Year: 2026

Upcoming Workshops for June 2026

On By Schyuler LujanIn AnnouncementsLeave a comment

Håfa Adai, everyone! Together with our friend Dabit Taitingfong, we’ll be teaching two in-person Chamorro language workshops at this year’s Chamorro Day Festival in Tacoma, WA, hosted by Guma’ Imahe. Information about our workshops is shown below, including registration links.

In addition to the workshops, Jay and I will be participating as vendors, selling Chamorro language greeting cards and stationery from my creative business, Bula Guinaiya. Hope to see you there!

Last Updated: May 18, 2026 – The date on the flyers has been corrected to read June 25, 2026.

Fino’ Chamoru for Absolute Beginners

Event Details:

  • Workshop Date: June 25, 2026
  • Time: 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM (Pacific Time)
  • Organization: Guma’ Imahe
  • Community Event: Chamorro Day Festival 2026
  • Location: Tacoma, WA
  • Facilitators: Schyuler Elise Lujan, Juan Cruz Quintanilla, Jr., and Dabit Taitingfong

Registration Details:

Workshop Description: The Chamorro language connects us to our culture, our islands, and our elders and ancestors. For many of us, however—especially those who did not grow up speaking it—the language has felt distant or out of reach. This workshop is designed specifically for absolute beginners, with no prior knowledge required. Its goal is to set participants on a path toward long-term success in learning Chamorro as adults. Together, we will explore the historical pressures and present-day barriers that have shaped our relationship to the language, while also discussing key mindsets that help learners move forward with confidence. Participants will also take part in a beginner-friendly Chamorro lesson, learning foundational sounds, words, and simple phrases, as well as practical strategies for continuing their studies. By the end of the workshop, attendees will leave not only with a starting foundation in Chamorro but also with a clearer sense that learning the language is possible. Each participant will receive a self-study beginner Chamorro workbook to support continued learning beyond the workshop.

Chamorro At Home: Strategies for the Whole Family

Event Details:

  • Workshop Date: June 25, 2026
  • Time: 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Pacific Time)
  • Organization: Guma’ Imahe
  • Community Event: Chamorro Day Festival 2026
  • Location: Tacoma, WA
  • Facilitators: Schyuler Elise Lujan, Juan Cruz Quintanilla, Jr., and Dabit Taitingfong

Registration Details:

Workshop Description: Many families want to use more Chamorro at home but aren’t sure where to begin. Some may worry that they aren’t “fluent enough” to start. Regardless of how much Chamorro is currently used, the home remains one of the most powerful places for the language to live and grow. This workshop explores the dynamics of Chamorro language use in the home and addresses common concerns around speaking and using Chamorro in everyday family life. It is designed for anyone who wants to bring Chamorro into the home—whether you are a parent learning the language yourself or a native speaker hoping to pass it on to your children and grandchildren. By the end of the workshop, participants will leave with (1) a clear sense that using Chamorro at home is possible for every family member, regardless of current fluency; (2) concrete, actionable steps they can begin implementing right away; and (3) confidence that meaningful progress comes from consistent, low-stress practice—not immediate fluency.

Håfa Fina’tinánas-mu? by Mick Celis – Kåntan Chamorita Lyrics and English Translation

On By Schyuler LujanIn Chamorro Songs2 Comments

A couple of weeks ago, Tamar Celis shared this kåntan Chamorita with our practice groups. The story behind this song is actually quite sweet: Tamar gave her father a “homework assignment” to make a kåntan Chamorita, and this is what he sent back! Not only is this a delightful song about preparing Chamorro food, but he also uses some older words that we may not hear too often. And it’s also a lovely example of the Chamorro tradition of impromptu musical storytelling about the activities and relationships that make up the fabric of Chamorro life. I so appreciate Tamar’s generosity in sharing this song with our group and allowing me to post it here on the blog.

You can also find Tamar on her YouTube channel, Tamar Agupa’, where she shares her own journey to becoming a Chamorro speaker. If you are looking for inspiration to become a speaker – especially if you have tried several times before – I highly recommend watching her videos. Tamar is honest, approachable, and refreshingly candid about her process, which makes her journey both relatable and motivating.

As always, this post includes the Chamorro song lyrics, an English translation, and language notes for the kåntan Chamorita “Håfa Fina’tinánas-mu?” by Mick Celis. Happy listening!

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Chamorro Listening Comprehension Activity: Coconut Crab Soup, Part 1

On By Schyuler LujanIn Chamorro VoicesLeave a comment

Lately Jay has been testing out a different kind of learning activity with our practice group, focused on strengthening listening comprehension of spoken Chamorro. He listens to online clips of Chamorro speakers and creates comprehension questions to see how much we actually catch. These types of exercises are a great way to strengthen real-time listening comprehension of Chamorro.

This post includes the first set of Jay’s listening comprehension exercises for a clip from the video “Kadon Ayuyu” by Stel Star Productions, which can be found on YouTube. The video does include English subtitles, so make sure to hide the subtitles (or don’t look at them!) to get the most out of this exercise. I’ve included the comprehension questions with sample answers, in Chamorro first followed by English translations. The questions are formatted as “click-to-reveal” – just click the question to reveal a sample answer. Do your best to give your answers in Chamorro, in your own words. Happy listening!

PS: If you want to listen to the video clip again, refresh the whole page to reset the time stamps (4:24 – 8:23).

Image Credit: By Drew Avery – originally posted to Flickr as Coconut Crab {Birgus latro}#2, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9861915

Continue reading “Chamorro Listening Comprehension Activity: Coconut Crab Soup, Part 1” →

Churisus Påkpak by Chilang Delgado – Chamorro Lyrics and English Translation

On By Schyuler LujanIn Chamorro SongsLeave a comment

Two Saturdays ago our evening practice group listened to and transcribed Churisus Påkpak by Chilang Delgado. On the surface, the song appears to be about churisus påkpak, a sausage that is common in Chamorro kitchens and gets its name from the fact that it bursts open when cooked (hence the word påkpak which means “explode” or “pop”). But this is a song full of innuendo, and the churisus påkpak is just imagery to represent something else. It wasn’t until we reached the final lyric that it suddenly clicked for the group what the song is actually talking about. (Jay only had us listen to the audio, as the music video makes the underlying meaning obvious).

This post includes the music video, Chamorro lyrics, an English translation, language notes and a cultural context note for the song Churisus Påkpak by Chilang Delgado. Happy listening!

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How to Say “How” in Chamorro

On By Schyuler LujanIn Chamorro Lessons: Beginner1 Comment

This post is part of our 50 lesson Beginner Chamorro learning path.

In this lesson, we’ll explore different ways to ask how something is done in Chamorro. These are the kinds of questions we use when we’re curious about a process — whether we’re asking How was the soup made? or How does one fish? Chamorro uses the word taimanu (“how”) in several patterns, and we’ll learn some of the most common ones that are easy for beginners to apply. We’ll start with questions about actions done to something, like making rope or building a shelter. Then we’ll shift to questions about activities, such as swimming, dancing, or running on the sand. Each pattern builds on the last, helping you expand the core patterns step-by-step.

As always, this lesson includes example sentences, English translations, and audio narrations by Jay Che’le to guide your learning. Happy studying!

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