When you were growing up, did you practice the Chamorro custom of respectfully greeting elders by taking their hand and sniffing it? In my family we would just go around giving hugs and kisses to our elders, so when I was introduced to this custom I wasn’t used to it at all! Here is a short story in Chamorro about this custom, from a book about Chamorro customs that I found in the KPV collection. You can also read more about this custom on Guampedia. I’ve included the Chamorro text, English translation, and the original pdf. The narration for this story is done by Jay Che’le.

I Kostumbren  Mannginge’

Tinige’ as Carmen C. Blas
Pinentan as Lita Payne

Desde antétes gi tiempon Españot, guaha kostumbren i Mañamoru ginen i Españot ni yanggen manásodda’ i manhoben yan i manåmko’, mago’te kannai-ñiha i manåmko’ ya manmannginge’ i manhoben. Esta pápå’go ha’ na tiempo guaguaha ha’ este na kostumbre.

Achokka’ ti amko’ lokkue’ i taotao, yanggen tihu pat tihå, manmannginge’ ha’. Guaha nai åmko’-ña i subrinu pat i subrina ki i tihå pat i tihu.

Meggai na manhoben esta ti yan-ñiha pat manmamåhlao manmannginge’, buente ti mangof rekto i mañainan-ñiha. Guaha na mañaina yanggen ti manmannginge’ i famagu’on-ñiha, manmakastítiga lao guaguaha ha’ famagu’on ni yan-ñiha ha’ manmannginge’.

Meggai na okasion nai ma’u’usa este i mannginge’, yanggen på’go umali’e’ i dos taotao ya unu åmko’, otro hoben, pat unu tiha pat tihu. Yanggen lokkue’ ginen i gima’yu’us, nobena pat lisåyu, pat maseha håfa na tinaitai, manánangga na u guaha mannginge’. Yanggen måtto i dos taotao ginen umasagua, mana’dimu gi salan i gima’ gi hilo’ guafak ya mamila i manåmko’ para u fanmannginge’. Yanggen måtto lokkue’ i patgon ginen matakpångi, mana’líliko’ gi manåmko’ para u mana’fannginge’.

Este i mannginge’, gof bonito na kostumbren i Mañamoru ya maolek buente mana’la’metgot. Dångkulu na respetu manmannånå’i i manåmko’ yanggen manmannginge’.

The Custom of Showing Respect*

Written by Carmen C. Blas
Illustrated by Lita Payne

Since way before in the Spanish times, there has been a custom of the Chamorros from the Spanish that when the youth and the elders meet each other, the hands of the elders are held and the youth smell them. Up until these times now, this custom still exists.

Even, too, though the person is not old, if they are an uncle or aunt, they still show respect. Sometimes the nephew or niece is older than the aunt or uncle.

Many young people already do not like to, or they are embarrassed to show respect, because their parents probably are not very strict. There are parents who, if their children do not greet with respect, they punish them, but there are still children who still like to greet with respect.

This custom of showing respect is used on many occasions, if two people see each other for the first time and one is old and the other is young, or if one is an aunt or uncle. Also in coming from church, a novena or rosary, or any kind of prayer, they will wait for there to be the custom of showing respect. If two people arrive from getting married, they will be made to kneel in the living room of the house on top of a woven mat and the elders will line up for the custom. If a child also arrives from being baptized, he/she is made to go around to the elders to be given the greeting.

This showing of respect is a beautiful custom of the Chamorro people and it’s good that it should probably be made stronger. A lot of respect is given to the elders when their hands are smelled.

Notes

*The word mannginge’ comes from the root word nginge’ which means “to smell.” In this context, mannginge’ is the custom of showing respect to elders by taking their hand and smelling it.