Over the past few months I’ve been a bit obsessed with matchmaker television shows, and when I stumbled across this story in Påle’ Eric’s book Estoriåye Yo’ I was so excited. We read and translated this story in our Saturday morning practice group, and all of us got a great chuckle at the story’s end. If you don’t already have a copy of Påle’ Eric’s book Estoriåye Yo’, I would highly recommended getting it. It’s a collection of over 300 stories in Chamorro with English translations for every story, which is fantastic for those of us learning the language. I hope you enjoy this story about I Atkaguete, or The Matchmaker, written by Påle’ Eric Forbes and narrated by Jay Che’le.

I Atkaguete

Tinige’ as Påle’ Eric Forbes

Sotteran biha si Tan Sabet lao tomtom gi kasamiento. Desde hiniben-ña, ha tungo’ si Tan Sabet håyi na låhi maolek para håyi na palao’an. Ha gof tungo’ i kostumbren kada taotao; i minaolek-ña yan i defekton-ña. Ya siña ha sodda’i hao ni taotao ni gos umaya’ yan hågu para asaguå-mu. “Atkaguete” ma å’ågang i taotao ni manalíligao para asaguå-mu.

Un diha, måtto un hoben ni mappot ma sodda’i nobiå-ña. Bonitu na låhi, maolek kostumbren-ña ya bula tano’-ña. Lao guaha unu defekton-ña; ha’masahalom i lahi ya tåya’ dos pat tres oras esta gaipao. Maseha unu ha’ defekton-ña, lao nahong para ti u ma guaiya este na taotao ni famalao’an. Esta dos åños de manespiha gue’ para asaguå-ña, lao tåya’ sotterita malago’. Ha hungok i estoriå-ña si Tan Sabet pues ilek-ña, “Konne’ yu’ agupa’ para Inalåhan sa’ esta hu tungo’ håyi siña para asaguå-mu.”

Gi sigiente diha, humånao si Tan Sabet yan i taotao para Inalåhan ya ma kuentusi i sotterita yan i familiå-ña. Hokkok minagof-ña i taotao sa’ magof i palao’an chumåhlao i lahi, ya gof bonita i palao’an. Tres meses despues, umasagua i dos. Todu i maneståba gi Misa yan gi gipot despues manásangåni, “Ai na sinuette este na taotao! Ti maguaiya put i masahalom-ña lao atan ha’ på’go sa’ umasagua yan bonita na palao’an!”

Ti ma tungo’ i taotao na annai pápatgon i nobia mumalångu ya ayu na klåsen chetnot ni ha padesi ha afekta i gui’eng-ña, ya tåya’ remedio. Solo si Tan Sabet tumungo’ na ti siña i nobia mannginge’.

The Matchmaker

Written by Father Eric Forbes

Tan Sabet was an old spinster but wise about marriage. Since her youth, Tan Sabet knew what man was good for what woman. She knew well the behavior of each person; their virtues and their defects. And she could find the person well-suited to you for your spouse. A person who finds you a spouse is called atkaguete or matchmaker.

One day, a young man came who it was difficult to find a bride for. He was handsome, had good manners, and had lots of land. But he had one defect; he was sweaty and had a smell after only two or three hours. Though he had just this one fault, it was enough for the women to dislike him. Two years already he looked for a wife but no one wanted him. Tan Sabet heard his story then she said, “Take me to Inarahan tomorrow because I already know who will be your wife.”

The next day, Tan Sabet and the man went to Inarahan and they talked to a young lady and her family. The man’s joy was complete because the lady was happy to marry the man, and she was very beautiful. Three months later, the two were married. Everyone at Mass and the party afterwards said to each other, “What a lucky man! He was disliked because of his sweat but now look he has married and a beautiful woman at that!”

The people didn’t know that when she was a child, the bride got sick and her kind of illness that she suffered affected her nose, and there was no cure. Only Tan Sabet knew that the bride could not smell.

Notes

atkaguete: In the Official Chamorro-English Dictionary that came out in 2009, you will find this word defined as “something that is fake.” But in the dictionary by Påle’ Roman de Vera, this term is defined as “matchmaker” or “go-between” from the Spanish word alcahuete.

Quizlet Study Resource

Here’s a Quizlet flashcard deck I made to study the phrase chunks: I Atkaguete