all,
And yet you know nothing about our roots.
You have no knowledge in regards to what we do.
I am trapped inside…
Inside the plastic lining of this mass destruction
Who am I?
I am a turtle
I am a wave
I am a cave
I am a coral
I am a whale
I am a phytoplankton
I am a bird
I am a bat
I am the very tree you cut down
I am the land you burn
I am the very trash you effortlessly pass by
I am the change that i’ve been waiting to see
Will you join me?
On this greatest discovery
The voyage of a lifetime
To finally join the fight for what is right.
Patricia Beuke, Todd Beuke, Elise Beuke, Calista Moore,
Madison Moore, Lucas Hoffman, Mark Metzger,
Aidan Moore
GOING TO GUAHAN FOR THE FIRST TIME AS A FAMILY
UNITED US WITH OUR HERITAGE AND
ILLUMINATED CHAMORRO CUSTOMS THAT WE WERE UNFAMILIAR WITH
LIVING IN THE DIASPORA. OUR SOULS WERE
NOURISHED IN WAYS WE HADN’T REALIZED WE WERE STARVED. THE
APPRECIATION WE HAVE FOR THE BEAUTY OF OUR CULTURE IS
IMMEASURABLE. WE
YEARN TO RETURN TO THE MARIANAS
AND ARE EMBOLDENED TO EMBODY THE INIFRESI.
Patricia Ann Pocaigue Beuke
October 16, 2022
Fananchan
Briki Cajandig
ZACHARY BELCHER
Munga Maleffa
Do Not Forget
Jay Baza Pascua “Sinangan”
06.10.06
Submitted by Angela Carrier
Munga maleffa i mañainan-miyu! Hasso!
(Do not forget your ancestors! Remember!)
Ekongok i kulo. Guiguifi i mañaina nu hamyo.
(Listen to the trumpet shell. The ancestors are blowing it for all of you.)
Munga maleffa i mañainan-miyu! Hasso!
(Do not forget your ancestors! Remember!)
Ma sasångan na munga maleffa nu siha … sa man gaige ha guine.
(They are saying to not forget … they are still here.)
Munga maleffa i mañainan-miyu! Hasso!
(Do not forget your ancestors! Remember!)
Magof i mañaina sa man li’e maolek i che’cho-miyu. Man li’e siha i metgotmiyu!
(The ancestors are happy to see that all of you are good at the work you do.
They see
your strengths!)
Munga maleffa i mañainan-miyu! Hasso!
(Do not forget your ancestors! Remember!)
Hunggan, åmko hamyo lao man tutuhon ha i lina’la’-miyu.
(Yes, you are of age however this is just the start of your lives.)
Munga maleffa i mañainan-miyu! Hasso!
(Do not forget your ancestors! Remember!)
Fanu’i i mañainan-miyu på’go na siña mahånao hamyo gi hinanao.
(Now show your ancestors that you can embark on a journey.)
Munga maleffa i mañainan-miyu! Hasso!
(Do not forget your ancestors! Remember!)
Hasso i hinanaon i mañainan-miyu mågi guini gi tåno-ta. Chågu yan mappot.
(Remember the journey of your ancestors here to our land. It was long and
difficult.)
Munga maleffa i mañainan-miyu! Hasso!
(Do not forget your ancestors! Remember!)
Ekongok yu. Fanu’i i taotao lågu metgot hamyo yan i taotao-miyu.
(Listen to me. Show people outside of this land that you and your people are
strong.)
Munga maleffa i mañainan-miyu! Hasso!
(Do not forget your ancestors! Remember!)
Chuli i tiningon-miyu på’go … lå’la … na magof i mañainan-miyu.
(Now take your knowledge … use it … make your ancestors happy.)
Munga maleffa i mañainan-miyu! Hasso!
(Do not forget your ancestors! Remember!)
PARA I
FAMAGUON-
TA
I am a CHamoru woman raised in
California, but have always been
rooted in our culture. Last year my
husband and I took our three
children to Guam for their first time.
It took 20+ years for me to go back
and it was the most soul-satisfying
thing I've done in a long time.
It was a dream come true
bringing our famagu'on to see where
their bloodline is from and also
heartwarming to see them
appreciate it all at their young age.
It was something we've planned for
so long and when we finally did it,
all the extra effort we put into
making the trip happen was beyond
worth it.
Although we live stateside,
there's no denying that there's no
place like home.
Photos by
Carrera & Dane
Diego
Photo by Joanna Malpica
GOOD GRIEF
Road paved in glory to our colonizers
Left the island only to join their ranks
Hostage to my own shortcomings and lies
Lies I told myself to excuse shitty behavior
I’ve apologized but haven’t healed
I’ve fled but haven’t found freedom
When you’re taxed and can’t vote
When you’re militarized and can’t fight back
When you’re a territory and can’t self-govern
You make due
I’m past due to return and reconnect
Weighty late fees and patchy signals
Feel like you’ve changed and I've assimilated
Eroding like the coral reef
Degrading like the Ordot dump
Hoping to be patched up like Hamburger Road
Nostalgia feels unfamiliar
A whiff of regret
A taste of a memory
It’s like I can hear the trauma all over again
but I digress
Simplicity in routine
Like watching rotating shapes and balls
Xylophones, chimes, and bells
Finding MIMO was my happy place
I want to rediscover something I’ve buried
No amount of shame or guilt is worth avoidance
No self-righteous church nor toxic school
can stunt my growth
welcome the discomfort
embrace the pain
Anything that’s worth a damn ain’t easy
I’m coming home, Guåhan
DREW DAMES
When I was a young child there was so much I took for granted and didn’t even take the time to
consider. Now as an adult I see what I had missed.
James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights,
with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
My mom was the island girl who fell in love with the “American dream” got hurt by it and
returned home like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz to find there really is no place like home, Guam.
My mother’s favorite time of year was fall. I remember how we used to gather at the old house in
Chalan Pago. We would help with the set up for Thanksgiving dinner at her house. My kids would
carry chairs from my house next door to make sure there was enough seating for everyone.
Everyone was my parents; my two brothers and their families and me and my kids. So, roughly
about 24-26 people. My mom always wanted everyone to sit at the same table. She would have us
stretch out two dining tables and a folding one end to end covered with table clothes and table
runners down the center that were only used for Thanksgiving. She would also break out the fine
china for this occasion. Each family would prepare food and bring it to my parents for the feast.
But my mom always did the turkey.
One year in particular as my kids and I brought our assigned food items we prepared, my mom
walks out in this blouse with red, yellow, orange leaves and maybe little bit of green pattern, on a
dark brown background. Lol, I remember it so vividly because it was that ugly to me, but I would
never tell her that. What made it worse was it looked a little big on her and had a matching long
skirt. But she loved the outfit. Mona asked her, “Grandma what are you wearing?” To which my
mom proudly announced, “Fall colors”.
Growing up on a tropical island there is no Fall. Fall is basically the same as winter, spring, and
summer; green. As we say in Guam we have two seasons, rainy and dry either way it’s still all
green. And as a young child in the states I never noticed the seasons except winter when we lived
where it snowed. I’ve seen pictures and yeah, they are pretty and all but, there is something to be
said about experiencing it for yourself. Although Salome and I have been stateside for almost 3
years we never really saw the colors of fall. Our first two years here 2020 and 2021, covid kept us
indoors. Rarely did we go anywhere outside the home. When we did venture out it was to travel to
another state to spend time with family. Seems there was a lot of back and forth from Alaska,
California, and Oregon we were so busy with family seems I didn’t really notice the season
changes.
This year, is quite different. I have been able to just sit back and enjoy watching nature unfold
before my eyes through the big picture windows of our apartment. I see changes as I ride my bike
on the hiking trails near our place. And we go on drives just to look at the fall colors. I’ve seen
some reds and purples but my favorite and what covers most everywhere here is the gold and
yellow colors. It makes me think of heaven. I sure hope the streets of gold in heaven are like the
golden leaf-colored streets here and not bricks of gold. I now appreciate the feel, smell, and
sights of autumn. It leaves an impression on my soul. An impression of my mom and her love of
fall and thinking this is why the island girl fell in love with the states for a brief moment in time. I
can see her in her gold slippers as she dances along the gold covered leafed streets in heaven. I
love you mom and fall has quickly become my favorite season.
Streets Of Gold
(Dedicated to my Mom)
Dolores Taijeron
Joanna Malpica
Counting
Hurao Pablo-Cook
Håcha, hugua, tulu, fåtfat
Words fall out of my mouth like the soles of a neni’s feet
Ñateng yan kådåbet
Not only when I try to speak fino’chamoru, but for every sound
That flies from my lips
Håcha
I was born upon a galaide in the middle of an ocean
Metgot yan påpakyo
For my family was pushed out by an imperial tide that valued the land we stood on
But not the bodies we lived in
Hugua
Si nanå-hu taught me how to stand with each crashing wave
If they ever became too much
But I was never shown how to stand with my voice
Ti hu komprende
Tulu
I looked to the sky to navigate us back to our ancestral homeland
But I could only count four stars at a time
Alone in the ocean is where we drifted for eighteen years
Nåna yan låhi
Fåtfat
We would bump into other vessels on our journey
Many were kind as our ripples interlaced
Others would bruise my skin as si nanå-hu cried out from the stern
Classmates.
Neighbors.
Colleagues.
Lovers.
Mockery, fetishization and physical assault is how they held power over me
I wanted to stop rowing.
Until I saw the wings on the horizon.
Håcha, hugua, tulu, fåtfat
I counted the sakman as they appeared before us
With gentle navigators who pointed us to land
I could see the shore
Ma’lak yan kålentådu
It’s been a while now since I’ve felt lost at sea
This year my feet were blessed with a gift
Running through Tamuning and dancing at Tanguisson Beach
My heart has never been fuller, and my mind has never been brighter
And I will keep running, dancing and learning
So if I ever am holding a neni in my arms
With a smile on their face and a glint in their eyes
I can teach them how to count past four.
Håcha, hugua, tulu, fåtfat, lima, gunom, fiti, guålo’, sigua, månot.
B R I A N A
M A Z Z O L I N I - B L A N C H A R D
I was born into the world of the white man.
Their ways trying to teach; trying to preach; trying
to change me from within.
Born into a military regime.
The Naval Station of Guam.
As alien races- we were incapable of understanding
western principles.
Banned from speaking out language.
Denied rights and citizenship.
Abandoned.
Until the day Uncle Sam returned.
Freedom… my elders said.
And there began a patriotism
That would pass down bloodline after bloodline.
Changing everything we knew about who we were.
Assimilate- or lose everything.
But the blood of my ancestors flows inside.
Every step.
Every breath.
Their spirits live and burn.
And when I think about my identity I can hear their
voice shouting:
I am the Land. The air. The sea.
Though they seek to steal and destroy, I live. I am
the earth. Today and everyday.
I am CHamoru.
Fanohge
"SAINA MA'ÅSE
FOR GIVING THOSE
OF US
WHO HAD TO LEAVE OUR HOME
THE OPPORTUNITY
TO SHARE THEIR FEELING
OF DISPLACEMENT...
I MISS HOME EVERYDAY."
-NATALIE"SISSY"
SANTOS VELASCO
"OTGUYU
EMILY WOOD
I LINA'LA GI I TANO'-TA
JOANNA MALPICA
ZACHARY BELCHER
IDENTITY
MY CULTURE HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY IDENTITY. MY PROTECTION.
SMALL AND A LITTLE MISUNDERSTOOD-LIKE ME- SHE ACTS AS MY BACKBONE; REMINDING ME
THAT NO MATTER HOW SMALL I AM OR FEEL THAT I AM CHAMORRO, AND CHAMORROS ARE
STRONG AND POWERFUL BEINGS.
WHEN THERE WAS NOTHING BUT SPACE WAITING TO BE FILLED, THE SIBLING GODS;
PUNTAN AND FU'UNA CREATED THE WORLD. USING HER BROTHER'S BODY, FU'UNA MADE THE
LAND WE WALK ON AND SOIL WE HARVEST. HIS BACK BECAME THE BEAUTIFUL SKY AND HIS
EYES SERVED AS OUR SUN AND MOON. WE WERE GIFTED RAINBOWS FROM HIS EYEBROWS
AND THEN SOON AFTER, FU'UNA CRIED THE LARGE BODIES OF WATER THAT SUSTAIN US. THEY
SELFLESSLY BESTOWED THIS ABUNDANT LIFE TO ME- TO US.
SO HOW DARE YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ALL MY ANCESTOR'S HARD WORK? HOW DO YOU
DISCOVER SOMETHING THAT WAS NEVER MISSING TO BEGIN WITH AND THEN PROCEED TO
BREAK IT APART, ONLY TO REBUILD IT BACK INTO YOUR IMAGE? YOU DO NOT GET TO MOCK
AND CLAIM SUPREMACY OVER MY PEOPLE WHEN WE PRACTICED NOTHING BUT
INAFA'MAOLEK TO YOU.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TRYING TO REVIVE A DYING LANGUAGE? TO DESPERATELY
REACH OUT WITH THE HOPE THAT IT WILL SOMEDAY CHOOSE YOU BACK. A LANGUAGE I DO
NOT KNOW BECAUSE MY GRANDMOTHER NEVER TAUGHT HER CHILDREN SINCE SPEAKING
CHAMORRO WAS NOT ALLOWED. YOU SIT ON YOUR HIGH HORSE BECAUSE MY HISTORY IS
BARELY EVEN BEING TAUGHT AS AN ELECTIVE, WHILE YOURS IS EMBEDDED INTO THE
CURRICULUM.
TEARS FLOOD MY EYES, AND I WONDER HOW I COULD BE SO UPSET OVER LOSING SOMETHING
I NEVER TRULY HAD TO BEGIN WITH. FILLED WITH NOTHING BUT HOPELESSNESS AND
TRIBULATION FOR MY CULTURE, I BELIEVE I FAILED HER.
MY VOICE IS TIRED FROM PREACHING TO AN IMPERVIOUS CHOIR. TIRED OF REPEATING THE
SAME MESSAGE THAT MY THROAT IS RAW.
"NO WE DO NOT LIVE IN HUTS" "NO WE DO NOT WALK AROUND IN GRASS SKIRTS AND
COCONUT BRAS" "YES MY ENGLISH IS GOOD. ENGLISH IS THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF GUAM,
THANKS TO YOU." "THANKS TO YOU, I BARELY KNOW MY OWN LANGUAGE." "THANKS TO YOU, I
BARELY KNOW MY OWN CULTURE" "THANKS TO YOU, I BARELY KNOW WHO I AM"
WHO AM I? IF NOT CHAMORRO? IF NOT FROM GUAM?
I SLUMP DOWN FEELING DEFEATED. CONQUERED. COLONIZED. PAINFULLY AWARE OF MY
SHAME.
AND MY CULTURE; THE ONE WHO HAS BEEN THERE FOR ME TO FALL BACK ON, WHO LOVES
ME FOR ALL THAT I AM, AND FORGIVES ME FOR ALL THAT I AM NOT, WRAPS ME IN HER ARMS
AND SAYS IN HER NURTURING AND PROTECTIVE TONE," IF YOU ARE TOO TIRED TO SPEAK, SIT
NEXT TO ME, FOR I TOO AM FLUENT IN SILENCE."
AND I SIT THERE, QUIETLY SOAKING IN HER WARM AND WELCOMING AURA, THINKING TO
MYSELF HOW TOMORROW AND EVERY DAY AFTER THAT, I WILL BE PREACHING TO THE CHOIR
UNTIL MY THROAT IS RAW AND GORY ALL OVER AGAIN, BECAUSE ALTHOUGH TRAUMA WAS
WOVEN INTO MY DNA, I REMIND MYSELF STRENGTH AND RESILIENCY WERE TOO.
Gabrielle Toves
TALAYA 3000
ROLDY AGUERO ABLAO
OCEAN'S BELLY BUTTON
ISA GAGARIN
Forever
CHamoru
Fina’denne’
Song by
Sabyu x Brand Marinade
Fina’denne’ go good with anything
Fina’denne’ bring the best in everything
Fina’denne’ go good with anything
Fina’denne’ bring the best in everything
Yes, it really is simple ingredients
That make this riddim rock
Like when the people sing, together we can bring
Just cut da onion and mix da soyuA better world around
The vinegar, alrightLove, compassion, put into action
Bring some donne‘ and lay it on meThat’s what we’re needing now
The heat, it feels so niceWe’ll bring the unity in the community
It’s so simple, this kinda mixtureNow that’s familia
It’s so easy to get it right
Put it on your dishes, your fishes, your
chicken
And don’t forget the red red rice, woah~Now that’s familia
Now that’s familia, familia
The red red riceNow that’s familia, familia
And fina’denne’ on the sideNow that’s familia
[Spoken: Primo John Henry]
Puedi i che’cho inafa’maolek u giha hit mo’na
Jeremy Castro
Matt Sablan (Music),
Art by Jack Lujan Bevacqua
Red Rice and fina’denne’ (fin-uh-den-ee) sauce is a traditional
CHamoru dish that has been a part of our people for centuries.
The rice is stained purposely with achiote, and the fina’denne’
sauce gives traditional dishes like red rice, a pop—a taste that has
you going back for seconds. And like we do with a scoop of red
rice and a drizzle of fina’denne’ on top, this podcast will talk story
—but that’s the pop—that talk that’ll have you coming back for
hours. So, embrace your curiosity as Jaybyrd navigates a
connection to his heritage, the CHamoru from the Marianas
Islands.
Hosted and produced by Jay Castro
Music credits to Sabyu
RedRicePodcast.com
Gå'ga'
Aren Kerr
Fanihi
Koko
Alfredo Torres
"Beautiful persons & views", 1999
Sihek
#LARS
Guma’
Gela’
Guma’ Gela’ is a queer CHamoru arts collective here
on Turtle Island (and on the islands). A few are in
Washington, which help us get together to create and
imagine culture, art and history from Laguas yan Gani
every so often.
Guma’ Gela’
Birds of Paradise
CONNIE ANN EBIO SANTOS
HOMECOMING
Derek
Nochefranca
I am a Character/Prop
Designer and a Freelance
Illustrator. My
submission speaks
towards representation in
both the medium of
animation and within the
industry as a whole. I
believe in spreading our
culture and joy through
storytelling with the
hopes of inspiring
younger generations to
feel included, seen, and
empowered. With
streaming services today,
the animation industry is
a growing field and in
need of authentic
storytellers from all
backgrounds and walks of
life. I aim to represent my
Chamoru familia and the
Island I love.
Left Behind
Ed Sablan
Håfa Adai, guåhu si Ed Sablan yan sumåsaga yu’ giya Portland,
Oregon.
As far back as I can remember, I felt a calling. I grew up on Guahan
before the internet, when everything from mail to TV shows and music,
all came a week late. I constantly felt behind the times. After graduating
from Father Dueñas in 1993, I wanted to leave the island that I felt had
held me back for so many years.
I ended up going to an art school in Portland, Oregon and switched
to two other schools after that to focus on music. I thought studying
music and art would give me purpose. It didn’t. I looked everywhere for
meaning, and noticed that all the jobs I had while going to school were
in restaurants. I felt more at home in front of fire and the heat of the
oven. I got serious about cooking, and graduated from culinary school in
2004, and found work at a French bakery.
The French chef would tell stories about growing up in France,
working at a bakery owned by his father, his grandfather before that. He
showed a sense of familial cultural pride. The chef had so much love for
his French culture and community. It sparked something in me, and I
thought about my own love of CHamoru culture and community. I had
misplaced it somehow.
I started looking back at my life and the choices that brought me
here.
My grandmother (my dad’s mom) was a baker in Barrigåda. When my
grandfather married her, he built them a house with a hotno in the
backyard, so she could bake. My parents told stories of smelling the
bread as it came out of the hotno, creating memories of family and love.
I remember growing up, helping my mom and aunties in the kitchen, my
dad at the grill, uncles preparing for fiestas, just helping out however I
could. For the first time, I began to see my family’s story in who I was
becoming and wanted to be. All those years growing up thinking I was
being held back, our CHamoru culture had been nurturing me, feeding
my soul, and giving me direction. Almost everything I left behind on
Guahan was everything I was searching for.
Left Behind
Ed Sablan
At the time, I couldn't understand why the only
place to experience CHamoru food in Portland was in
the backyard of a CHamoru’s house. So, in 2010, with
love and support from our families, my wife, Marie, and
I opened a food cart and called it PDX671. What started
out as a place serving CHamoru food, soon became a
great spot for the community. Distant families reunited
and new friends were made. It was the first time in a
while I heard the CHamoru language being spoken in
the states, in public, and it was amazing.
Nine years later, we closed the food cart to open
BIBA! CHamoru Kitchen. The restaurant continued our
cultural celebration, but we couldn’t outlast the
pandemic and had to close our doors in October 2021.
It was a difficult decision, but we aren’t discouraged,
and we plan to continue on.
There were countless times I felt so lost, forgotten,
and empty... being so far from home. But now, every
time I see posts online about CHamoru food,
businesses, awareness, language, I am filled with
gratitude and appreciation for their help in
perpetuating our culture. And even though I left
Guahan years ago, I know she has never left me. I hope
to come home soon.
Tåddong Gogue Tedpahago
(Alex M. White)
BIOGRAPHIES
JESSIE RAÏSA
SEATTLE, WA
I'M WHAT I CALL A TERRITORY MUTT: 1/2 CHAMORRO, 1/2 PUERTO RICAN, BORN AND RAISED ON GUAM,
CONSIDERED ON THE MAINLAND TO BE AMERICAN-ISH . I'VE BEEN BASED IN SEATTLE FOR THE PAST 15
YEARS AND, OF THOSE, HAVE SPENT A GREAT DEAL INTERMITTENTLY LIVING NOMADICALLY,
EXPLORING/INTEGRATING WITH MY GLOBAL BROTHERS/SISTERS AROUND MANY OTHER COUNTRIES
AND FINDING HOMES THERE TOO. THESE ARE SOME WORDS AROUND MY EXPERIENCES HAVING CHOSEN
TO LEAVE MY SMALL ISLAND TO UNDERSTAND MYSELF AND THE WORLD AT LARGE.
MINA FLORES-CANTRELL , GUÅHAN
MINA FLORES-CANTRELL IS AN INDIGENOUS DAUGHTER OF CHAMORRO AND OKINAWA ANCESTRY
BASED IN GUÅHAN (GUAM), THE MARIANA ISLANDS. SHE ADVOCATES FOR JUST SOLUTIONS TO THE
CURRENT EXTRACTIVE ECONOMY THAT INTERWEAVE THE LIVED EXPERIENCES AND WISDOM OF
MICRONESIAN COMMUNITIES. MINA IS THE FOUNDER OF NUMA'LO REFILLERY, GUAHÅN'S FIRST ZERO
WASTE STORE HELPING THE COMMUNITY TO DIVERT ITS SINGLE-USE PLASTIC WASTE, AND A PROJECT
COORDINATOR WITH MICRONESIA CLIMATE CHANGE ALLIANCE, A LOCAL NON-PROFIT DRIVEN TO
PROVIDE COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS TO MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE. SHE IS A COMMITTEE MEMBER OF THE
CLIMATE JUSTICE ALLIANCE’S OUR POWER LOAN FUND AND THE CO-CHAIR OF THE REINVEST IN OUR
POWER WORKING GROUP. SHE WAS ALSO RECENTLY GRANTED A FELLOWSHIP THROUGH THE TISHMAN
ENVIRONMENT AND DESIGN CENTER. HER GREATEST HOPE IS TO PROVIDE SECURITY AND CLIMATE
JUSTICE TO THE MARIANA ISLANDS AND TO PLANTS SEEDS OF STEWARDSHIP FOR FUTURE
GENERATIONS TO THRIVE.
ROSWENA SALADIER BRENNAN
PARMA HEIGHTS, OHIO.
ROSWENA SALADIER BRENNAN, OF CHUUKESE AND CHAMORRO DESCENT, GREW UP IN VIRGINIA WITH
HER THREE SISTERS. SHE HAS WORKED IN THE MENTAL HEALTH FIELD AND AS A FREELANCE
ILLUSTRATOR, AND CURRENTLY LIVES IN OHIO WITH HER SON, CASSIAN, AND HUSBAND, SETH.
RANDIZIA CRISOSTOMO (SHE/HER)
O‘AHU, HAWAI‘I
RANDIZIA CRISOSTOMO (SHE/HER) IS AN INDIGENOUS CHAMORU FAMALAO’AN, LECTURER, AND
VISUAL/ILLUSTRATIVE ARTIST BORN AND RAISED IN GUÅHAN (GUAM), AND ON THE UNCEDED COAST
SALISH LANDS OF WASHINGTON STATE. SHE CURRENTLY LIVES IN O‘AHU IN THE OCCUPIED KINGDOM OF
HAWAI‘I AS A PH.D. STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I AT MĀNOA STUDYING INDIGENOUS POLITICS
WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE. RANDIZIA IS ALSO A GRADUATE ASSISTANT FOR
POLITICAL SCIENCE AND ETHNIC STUDIES WHERE SHE TEACHES INTRODUCTORY-LEVEL,
UNDERGRADUATE COURSES, DESIGNS SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEOS, AND DEPARTMENT VISUAL RESOURCES.
OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM, RANDIZIA SERVES AS A COMMUNITY AND STUDENT FACILITATOR OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON’S RESEARCH FAMILY, A PACIFIC ISLANDER STUDENT COLLECTIVE AT UW,
THAT HIGHLIGHTS INDIGENOUS PACIFIC ISLANDER VOICES, MICRONESIAN ADVOCACY NETWORKS, AND
WORLDVIEWS. SHE ALSO SERVES AS A COMMUNITY OUTREACH COORDINATOR FOR THE CULTURE IS
LIVING EXHIBIT, AT THE BURKE MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY AND CULTURE, A SPACE CREATING
ONGOING DECOLONIAL NARRATIVES THROUGH ART, EDUCATION, AND COMMUNITY NETWORKS. HER
INTERESTS INCLUDE INDIGENOUS INTIMACIES, CREATIVE FUTURES, ANTI-COLONIAL ART, RESURGENCE,
AND STORYTELLING.
LADISA DAWN QUINTANILLA
DISA DAWN WRITES COZY SUPERNATURAL ADVENTURES, HOPEPUNK, AND CROSS-GENRE WOMEN’S
FICTION. SHE’S KNOWN FOR WEAVING INAFA’MAOLEK INTO MODERN STORYTELLING AND
REPRESENTING CHAMORU HEROINES IN POPULAR GENRES. AFTER GRADUATING FROM THE UNIVERSITY
OF GUAM WITH DEGREES IN BUSINESS AND PSYCHOLOGY, SHE EARNED A MASTER OF FINE ARTS IN
CREATIVE WRITING FROM THE JACK KEROUAC SCHOOL OF DISEMBODIED POETICS AT NAROPA
UNIVERSITY IN BOULDER, COLORADO. SHE’S A GOLDEN ROSE FINALIST, A NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE
AWARDS CROSS-GENRE FINALIST, AND HER BOOKS HAVE RANKED ON AMAZON BESTSELLER LISTS. DISA
LIVES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WITH HER FAMILY, A LAZY DOG, AND A SKELETON NAMED CHARLIE.
ZACHARY BELCHER
CHICAGO, IL.LINOIS
WEBSITE: HTTPS://FOCUSINGON.ME/
MY NAME IS ZACHARY BELCHER. I'M A BLACK CHAMORU ARTIST BASED IN CHICAGO, IL. I AM A
MULTIMEDIA CREATIVE FOCUSED ON PHOTOGRAPHY, FASHION, AND DESIGN. THROUGH MY WORK, I AIM
TO AUTHENTICALLY DOCUMENT THE EXPLORATION OF MY EXPERIENCE, IDENTITY, AND SELF.
MORG/HOBBYOFSLITHERS
I I WAS BORN AND RAISED STATESIDE. I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO GUAM, BUT I HOPE TO, SOMEDAY(WHEN
FINANCES ALLOW). I STRUGGLED WITH MY IDENTITY FOR THE LONGEST TIME BECAUSE OF MANY
THINGS. THESE THINGS INCLUDE, RACISM, LACK OF GUAM HISTORY IN TEXTBOOKS, BLOOD QUANTUM,
AND SOME OF MY FAMILY NOT CONTINUING TO PASS ON THE LANGUAGE.
DESPITE ALL OF THIS, WE MANAGED TO KEEP THE CUSTOMS, COURTESIES, HOSPITALITY, AND MANNERS.
WE ALSO KEPT THE TRADITIONAL CUISINE, HOSPITALITY, AND STORIES FROM WWII AND POST WWII. I
HAVE BEEN LUCKY THAT I HAD HISTORY TEACHERS WHO WOULD PLATFORM ME TO SHARE WHAT I
KNOW FROM GUAM AND SO THEY CAN HEAR MY PERSPECTIVE. I AM FORTUNATE THAT THE FRIENDS AND
FAMILY(NON-CHAMORU) I GREW UP WITH WOULD MAKE SURE RESPECT AND LEARN EXPERIENCES.
DAVID CHARLESWORTH
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
DAVID CHARLESWORTH IS THE PROUD GRANDSON OF ELIZABETH (BELANG) PEREZ CORREIA, BORN IN
SUMAY IN 1937. HE HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN DIGGING MORE DEEPLY INTO HIS FAMILY HISTORY. FOR THE
FIRST TIME THIS PAST SUMMER, HE TRAVELED TO GUAM TO REUNITE WITH FAMILY IN SANTA RITA, VISIT
SUMAY, AND EAT ALL THE CHAMORU FOOD HE CANNOT EASILY GET IN MASSACHUSETTS. HE LIVES IN
THE BOSTON AREA AND TEACHES HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH.
BRIANA MAZZOLINI-BLANCHARD
MY NAME IS BRIANA MAZZOLINI-BLANCHARD AND I AM THE GRANDDAUGHTER OF ROSABELLA
POCAIGUE “BEJA” OF THE POKIKI AND TUGONG CLAN FROM THE VILLAGE OF YONA.
CLAIRE TAIJERON JOKERST WHITE
TERRITORY: NISENAN AND MIWOK
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA
CLAIRE TAIJERON JOKERST WHITE IS FAMILIAN TEHA, DICTA, KOKURA, YAN GOLO. SHE IS A FORMER
TEACHER, A POET, AND A POLICY ANALYST WHO HAS BEEN GETTING IN TOUCH WITH OUR ROOTS,
LEARNING CHAMORU AND WHAT IT MEANS TO STEWARD TANO-TA YAN I HANOM OVER THE PAST FEW
YEARS. SHE IS DELIGHTED TO BE A PART OF SUCH AN INCLUSIVE, INTENTIONAL ZINE AND IS COMMITTED
TO SPREADING OUR CULTURE EVERYWHERE SHE CAN. SHE THANKS THE WATER PROTECTORS AND
FREEDOM FIGHTERS ACROSS THE MARIANAS FOR THEIR TIRELESS, LOVE-FUELED WORK AND BELIEVES
WE CAN OVERCOME THE COLONIAL VIOLENCE THAT HAS BEEN PLAGUING OUR LAND, WATERS, AND
PEOPLE.
JOEY SWATZELL, AUSTIN, TEXAS
MY NAME IS JOEY SWATZELL. I LIVED ON GUAM FOR A LONG TIME AND MOVING AWAY IN 2013 WAS ONE
OF THE HARDEST THINGS I’VE EVER GONE THROUGH.
JOANNA MALPICA, (SHE/HER)
LISJAN (OHLONE) TERRITORY
CONCORD, CA.LIFORNIA
JOANNA MALPICA, OF FAMILIAN PUGAI, FAMILIAN BUCHI, AND FAMILIAN DOAK, IS A HOBBY
PHOTOGRAPHER RESIDING IN UNCEDED LISJAN (OHLONE) TERRITORY AKA CONCORD, CA. SHE MAKES
PHOTOS THAT CATCH HER EYE AND FREEZE A PLACE IN TIME. PHOTOGRAPHY SERVES AS A WAY FOR
JOANNA TO EXPRESS HERSELF AND TAKE UP SPACE, AND SHE HOPES TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO DO
THE SAME.
DILLON QUITUGUA, HAWAI’I
I AM A CHAMORRO ULTRAMARATHON RUNNER WHO'S TRAINING TO SUMMIT MT. EVEREST. THIS
WRITING IS A GENERAL FEELING OF LOSS FROM BEING SO FAR REMOVED FROM GUAM AND MY FAMILY,
BUT BRINGS ME HOPE IN EXPRESSING MYSELF AS WHO I AM- AND NOT WHAT I DO. I AM CHAMORRO
BECAUSE I AM CHAMORRO, NOT BECAUSE I LIVE IN GUAM.
LATECIA & HOPE MESNGON
THIS POEM WAS WRITTEN BY MY DAUGHTER, HOPE. WE ARE A MILITARY FAMILY. HOPE IS A UNIVERSITY
OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY (UMBC) GRADUATE AND CURRENTLY RESIDES IN LACEY, WA.
BRIKI CAJANDIG (SHE/HER)
BRIKI CAJANDIG (SHE/HER) IS A QUEER, INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY HEALTH ADVOCATE WHO SERVES AS
THE PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE SUICIDE PREVENTION UNIT AT THE NATIVE
AMERICAN HEALTH CENTER BASED IN OAKLAND, CA. SHE WAS RAISED AROUND SOLANO AND YOLO
COUNTIES, BUT CONSIDERS DAVIS AS HER HOMETOWN. SHE COMES FROM A FAMILY OF 7; 3 SISTERS, 1
BROTHER AND HER PARENTS TERRY (LEON-GUERRERO) AND JUAN. SHE HAS COME TO GRAVITATE
TOWARDS HER PACIFIC ISLANDER ROOTS THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF HER LIFE AND IS
CONTINUOUSLY STRIVING TO DISCOVER THE INTRICACIES OF HER CHAMORU DIASPORA IDENTITY. FOR
THE PAST DECADE SHE HAS SPENT THE MAJORITY OF HER TIME IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS, RECEIVING
HER BACHELORS IN PHILOSOPHY AND SOCIOLOGY AND HER MPH IN NATIVE HAWAIIAN/INDIGENOUS
HEALTH THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII SYSTEM. SHE CURRENTLY LIVES ON OHLONE TERRITORY
IN THE BAY AREA OF CALIFORNIA WITH HER GIRLFRIEND AND THEIR TWO PETS, MIKO AND OLIVE.
PATRICIA ANN POCAIGUE BEUKE
POULSBO, WASHINGTON
I TEACH KINDERGARTEN-12TH GRADE TEACHERS HOW TO TEACH ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS AS A
PROFESSION AND BELONG TO A SMALL WRITING GROUP OF TEACHERS. WRITING POETRY HELPS ME
PROCESS LIFE AND ALLOWS ME TO CREATIVELY SHARE MY THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS. I ASPIRE TO
LEARN CHAMORRO WELL ENOUGH TO WRITE ENTIRE POEMS IN MY NATIVE TONGUE. MY SON AND I
PARTICIPATED IN THE TWO WEEK ADULT PILOT IMMERSION PROGRAM IN JUNE 2022. SIX FAMILY
MEMBERS JOINED US AFTERWARDS FOR AN ADDITIONAL TWO WEEKS. MY GUINAIYA POEM PAIRED WITH
OUR FAMILY PICTURE SUMMARIZES AND CELEBRATES THE PROFOUND AFFECTION WE HAVE FOR OUR
ANCESTRAL HOMELAND AND FAMILY.
DOLORES TAIJERON
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
MY CULTURE IS IMPORTANT IN THAT IT IS THE REASON FOR HOW WE ACT AND REACT WITHIN SOCIETY
WITHOUT EVEN REALIZING IT WE ARE DISPLAYING OUR HERITAGE, OUR UPBRINGING, OUR BIASES FOR
THOSE AROUND US TO READ. IT IS IN THE FOOD WE EAT, THE RESPECT WE GIVE, THE ARTS WE MAKE, THE
MEMORIES, EVEN THE SIMPLE WAY OF CLEANING THE HOUSE; CULTURE IS DISPLAYED LIKE AN OPEN
BOOK. AS I LIVE MY CULTURE I AM PASSING IT DOWN TO THE GENERATIONS TO COME.
GABRIELLE MONIQUE TOVES (SHE/HER)
SILVERDALE, WASHINGTON
I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF GUAM. I RECENTLY MOVED TO WASHINGTON AND
AM WORKING AS A MEDICAL ASSISTANT. WRITING AND POETRY HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE POSITIVE
CONSTANT IN MY LIFE. I GREW UP VERY SHY AND QUIET, SO IT WAS HARDER FOR ME TO SHARE MY
EMOTIONS WITH OTHERS. I WAS TAUGHT AT A YOUNG AGE THAT I SHOULDN'T HAVE A VOICE, AND
NOTHING I HAD TO SAY HELD ANY VALUE. POETRY WAS THE WAY I WAS ABLE TO COPE WITH THE
BATTLES I HAD IN MY MIND AND STRUGGLES I WENT THROUGH IN LIFE. IN A SENSE, MY WRITING IS A
RECLAMATION OF MY TRAUMA, AS WELL AS UNLEARNING AND RETEACHING MYSELF HOW TO HAVE A
VOICE, BECAUSE WORDS HOLD SO MUCH POWER AND VALUE AND SO DO I.
CARRERA DIEGO
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA
I AM A CHAMORU WOMAN RAISED IN CALIFORNIA, BUT HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ROOTED IN OUR CULTURE.
LAST YEAR MY HUSBAND AND I TOOK OUR THREE CHILDREN TO GUAM FOR THEIR FIRST TIME. IT TOOK 20+
YEARS FOR ME TO GO BACK AND IT WAS THE MOST SOUL-SATISFYING THING I'VE DONE IN A LONG TIME. IT
WAS A DREAM COME TRUE BRINGING OUR FAMAGU'ON TO SEE WHERE THEIR BLOODLINE IS FROM AND
ALSO HEARTWARMING TO SEE THEM APPRECIATE IT ALL AT THEIR YOUNG AGE. IT WAS SOMETHING
WE'VE PLANNED FOR SO LONG AND WHEN WE FINALLY DID IT, ALL THE EXTRA EFFORT WE PUT INTO
MAKING THE TRIP HAPPEN WAS BEYOND WORTH IT. ALTHOUGH WE LIVE STATESIDE, THERE'S NO
DENYING THAT THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME.
HURAO PABLO-COOK (HE/HIM)
LONDON, UK
IG @HURAOPABLOCOOK
I AM A TWENTY YEAR OLD MIXED-CHAMORU ARTIST CURRENTLY STUDYING ACTING IN LONDON. I WROTE
THIS PIECE ABOUT MY YEARNING TO LEARN THE CHAMORU LANGUAGE AND MOVE BACK TO GUÅHAN,
AND MY FEELINGS OF ISOLATION AT TIMES GROWING UP IN THE DIASPORA.
COURTNEY BOWEN
ROHNERT PARK, CALIFORNIA
I AM COURTNEY AND I AM AN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT STUDYING ENGLISH LITERATURE. I BECAME
INTERESTED IN LITERARY TRADITIONS OF CHAMORUS IN EARNEST RECENTLY, BUT HAVE ALWAYS BEEN
ACTIVE IN CREATIVE WRITING. IN MY FIRST PUBLICATION, MY WORK SHARES GLIMPSES INTO MY LIFE AS I
EXPLORE MY VOICE WITHIN THE CHAMORU LITERARY TRADITION. MY EXPERIENCE AS A CHAMORU
COLLEGE STUDENT AT A PREDOMINANTLY WHITE INSTITUTION HAS GIVEN MY THE COURAGE TO FINALLY
SHARE MY ART.
ANGELA CARRIER & JAY BAZA PASCUA “SINANGAN”
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
IN DECEMBER 2006, I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF SPENDING ALMOST TWO MONTHS BACK HOME, IMMERSING
MYSELF IN THE CULTURE AND SOAKING UP EVERY MOMENT AND EXPERIENCE. AT THE TIME IT FELT
OVERWHELMING TO BE BLESSED WITH SUCH ABUNDANCE FROM SO MANY ARTISTS ALL AT ONCE. MY
UNCLE JOE "MATATNGA LATTE", MAMA JILL, UNCLE ED, SI RAY, SI FIL, SI RAF AND MANY MORE. I OFTEN
FELT MAMÅHLAO FOR THE BOUNTY OF BRILLIANCE AND GENEROSITY THAT WAS BESTOWED ON ME
DURING THAT VISIT BACK HOME. AS IF I DIDN'T DESERVE SUCH CARE AND HONOR, MY MIND AND BODY
STILL TRYING TO DECOLONIZE THAT SENSE OF IMPOSTER SYNDROME. NEAR THE END OF MY STAY, AT A
FRIDAY ARTISTS GATHERINGS AT THE GUAM GALLERY OF ART, JAY BAZA PASCUA “SINANGAN” SHARED
A CHANT WITH ME AS I PREPARED TO RETURN TO SAN FRANCISCO. AT THAT TIME I RECEIVED IT WITH
HUMILITY AND GRATITUDE, BUT PERHAPS WASN'T READY TO FULLY ACCEPT AND EMBODY IT. I FEEL
READY NOW. OVER THE YEARS, I WOULD PULL OUT THE PRINTED COPY AND READ IT TO MYSELF WHEN I
NEEDED MY SPIRITS TO BE LIFTED OR RECONNECTED TO WHAT REALLY MATTERS. HU TUNGO NA HA
PAGA GI SANHALOMNA I LINALAN I MANAINATA (I KNOW SHE HAS PLACED WITHIN HER BEING THE LIFE
OF OUR ANCESTORS) WITH JAY’S PERMISSION, I SHARE A VERSION OF THE CHANT HERE AND SOME
PHOTOS FROM THE GATHERING.
NTÅDDONG GOGUE TEDPAHAGO HA/GUI/ÑA (ALEX M. WHITE)
COAST MIWOK & POMO TERRITORY, SANTA ROSA, CA
GUAHU SI TÅDDONG GOGUE TEDPAHAGO, LAO I NA’ÅN-HU SI ALEX M. WHITE. CHAMORU YU'.
FAMILIAN LEON GUERRERO WHITE I TAOTAO GINEN MANGILAO YAN DYDASCO CRUZ I TAOTAO GINEN
SANTA RITA YU'. DUMADONKOLO GIYA I ANCESTRAL HOMELANDS OF THE TSÉSTHO’E, NÚU-AGHA-TɄVɄ-
PɄ̱ , AND NDÉ KÓNITSĄĄÍÍ GOKÍYAA. SUMÅSAGA YU’ GIYA I OCCUPIED TERRITORY OF THE GALLINOMERO,
WAPPO AND ME-WUK PEOPLES.
NEVER HAVING HEARD THE WORD "CHAMORRO" UNTIL I WAS 10, IT'D BE ANOTHER TWO DECADES
BEFORE I'D BEGIN IDENTIFYING AS "CHAMORU YU'".
DEDICATED TO I TAOTAO TANO GIYA TODU I LUGAT, OUR CHAMORU RELATIVES ACROSS THE DIASPORA
AND AROUND THE WORLD. ALWAYS REMEMBER: CHAMORU HAO.
AREN KERR (THEY/THEM)
LENAPEHOKING (PHILADELPHIA)
AREN "ÅNI" KERR WAS BORN IN GUÅHAN. THEY WENT TO ART SCHOOL IN LONDON AND HAVE WORKED
AS A DESIGNER AND SOFTWARE ENGINEER. THEY LIVED IN NYC FOR SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE
RELOCATING TO PHILADELPHIA WHERE THEY CURRENTLY RESIDE. THEIR CREATIVE PROJECTS ARE
INSPIRED BY NATURE, STORIES, AND CITIES.
EMILY WOOD, (SHE/HER/HERS)
WASHINGTON, DC
OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, EMILY HAS BEEN EXPLORING HER CHAMORU IDENTITY THROUGH THE
LANGUAGE AND ART. THIS PIECE REMINDS US THAT OUR ANCESTORS LIVED OFF THE LAND, AND THAT AS
LONG AS WE TREAD LIGHTLY AND TAKE CARE OF I TANO'-TA, IT WILL PROVIDE FOR US.
JEREMY CASTRO
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
I WROTE THIS AS THE INSERT TO A SONG I MADE WITH CHAMORU MUSICIAN SABYU (MATT SABLAN OF
SAIPAN - WHO NOW LIVES IN SEATTLE). THE TITLE OF THE SONG IS FINA'DENNE'.
JACOB JARDEL (HE/HIM)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI
,
JACOB JARDEL (HE/HIM) IS A CHAMORU FROM GUAM LIVING IN KANSAS CITY WITH ROOTS IN CALIFORNIA
AND OKLAHOMA. HE IS CURRENTLY PURSUING A PH.D. IN ENGLISH AND CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION AT
THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI - KANSAS CITY, WHERE HE IS ALSO A GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANT.
HE ALSO SERVES AS THE EDITOR OF THE SOSLAND JOURNAL. HIS WORK HAS APPEARED IN THE 580
MIXTAPES VOL. 1, CAMERON UNIVERSITY’S GOLD MINE, AND NUMBER ONE MAGAZINE AND ALSO SERVES
AS THE EDITOR OF THE SOSLAND JOURNAL. WHEN NOT DOING SCHOOL AND TEACHING, JACOB
COLLECTS MAGIC: THE GATHERING CARDS, NEEDS OUT OVER PRO WRESTLING AND VIDEO GAMES, AND
WATCHES BASEBALL OR YOUTUBE WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND AND HIS CAT.
KULU’LO’ÑA
VIRGINIA
,I WROTE THIS WHEN I VISITED HOME (GUÅHAN) OVER THE PAST SUMMER, AFTER 7 YEARS OF BEING
AWAY. I WROTE IT AS A THANK YOU TO ONE OF MY HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS WHO WAS A HUGE
INFLUENCE ON SO MANY PEOPLE, AND WHO PASSED AWAY UNEXPECTEDLY IN 2021. I ALWAYS FELT OUT
OF PLACE GROWING UP AS LIGHT COMPLECTED LIKE I DON’T BELONG, BUT MS SHANNON (BEING MIXED
HERSELF) MADE ME FEEL THAT ALTHOUGH YOU MAY NOT PHENOTYPICALLY LOOK CHAMORU, THAT
DOESN’T MEAN YOU’RE NOT PART OF THE CULTURE AND COMMUNITY.
SHAYLIN SALAS
SHAYLIN NICOLE SALAS IS A CHAMORU WRITER AND RESEARCHER. SHE WAS BORN
IN HER HOMELAND OF GUÅHAN AND RAISED IN WASHINGTON STATE. IN 2019, SHE
EARNED HER M.S. IN ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY AND SINCE THEN HAS MOVED
BACK HOME TO LIVE ON THE LAND OF HER ANCESTORS AND TO FIGHT FOR A MORE
JUST WORLD ALONGSIDE HER PEOPLE. SHE HAS BEEN STUDYING AND ENGAGING IN
ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE WORK FOR NEARLY EIGHT YEARS. SHE ENJOYS
PLAYING IN THE OCEAN, BEING WITH FAMILY, AND LIVING AND LEARNING
CHAMORU CULTURE.
CONNIE ANN EBIO SANTOS
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
MY NAME IS CONNIE ANN, I AM 31 AND HAVE BEEN RESIDING IN LAS VEGAS MOST OF MY LIFE. MY FATHER
JOINED THE ARMY WHICH LEAD OUR FAMILY TO TRAVEL ALL OVER THE WORLD. MY PARENTS ARE BOTH
FROM THE VILLAGE DEDEDO. IT WASN’T UNTIL 2019 WHEN I HAD LOST MY CORPORATE JOB OF 4 YEARS
THAT WOKE ME UP TO VISIT OUR HOMELAND. I WAS SO PULLED TO MAKE THE VISIT AND LEARN MORE
ABOUT MYSELF. I WAS PURSUING TO BECOME A PHOTOGRAPHER AT THE TIME WHICH INSPIRED ME TO
BRING MY FILM CAMERA. I LOOK AT THESE PHOTOGRAPHS OFTEN TO HELP ME REMEMBER. REMEMBER
WHO I AM, OUR ANCESTORS, THE LAND, OCEAN AND OUR VALUES. THAT TRIP FOREVER CHANGED ME.
TAYLOR ‘PAIGE’ AGUON
I AM A DIE HARD ACTIVIST WHO IS TRYING TO FIGHT FOR OUR LAND BACK, PROTECTION OF OUR NATURAL
RESOURCES, AND SPREADING AWARENESS TO THE FUTURE GENERATION ON THE DECOLONIZATION
MOVEMENT. I AM SOMEONE WHO IS TRYING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HER LANGUAGE AND CULTURE.
NATALIE "SISSY" SANTOS VELASCO
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
KADA DIHA HU HASSO HAO.
GUMA’ GELA’
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
PHOTO: CLAY AFLLEJE MAKEUP: CLAY AFLLEJE, SO’LE CELESTIAL, LOURDEZ VELASCO GRAPHIC
DESIGN: LOURDEZ VELASCO DESIGN AND STYLING: ROLDY AGUERO ABLAO, ROQUIN SIONGCO
MODELS: KALEA, ISI, HUT
,
GUMA’ GELA’ IS A QUEER CHAMORU ARTS COLLECTIVE HERE ON TURTLE ISLAND (AND ON THE ISLANDS).
A FEW ARE IN WASHINGTON, WHICH HELP US GET TOGETHER TO CREATE AND IMAGINE CULTURE, ART
AND HISTORY FROM LAGUAS YAN GANI EVERY SO OFTEN. IN 2018, WE WERE ASKED TO BE A PART OF THE
GRAND OPENING OF THE SEATTLE ASIAN ART MUSEUM, DURING A FESTIVAL HAPPENING AN ENTIRE
WEEKEND. WE HAD JUST COME OFF A FASHION SHOW IN LONDON, SO WE WERE READY TO DO MORE AND
WE’RE INSPIRED BY THE NATIVES BIRDS OF THE MARIANAS ISLANDS. DURING THIS TIME, WE LEARNED
THAT THE KO’KO BIRD WAS COMING BACK FROM ENDANGERMENT, WHICH WE ALL THOUGHT WAS A
CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION. SO WE DECIDED TO CREATE A WELCOME BACK TO THE JUNGLE TYPE OF
EXPERIENCE, WITH ALL NATIVE BIRDS COMING TO JOIN THE GUPOT. WE POSED AND FLUTTERED
THROUGH THE MUSEUM IN OUR POKSI REGALIA, LEAVING FEATHERS AND FANCY EVERYWHERE,
DANCING AND MOVING TO “STAYING ALIVE” BY LIZZO. AS CUSTOM, WE ENDED WITH THE ELECTRIC SLIDE
ON STAGE. HERE WE ARE AT THE END, EACH OF US INSPIRED BY A DIFFERENT BIRD, BOTH HERE AND
GONE, POSING OUTSIDE THE MUSEUM AND IN FRONT OF “BLACK SUN” BY ISAMU NOGUCHI. THERE ARE
ALSO POSTCARDS WE CREATED FOR EACH BIRD TOO. HERE IS A FEW OF THEM.
ROLDY AGUERO ABLAO (HE/HIM),
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
MY DAD LOVE TO REEF FISH, AND USED A TALAYA EVERY SO OFTEN. HE WOULD USE ONE WHEN HE
WOULD GO OUT TO THE WATERS, BRINGING HOME A SALTY SMELLING NET FOR MY BROTHER AND I TO
CLEAN. THERE WOULD ALGAE, SEA GRASS, SPIKEY LEAVES, CORAL, AND ALL SORTS OF REEF BITS THAT
WOULD ALSO GET CAUGHT. THE TALAYA WAS THICK, CLOUDY AND JUNGLE-LIKE, WEIGHTED DOWN WITH
SMALL BALLS OF METAL BALLS, WHICH WE WOULD HAVE TO PUSH AWAY SOMETIMES TO GET INTO THE
INTERIOR OF THE TALAYA. THIS ALSO MADE THE NET HEAVY, WHICH YOU WOULD WRAP AROUND YOUR
BODY AS YOU WADED ACROSS THE REEF. YOU WOULD GO MOSTLY DURING THE EARLY MORNINGS, WHEN
TIDES WERE A LITTLE LOWER, TO SEARCH FOR FISH THAT GOT CAUGHT INSIDE THE REEF. MY DAD WOULD
GO OFTEN, AND ONCE USED THESE AIR JORDANS THAT I GOT IN HIGH SCHOOL AS REEF WALKERS. HE
NEVER GOT THE FANCY ONES FOLKS WOULD USE BUT I ALWAYS DID LOVE THE IMAGE OF HIM WALKING
THROUGH THE WATERS WITH THESE SHOES, A NET WRAPPED AROUND HIS BODY DURING AN EARLY
MORNING LIGHT.
JAY CASTRO (HE/HIM)
ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA
REDRICEPODCAST.COM
RED RICE AND FINA’DENNE’ (FIN-UH-DEN-EE) SAUCE IS A TRADITIONAL CHAMORU DISH THAT HAS BEEN A
PART OF OUR PEOPLE FOR CENTURIES. THE RICE IS STAINED PURPOSELY WITH ACHIOTE, AND THE
FINA’DENNE’ SAUCE GIVES TRADITIONAL DISHES LIKE RED RICE, A POP—A TASTE THAT HAS YOU GOING
BACK FOR SECONDS. AND LIKE WE DO WITH A SCOOP OF RED RICE AND A DRIZZLE OF FINA’DENNE’ ON
TOP, THIS PODCAST WILL TALK STORY—BUT THAT’S THE POP—THAT TALK THAT’LL HAVE YOU COMING
BACK FOR HOURS. SO, EMBRACE YOUR CURIOSITY AS JAYBYRD NAVIGATES A CONNECTION TO HIS
HERITAGE, THE CHAMORU FROM THE MARIANAS ISLANDS.
DEREK NOCHEFRANCA (HE/HIM)
CONCORD, CALIFORNIA
@DEREKNOCHEFRANCA / DEREKNOCHEFRANCA.COM
I AM A CHARACTER/PROP DESIGNER AND A FREELANCE ILLUSTRATOR. MY SUBMISSION SPEAKS
TOWARDS REPRESENTATION IN BOTH THE MEDIUM OF ANIMATION AND WITHIN THE INDUSTRY AS A
WHOLE. I BELIEVE IN SPREADING OUR CULTURE AND JOY THROUGH STORYTELLING WITH THE HOPES OF
INSPIRING YOUNGER GENERATIONS TO FEEL INCLUDED, SEEN, AND EMPOWERED. WITH STREAMING
SERVICES TODAY, THE ANIMATION INDUSTRY IS A GROWING FIELD AND IN NEED OF AUTHENTIC
STORYTELLERS FROM ALL BACKGROUNDS AND WALKS OF LIFE. I AIM TO REPRESENT MY CHAMORU
FAMILIA AND THE ISLAND I LOVE.
ED SABLAN (HE/HIM)
PORTLAND, OREGON
I'M ED SABLAN AND I LIVE IN PORTLAND, OREGON WHERE I'VE BEEN COOKING CHAMORU FOOD
PROFESSIONALLY FOR 15 YEARS. THE LAST TIME I WAS ON GUAHAN WAS 2016 AS A MEMBER OF THE
CULINARY DIASPORA AT FESTPAC. MY ESSAY IS A SHORT STORY OF LEAVING THE ISLAND TO FIND
MYSELF.
ISA GAGARIN (SHE/HER)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
I NA'ÅN-HU SI ISA, YIYINGGA YAN MA'ESTRO YU' YAN SUMÅSAGA GIYA MINNEAPOLIS. MY NAME IS ISA, I
AM AN ARTIST AND EDUCATOR AND I LIVE IN MINNEAPOLIS. I WAS BORN ON GUAHAN, RAISED IN MILILANI,
HAWAI'I AND HAVE LIVED IN MINNEAPOLIS FOR THE PAST TWENTY YEARS. MY MATERNAL LINEAGE IS
CHAMORU (FAMILIAN BIRA YAN GORO) AND EUROPEAN AND MY PATERNAL ANCESTRY IS FROM ILOCOS
NORTE IN THE PHILIPPINES. IN 2020, I STARTED TAKING MICHAEL LUJAN BEVACQUA'S ONLINE CHAMORU
LANGUAGE CLASS. THAT YEAR MARKED THE BEGINNING OF A PERSONAL JOURNEY OF DEEPENING MY
UNDERSTANDING OF WHO I AM AND WHERE I COME FROM. "OCEAN'S BELLY BUTTON" CONVEYS A SENSE
OF FEELING CONNECTED AND FRAGMENTED AT THE SAME TIME, WHICH RELATES TO MY EXPERIENCE AS
A CHAMORU LIVING FAR AWAY FROM MY ANCESTRAL ISLAND.