Here is another Chamorro legend about how the breadfruit tree came to be on Guam. I got it from the Legends book that I found on the KPV collection which has a great collection of legends all written in Chamorro. In this post I’ve included the Chamorro, an English translation, an audio narration, and a Quizlet flashcard deck. The narration for this story is done by Jay Che’le, hope you enjoy it!

I Tutuhon i Trongkon Lemmai Guam

Nina’danña yan Trinanslådan as Carmen C. Blas
Pinentan as Lita Payne, Richard Duke, Joe Babauta

Annai på’go ha’ mataotague Guahån gi antigu na tiempo, guaha dos chume’lu na rai. I unu, rai i sanlagu na bånda gi isla, i otro, rai i sanhaya na bånda.

Un tiempo, huma’ilas i tano’ ya tumaya’ nengkånno’. Pues este i rai i sanhaya na bånda gi isla, ha arekla gue’ yan i tres famagu’on-ña para u fanmanaligao boka.

Annai manhånao lågu para u fanmanespiha håfa para na’-ñiha, manásodda’ yan i che’lu-ña na rai manmanespípiha lokkue’ nengkånno’ para na’-ñiha. Ayu nai matungo’ na todu ha’ilas i isla.

Esta dos dihas ti mañocho put i taya’ boka. Pues annai manásodda’ gi talo’ gi isla, mandeskånsa todu i taotao. Mana’fanmaigo’ i famagu’on, ya i manåmko’ mankombetsasíosion. Annai manmakmåta gi egga’an, manmåtai todu i famagu’on gi maigo’-ñiha. Pues manmahåfot i matai siha. Siha lokkue’ ni manåmko’ mancháchafflek. Manmámatka åcho’ kada naftan para lápida. Pues manchafflek ya manåsson, ti ha lálangak esta siha. Annai manmakmatanñaihon, maripåra na mandokko’ siha trongkon håyu na guaha tinekcha’-ñiha manridondo. Machagi makånno’ ya mångnge’. Maolek na nengkånno’. Este i acho’ lápida siha manmama’trongkon lemmai.

Desde ayu na tiempo, tåya’ asta nai ha’ilas i isla sa’ bula lemmai.

The Beginning of the Guam Breadfruit Tree

Gathered and translated by Carmen C. Blas
Illustrated by Lita Payne, Richard Duke, and Joe Babauta

When Guam was just populated in the ancient times, there were two brothers who were kings. One was king of the north side of the island, the other was king of the south side.

One time, there was famine in the land and it became that there was no food. And so this king of the south side of the island readied himself and his three children to search for food.

When they went north to search for what there was for their food, they and his brother the king found each other, and they were also searching for food. That was when they knew that there was famine in the entire island.

For already two days they did not eat because there was no food. And so when they found each other in the middle of the island, all of the people rested. The children were made to sleep, and the elders were conversing. When they woke up in the morning, all of the children had died in their sleep. And so the dead were buried. The elders were also quivering, at the point of death. Every grave was marked with a rock for the gravestone. And so they quivered and laid down, they were already unable to endure. When they woke for a little while, they noticed that trees had sprouted and that they had round fruits. They tried to eat them and they were delicious. It was good food. These gravestone rocks had turned into breadfruit trees.

Since that time, the island has never had a famine because it is full of breadfruit.

Study Resource

Link to Quizlet flashcard deck that breaks the story into phrase chunks: I Tutuhon i Trongkon Lemmai Guam

References

Blas, Carmen, trans. 1978. “I Tutuhon I Trongkon Lemmai Guam.” PDF. In Legend Fino’ Chamorro Siha. Guam Secondary Bilingual Education Project. https://airtable.com/appU43QeD409YS6Hl/shrXhl6F1kRn9xx1H/tblQeLirqavda9h6P/viwh0oCoEpAZEH4XG/recEkBAfmW0rCSlHF/fldWSwclEvY9lGVlu/attZMRjxsDfGeiY5Q?blocks=hide.