As I continue making my way through our growing backlog of songs, I wanted to share one that our group listened to and transcribed back in March. This song, written and performed by Daniel De Leon Guerrero, is a beautiful tribute to the Marianas, and through its lyrics, we’re reminded of the deep love and pride that many feel for these islands. In this post, you’ll find Chamorro lyrics and an English translation for the song Kao Guaha Na Un Bisita by Daniel De Leon Guerrero. Happy listening!
Continue reading “Kao Guaha na Un Bisita by Daniel De Leon Guerrero – Chamorro Lyrics and English Translation”Author: Schyuler Lujan
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Hånao På’gu Tåta by Bobbie Camacho – Chamorro Lyrics and English Translation
This past Saturday, our Praktikan Pupuengi group began exploring a new list of songs. We’re focusing on music from Chamorro women, and the first song we chose is Hånao På’gu Tåta, sung by Bobbie Camacho—a heartfelt tribute to a father who has passed away. Coincidentally, last Saturday was also the anniversary of one of our members’ father’s passing, making the song an especially meaningful way to honor and remember.
As always, this post includes Chamorro lyrics and an English translation for this song, Hånao På’gu Tåta by Bobbie Camacho. Happy listening!
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The Overnight Vigil in Past Times on Guam
In earlier times, when death came to a Chamorro family, it was met at home—with prayer, care, and community. One important custom was the bella (or bela), the overnight vigil held at the home of the deceased. In my own life, I’ve never attended a bella, and neither has Jay—in his family, the last one was held when his grandfather passed away. Have you ever attended a bella, or heard about this tradition from your elders? In this post, we share a story about this traditional practice in Chamorro culture, along with the Chamorro text, an English translation, language footnotes, and an audio narration by Jay Che’le. Happy reading!
The Heat of the Road: Exploring Spiritual Energy and Sickness in Chamorro Life
Prefer to listen? Hear this essay narrated below on Spotify:
For the past two weeks, our Saturday morning practice group has been reading an interview with the suruhåna Tan Maria Palacios Crisostomo, featured in the Directory of Traditional Healers & Medicinal Plants in the CNMI. I chose this text because she discusses a concept called Minaipen Chålan—literally “the heat of the road,” but more accurately describing the harmful spiritual energy that one can pick up while traveling.
Since I would need Tan Maria’s written permission to share the full interview here, I instead wanted to write about the rich discussion her words inspired in our group. In this post, I’ll share some of our reflections on how heat, spiritual energy, and spiritual sickness are understood in Chamorro culture, as well as the practices we engage in—or have seen in our families and communities—around these ideas.
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Learning “Don’t” in Chamorro, Part 2: Referencing Yourself With Mungnga’ – “Don’t Ask Me”
In part 2 of this mini-series on saying “don’t” in Chamorro, we’ll learn how to tell someone not to do something to you—for example, “Don’t talk to me”, “Don’t touch me” or “Don’t ask me.” We’ll still be using mungnga’ in this post, but with a slightly different speech pattern. And if you missed it, check out Part 1 of this blog series for a brief introduction on using mungnga’.
As always, this post includes example sentences, Chamorro audio narrations by Jay Che’le and English translations. Happy studying!
Continue reading “Learning “Don’t” in Chamorro, Part 2: Referencing Yourself With Mungnga’ – “Don’t Ask Me””
Lengguahi-ta 