The Whaler Returned

On By Schyuler LujanIn Chamorro StoriesLeave a comment

I will be flying back to the States this week after spending a lovely holiday here on Guam (despite being sick at home for most of it!) and I am already thinking about when we will be able to come back. At this point in our lives, it always feels like we are leaving family behind to be with family somewhere else. But whether we are with family in the Marianas or in the States, it always feels like a homecoming. So in that spirit, here is a heart-warming story by Påle’ Eric Forbes from his book “Estoriåye Yo'” about a whaler returning home to Guam. The narration for this story is done by Jay Che’le, hope you enjoy it!

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I Nobenan I Niño Jesus – A Guide to a Christmas Season Novena in Chamorro

On By Schyuler LujanIn Chamorro NobenaLeave a comment

Håfa adai todus hamyo! It has been a while since my last post – the last two months have been rough, as I’ve been repeatedly sick. To be honest I’m still struggling with my health and need to prioritize rest. But we made it to Guam for the holidays and Jay’s family has been saying the nobena to the baby Jesus this past week. This is a new experience for me, because my family did not keep this tradition going after moving to the states. So to help those who may be like me, here is a general how-to guide for praying this nobena, including what the nobena is, what’s usually involved in hosting it, the general order of songs, prayers and readings (as followed by Jay’s family – other families may follow a different order), and why praying the nobena can be helpful for language learners. Please note that this post will not include English translations. I plan to go over the English translations in separate blog posts.

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Inalåhan Gi Kanton Tåsi by I Gurupun Mañe’lu – Chamorro Lyrics and English Translation

On By Schyuler LujanIn Chamorro SongsLeave a comment

Here’s a song we listened to during one of our evening practice groups that has some nice feel-good vibes. I will definitely be clinging to those vibes as the days get shorter and darker here in the Pacific Northwest. So here are some Chamorro lyrics and an English translation for “Inalåhan gi Kanton Tåsi” by I Gurupun I Mañe’lu. Hope you enjoy it!

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How to Say “I Must Stay” in Chamorro – Expressing Obligation With Intransitive Verbs

On By Schyuler LujanIn Chamorro Lessons: Beginner3 Comments

This lesson is part of the Beginner Chamorro learning path.

In this lesson, you learn how to talk about things you must or should do in Chamorro — sentences like “I must go,” “you should rest,” or “we must work.” You practice a simple pattern that lets you express responsibilities, obligations, and things that need to be done using everyday action words. By the end of the lesson, you can build clear sentences to talk about what someone needs to do.

(This post has been updated, with clearer organization of topics and new example sentences. Audio recordings for the new example sentences are forthcoming.)

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Legend: Si Chaifi

On By Schyuler LujanIn Chamorro Legends, Chamorro StoriesLeave a comment

This is another Chamorro legend that I never heard about until I started learning Chamorro, which is the legend of Chaifi, the god of fire or the underworld. This is the version written by Georg Fritz, who was a German colonial official of the Northern Mariana Islands starting in 1899. I have a transcription of the Chamorro as it was written by Georg Fritz (with updated spelling) and an English translation in this post, but you can also access it in a pdf from a Digital Library Project compiled and maintained by Dirk Spennemann. There is also a paper by Steve Pagel that dives into the more linguistic aspects of the language, and includes a line-by-line translation of the legend across all three languages (English, German, and Chamorro). The narration for this story is done by Jay Che’le. Hope you enjoy it!

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