Did you ever eat alåguan growing up? I never heard this term in my childhood, but hot rice or wheat porridge was a common breakfast food (and comfort food!) for me. On a couple of occasions my mother cooked me champulådu (rice porridge with chocolate), but I didn’t like it as much as plain porridge. When I mentioned the word champulådu to Jay’s mom, she had never heard of it. But once I explained the dish, she immediately said, “Oh, we call that alåguan.” While champulådu comes from a Mexican dish called champurrado, alåguan is a more general term. So to kick off our morning practice group for the new year, here is a cozy story in Chamorro that centers around pumpkin porridge, which I found in the UOG Digital Archives and Exhibitions site. This post incudes the Chamorro text, a Chamorro audio narration by Jay Che’le, and an English translation. Happy reading!
Updated 1-13-2025: Added a Chamorro cooking vocabulary worksheet for practicing new words from the story. Un dångkulo na si Yu’os ma’åse to my fellow learner for putting this learning resource together and sharing it with everyone!
Månnge’ na Alåguan Kalamasa
Tinige’ as Dolores Marciano
Eståba un biha na sumåsaga gi un guma’ dikike’1 yan i ga’-ña katon å’paka yan i ga-ña ga’lågu. Mampos i gimå’-ña chågo’ kontra i sengsong. Håssan este i biha nai manli’e’ taotao, solo ha’ humånao para i sengsong yan i ga-ña siha yanggen guaha nisisidåt-ña. Nina’gógof magof i biha komu guaha bisitå-ña pat estrangheru siha mañåganñaihon guini gi gimå’-ña, maseha pot un råtu pat para u fanggimen hånom åntes di u ma kontinua i kareran-ñiha.
Guini lokkue’ annai sumåsaga i biha guaha siha tinanóm-ña gollai ya meggai lokkue’ tinanóm-ña flores. Mansén bunitu yan difirentes klåsen mineddong yan kulot flores i manggaige gi uriyan i gimå’-ña. Guaha lokkue’ tinanóm-ña suni, kamuti yan kalamasa na manggof lå’la’. Todu este siha na tinanom ni manggaige gi uriyan i gima’ i biha, ha na’sésetbe yanggen malago’ chumocho, tat komu i sini, kamuti yan i tinanóm-ña siha gollai. Ayu ha’ i biha ti ha ú’usa i tinanom kalamasa sa’ ti ha tungo’ håfa este na nengkånno’. Kulang nina’ma’å’ñao i biha nu este na klåsen tinanom sa’ på’go ha’ manlíli’e tinanom kalamasa. Guaha na biahi nai ha faisen maisa gue’ kao mamákånno’2 este i tinekcha’ kalamasa pat binenu para nengkånno’-ña.
Un diha annai mamómokkat i biha gi halom i hatdin, ha ripåra na guaha tres na tinekcha’ kalamasa ni manggof bibu i kulot-ñiha, kulot kåhet. Dumeha ya ha gof ripåra i tinekcha’ kalamasa lao ti ha tungo’ håfa para u cho’gue. Gaige lokkue i ga’-ña katu na duru humugåndo yan i ga’lågu. Duru i dos di umádulalak gi halom i tinanom siha. Ayu na ha’åni mampos manengheng.
Ti åpmam ha hungok i biha na guaha manyåya’ho3 gi pettan sanme’na. Humånao i biha para u espiha håyi na bisita gaige gi petta. Annai ha baba i biha i petta ha sodda’ na gaige un hobensita na palao’an. Esta sen yayas i pusision-ña i palao’an.
“Maila’ hålom ya un deskånsanñaihon,” ilek-ña i biha guatu gi palao’an.
Mampos i palao’an i minagof-ña annai ha ripåra na kinembíbida gue’ hålom nu i biha. Humålom i palao’an yan matå’chong gi fi’on i guafi pot para u na’maipenñaihon gue’ ginen i manengheng.
“Si Yu’os ma’åse’, lao kao siña yu’ un na’chocho4 sa’ esta yu’ gof ñålang,” kumuentos i palao’an.
Chinatge nu i biha ya nina’i un båsson lechi, dos dibånan pån yan inafliton kåtne. Duru i palao’an di chumocho. Gof magof i biha para u setbe este i bisitå-ña sa’ esta sen åpmam desde ki manli’e gue’ taotao.
Sumåga ha’ i palao’an guini gi gima’ i biha esta i sigiente diha. Ayu lokkue’ na puenge, meggai i biha finaisen kuestion pot i tinanóm-ña kalamasa. Annai monhåyan ha ekkungok i ineppen i palao’an pot i tinanom kalamasa ayu nai humånao i dos maigo’.
Táftataf5 gi sigiente ogga’an, makmåta i biha ginen i maigo’-ña sa’ sumén paopao i ningingenge’-ña pao nengkånno’ ginen i kusinå-ña. Hinassó-ña na mangguíguifi gue ni pao nengkånno’ ni sumén paopao yan sumén mångge’ pao-ña. Ensigidas humuyong gi kusina para u espiha håfa guaha annai ha sodda’ esta i palao’an na munána’lagu.
“Ai hagå-hu håfa ennao i un fa’títinas na sumén mångge’ i pao-ña,” ha faisen i biha i palao’an.
“Hu na’lálagu este i alåguan kalamasa. Fatå’chong påpa’ sa’ esta yu’ listo para bai hu setbe hao,” manoppe i palao’an.
Matå’chong i dos para u boka. Guaha didide’ para i ga’ i biha katu yan i ga’lagu. Ha nå’yi lokkue’ i dos na tassón dångkulo para na’-ña yan i unu para i biha. Duru i dos di chumocho. Sumén månnge’ i fina’tinas-ña este i palao’an. Gof månnge’ i kinanónno’-ña i biha6, esta ha lachai ha’ dos tassón alåguan.
Åntes ha’ di u dingu i palao’an i biha, ha faisen i biha i palao’an håfa taimanu bidå-ña nu i alaguan-ña kalamasa.
“Tåya’ bidå-hu na hu na’loklok ha’ i hanom pues hu sotne hålom i kalamasa siha. Debi di un lassas i kalamasa pues na’suha i pipitas-ña åntes di un chåchak dikike’ siha yanggen para un na’lagu. Yanggen esta måsa i kalamasa ya kulang manmañaña’ esta, pues nå’yi hålom un låtan lechi, yan kuatro na kuchålan asukat. Este yanggen un na’setbe kuatro na pusuelon kalamasa. Yanggen un siente na esta mames nå’yi didide’ mantikiya yan un kucharitan banila. Pues yanggen måsa, ayu nai siña un kånno’,” ilek-ña i palao’an.
Desde di ayu na tiempo sumén månnge’ i biha alågúaguan-ña7 yanggen ha alåguan i kalamasa.8
Delicious Pumpkin Porridge
Written by Dolores Marciano
There was an elderly woman that lived in a small house with her white cat and her dog. Her house was very far from the village. This elderly woman rarely saw people, only when she went to the village with her animals if there was anything she needed. The elderly woman was made very happy if she had a visitor, or if strangers stayed for a while at her house, even if if it was just for a moment, or if they were to drink water before continuing their journey.
Here also where the elderly woman lived, she had vegetable plants and also many flowers. They were very beautiful, with different kinds of sizes and colors, the flowers that were around her house. She also had taro plants, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins that were really thriving. All of these plants that were around the house of the elderly woman, she would use them if she wanted to eat, such as the taro, sweet potatoes, and her vegetable plants. It was only the pumpkin plant that the elderly woman did not use, because she did not know what this food was. It was as though the old woman was frightened by this type of plant because it was her first time seeing a pumpkin plant. Sometimes she asked herself if this pumpkin plant was edible or poisonous for her to eat.
On day when the elderly woman was walking inside the garden, she noticed that there were three pumpkin plants with very robust colors, the color orange. She squatted down and she really noticed the pumpkin plant, but she didn’t know what to do. Her cat was also there, and kept on playing with the dog. The two kept chasing each other in the plants. That day was very cold.
Soon the elderly woman heard that there was someone knocking at the front door. The elderly woman went to see who the visitor was at the door. When the elderly woman opened the door, she found that there was a young woman. The woman already seemed to be very tired.
“Come in and rest for a whilte,” the elderly woman said to the woman.
The woman was so happy when she realized that she was being invited in by the elderly woman. The woman went inside and she set next to the fire to quickly warm herself up from the cold.
“Thank you, but can you feed me because I’m already so hungry,” the woman spoke.
She was smiled at by the elderly woman, and was given a glass of milk, two slices of bread, and fried meat. The woman was really eating. The elderly woman was very happy to serve her visitor because it had already been a very long time since she had seen someone.
The woman did stay here in the house of the elderly woman until the following day. That night as well, the elderly woman had many questions about her pumpkin plants. When she finished listening to the replies of the woman about the pumpkin plant, that is when the two went to sleep.
Very early the following morning, the elderly woman woke from her sleep because the food aroma she was smelling from her kitchen smelled really good. She thought that she was dreaming about a food aroma with a scent that was extremely fragrant and delicious. As soon as she went out to the kitchen to see what was there, she found that the woman was already cooking.
“Oh my daughter, what is that you are cooking that has such a delicious scent?” the elderly woman asked the woman.
“I am cooking this pumpkin porridge. Sit down because I am already read to serve you,” the woman answered.
The two sat down to eat. There was a little bit for the elderly woman’s cat and dog. She also filled the two big bowls for her food and one for the elderly woman. The two continued to eat. This woman’s cooking was very delicious. What the elderly woman was eating was very tasty, she had already finished two bowls of porridge.
Before the woman left the elderly woman, the elderly woman asked the woman how she did what she did with her pumpkin porridge.
“I didn’t do anything, I just boiled the water then I boiled the pumpkin in it. When you are going to cook it, you must skin the pumpkin, then remove its seeds before you chop it up small. When the pumpkin is already cooked, and it’s already about tender, then add in one can of milk, and four spoons of sugar. This is if you hae used four cups of pumpkin. If you sense that it’s already sweet, add a little bit of butter and one teaspoon of vanilla. Then when it’s ready, that is when you can it eat,” the woman said.
Since that time, the porridge that the elderly woman would make was very delicious when she would make porridge from the pumpkin.
Notes
1 guma’ dikike’: This translates to “small house.” As second language learners, we may be used to an adjective coming before the noun, and being linked to it with na, such as in the phrase dikike’ na guma’. But if an adjective describes size, shape, age, color or nationality, we may see it follow the noun (See Sandra Chung’s Chamorro Grammar, pg. 159). We also see this structure in the later phrase katun å’paka, which means “white cat.”
2 mamákånno’: This means “edible.”
3 manyåya’ho: The root word is yå’ho which most dictionaries define as “to wake up.” But it also has a second meaning, which means “to knock”. So we can understand manyåya’ho to be the same as mandådakdak, which means “knocking”. These words are commonly used to describe somebody knocking on the door, like the front door.
4 kao siña yu’ un na’chocho: The key word in this phrase is na’chocho which is the causative na’- prefix and the verb chocho, which means “to eat.” So the literal translation of na’chocho is “to cause to eat.” But we can understand this in English as “to feed someone or something.” So the entire phrase is “Can you feed me?”
5 Táftataf: This is the word taftaf transformed with reduplication. Notice that we don’t say taftaftaf, but rather táftataf. In words where the reduplicated syllable ends with a consonant, we don’t reduplicate that last consonant because this creates additional drag in our mouths, make it harder to speak fluidly and rapidly.
6 Gof månnge’ i kinanónno’-ña i biha: This translates to “What the elderly woman was eating was so delicious.” In this phrase, we want to pay attention to the word kinanónno’-ña, which is the verb kånno’ (to eat), transformed with the IN infix, the possessive pronoun -ña, and reduplication.
7 sumén månnge’ i biha alågúaguan-ña: To help us understand what this phrase is saying, a fun way to translate it is, “The elderly woman’s porridge-ing was very delicious.” The word alågúaguan-ña is the root word alåguan (porridge) transformed with the possessive pronoun -ña and reduplication. We can understand it as “her porridge making” or “her making of porridge.”
8 yanggen ha alåguan i kalamasa: Up until this point in the story, we have understood the word alåguan as a noun, which means “porridge.” In this sentence it is being used as a verb, and a literal way we can understand it is, “when she would alåguan the pumpkin” or “when she would make porridge out of the pumpkin.” This highlights the flexibility of Chamorro, and a common similar usage is with the word kelaguen. We can eat kelaguen månnok, but we can also kelaguen the chicken (make kelaguen out of the chicken).
Worksheet: Chamorro Cooking Vocabulary
A fellow learner from our practice group created this worksheet to highlight and practice some new cooking vocabulary from the story. They were gracious enough to let me post this with the story as a study resource for everyone, but asked that their name be removed from the document. I hope it helps you practice and learn some new Chamorro vocabulary!
Source
Dolores Marciano, “Mannge’ Na Alaguan Kalamasa,” University of Guam Digital Archives and Exhibitions, accessed January 9, 2025, https://uogguafak.omeka.net/items/show/550.
Lengguahi-ta 