Here is another story about Taga, and this time it focuses more on his family relationships. We learn more about his youngest son, and also one of his daughters. This came from a book entirely about Taga, which we found in the UH Manōa Pacific Languages collection. In this post you’ll find a Chamorro audio narration of the story by Jay Che’le, the Chamorro text, and an English translation. Happy reading!
September is Chamorro and Carolinian Cultural Heritage Month in the CNMI, and so for the next month our practice group will be reading stories in honor of this celebration. This first story is about how Taga, a man known for his incredible strength, became chief of the island of Tinian. This story is from a book about Taga, which was first written down in English and then later translated into Chamorro. We found the Chamorro version, by Sylvestre Iguel, in the Pacific Languages Collection at UH Manoa when we visited in June. This post includes the Chamorro text, a Chamorro audio narration by Jay Che’le and an English translation. Happy reading!
This is the legend of Guam’s mermaid, Sirena, written in Chamorro by Dolores I. Marciano from a book I found in the KPV Collection (details below). When I was a kid I used to interpret this story as a warning to children, to always obey our parents. Reading this story again as an adult makes me realize it’s also about parenting. It’s a warning to parents to have a care for the words they use with their children, but also about the pain of letting go of them. We did deep dive on this legend with Ray Barcinas a few weeks back, and his analysis moved us and brought a few of us to tears.
So here is the Chamorro legend of Sirena, with Chamorro text, a Chamorro audio narration, and an English translation. I actually recorded this narration because Jay was in Europe all week for work and things got too busy for him to do the recording. But as soon as he gets back, I’ll have him record his narration and I’ll update the audio. 🙂 Happy reading!
Here is a Chamorro legend that tells us why the middle of the island of Guam is so skinny. It is definitely a beloved legend, as it celebrates the intelligence and courage of Chamorro women. This version combines storytelling from two different versions of this legend I found in the KPV Collection in their Education & Culture Content section (sources detailed below). But the majority uses the version from Dolores I. Marciano.
In this post you’ll find the Chamorro text, a Chamorro audio narration by Jay Che’le, an English translation, and a Quizlet flashcard set for learning the affixed words. Happy reading!
March is Mes Chamoru on Guam, so Biba Mes Chamoru! What do you all have planned for celebrating Chamorro culture and language this March? On this blog, I’m hoping to share some new Chamorro stories, in addition to the weekly stories I post here for our Saturday practice group. For me, this month is all about trying to spark our imaginations in the Chamorro language 🙂
To get us started for Mes Chamoru, here is the Legend of the Coconut, which we will be reading and translating in our morning practice group this Saturday. This post includes the Chamorro text, Chamorro audio narration by Jay Che’le, an English translation, and two Quizlet flashcard decks – one for learning affixed words, and another to learn the phrase chunks. Happy reading!
Lengguahi-ta 