In early August, Jay and I traveled to O’ahu to celebrate my Aunty Lupe’s 90th birthday with family. My prima Torrey—Aunty Lupe’s granddaughter—wanted to honor her with a Chamorro song for this incredible milestone. She chose “Nånan-måmi,” a beloved tribute to Chamorro mothers and matriarchs. The day before the party we practiced together, and the next day we performed it as a sing-along.

Afterward, Aunty Lupe told us how special it was—no one had ever done anything like that for her before. Even my Aunty Faye, who used to teach Chamorro at UH Mānoa, hugged me and said how wonderful it was that we sang this song (she said it was even better than Happy Birthday!).

If you’re looking for a meaningful song to celebrate a mother or matriarch in your life, this is a wonderful choice. It’s well-known, beginner-friendly, and with a little pronunciation practice, even beginners can sing it beautifully. (My prima isn’t yet conversational in Chamorro, but she did an amazing job with the phrases and sounds!)

As always, you’ll find the Chamorro lyrics, language notes and an English translation for the song “Nånan-måmi”. Happy listening!

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