A wedding day is a celebration of love, commitment, and the promises made between two people. This heartfelt song by Daniel De Leon Guerrero captures that moment in the Chamorro language. Our Saturday evening practice group transcribed this song together last night, and while the slower pace made us expect an easier listening comprehension exercise, there were still words here and there that were tricky to catch. But we all helped each other out, as we always do 🙂 This post includes Chamorro lyrics and an English translation for the song Kasamientu by Daniel De Leon Guerrero. Happy listening!
Continue reading “Kåntan Chamoru: Kasamientu”Year: 2025
Chamorro Federico Palm Dishes
This one is a rarity in itself. Meticulous preparation of the Federico Palm’s nuts is crucial, as they’re toxic when not properly prepared. I’ve never encountered dishes made with these nuts before, but they were yet another staple in traditional Chamorro life. In this post we will learn more about the Federico Palm in Guam and read about the steps for preparing it, along with three short recipes. This is the sixth part of the book Manmannge’ Na Nengkanno’ I Manchamorro Yan Taimanu Manmafa’tinas-niha written by Carmen C. Blas, which I found in the UOG Archives and Digital Collections website. This post includes the Chamorro text, an English translation, and a Chamorro audio narration by Jay Che’le. Happy reading!
Image Credit: “Understory habitation” by Chamorroplants671 available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed from Wikipedia.
Continue reading “Chamorro Federico Palm Dishes”Kåntan Chamoru: Masi
Our Saturday evening practice group is still making our way through some of Siñot Danny’s songs, and last night we listened to Masi, which is about how when times were hard on Guam, people would be collecting scrap metal for money. Jay actually remembered what it was like in the 2000s on the island, and he especially remembered when brass plaques would be stolen off of the monuments. You may also recognize the tune, as it is very similar to his song Kåddon Pika. In this post we have included Chamorro lyrics and an English translation for Masi by Daniel Deleon Guerrero. Happy listening!
Continue reading “Kåntan Chamoru: Masi”
Chamorro Breadfruit Dishes
While it’s harder to come by in the Pacific Northwest, breadfruit is an abundant and beloved staple across most of the Pacific and the Marianas are no exception. Breadfruit season on Guam makes for plentiful supply. A few years ago, when we were visiting Guam with my cousin, we were lucky enough to enjoy some breadfruit, which we prepared by blackening in the barbecue coals and smashing open to enjoy with our meal. In this post we will learn more about breadfruit on Guam and read four short recipes for preparing it. This is the fifth part of the book Manmannge’ Na Nengkanno’ I Manchamorro Yan Taimanu Manmafa’tinas-niha written by Carmen C. Blas, which I found in the UOG Archives and Digital Collections website. This post includes the Chamorro text, an English translation, and a Chamorro audio narration by Jay Che’le. Happy reading!
Updated 15-Feb-2025: Added discussion notes from our Saturday morning practice group.
90 Words for the Body in Chamorro (with Audio Pronunciations)
Let’s learn Chamorro vocabulary for the human body! In this post, we have about 90 essential words for different body parts in Chamorro, complete with English translations and audio pronunciations voiced by Jay Che’le. Happy studying!
Continue reading “90 Words for the Body in Chamorro (with Audio Pronunciations)”
Lengguahi-ta 