I’ve been trawling the internet again in search of Chamorro stories, and I found this story from a collection that was published in Luta in 1976 (details below). In this story we learn why in Luta, sewing at nighttime is considered a bad thing to do.

This post includes the Chamorro text, an English translation, Chamorro audio narration, and two Quizlet flashcard study decks. The is narration is done by Jay Che’le, hope you enjoy it!

I Chatpago na Bruha

Ginen i “Lepblon Manaitai Para I Sinko Grådu”
Nina’huyong nu i Marianas District Education Media Production

Sumén anakko’ na tiempo maloffan, eståba un biha na gaihaga bunita. Un puengi i bunita na palao’an ha gåsta meggai na ora para u låkse i bestidu-ña para i espisiat na ha’åni. Este i bunita na palao’an guaha unu dånges-ña. Ti u fonhåyan i linachai ha’ i danges-ña.

Pues annai manlálåkse este i patgon, måtto un chatpago na bruha. Ilek-ña i bruha nu i patgon, “Ai i danges-mu sa’ esta ti apmam linachai. Bai hu nå’i hao dånges-hu ya un na’fonhåyan i linakse-mu.”

Mampos magof i patgon ya ha kontinua i linakse-ña. Monhåyan ha’ i linakse-ña lao ti hokkok i danges. Pues ha chule’ i danges i bruha ya ha po’lo gi sagan magågu ya humånao para u maigo’. Ti siña maigo’ i patgon sa’ ha háhasso’ ha’ i danges ni nina’i gue ni bruha.

Ensigidas kahulo’ ya humånao para u espiha i danges. Annai ha baba i sagan magågu ha li’e’ un to’lang. Mampos ma’å’ñao ya humånao ya ha sangåni si nanå-ña nu i sinisede-ña. Pues inenkåtga as nanå-ña na u påra manlåkse yanggen puengi.

Desde ayu na tiempo, i taotao guini giya Luta manmanhongge na båba manlåkse yanggen puengi.

The Ugly Witch

From the book “Reading Book for the 5th Grade”
Printed by the Marianas District Education Media Production

A very long time past, there was an elderly woman who had a beautiful daughter. One night the beautiful girl spent many hours to sew her dress for a special day. This beautiful girl had one candle. It (her sewing) would not be finished, the candle would be used up.

And so when this child was sewing, an ugly witch arrived. The witch said to the child, “Oh no, your candle, it will already be used up soon. I will give you my candle and you will finish your sewing.”

The child was very happy and she continued her sewing. Her sewing was finished, but the candle was not used up. So she took the candle of the witch and put it in the wardrobe* and she went to go sleep. The child could not sleep because she was thinking about the candle that she was given by the witch.

She got up quickly and went to look for the candle. When she opened the wardrobe she saw a bone. She was very afraid and she went and told her mother what happened to her. Then she was ordered by her mother to stop sewing when it was nighttime.

Since that time, the people here on Rota believe that it’s bad to sew if it is nighttime.

Notes

*sagan magågu: this is literally “the place of clothes”, which I’m interpreting to be a place where clothes are kept, like a wardrobe or closet.

Study Resources

This first Quizlet Deck is to help you learn some vocabulary words from the story: The Ugly Witch – New Words.

Here is a quizlet study deck to help you study the story broken down into phrase chunks: The Ugly Witch Quizlet Deck

References

Lepblon manaitai, para 1, Sinko gradu. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands ROTA Project. 1976. Mariana Islands : Mariana District Education Media Production. 

oai:pacific.library.manoa.hawaii.edu:547387