Tag: Carmen C. Blas

Kottura: Mámaisen Saina Si Piling

On By Schyuler LujanIn Chamorro StoriesLeave a comment

Have you ever participated in the Chamorro custom of mamaisen saina, where permission is asked of the elders for two people to marry? I have not, but I’ve been fortunate to hear stories from others. One of my favorite stories was from my boyfriend’s aunt: when her now-husband arrived at her parents’ house, he brought practically the entire village of Umatac with him!

So here is another Chamorro short story, about the custom of asking permission to marry, narrated by Jay Che’le. I’ve included a Chamorro transcription, English translation, and the original pdf from the KPV Collection. If you want to read more about this marriage ritual, there is also an article about it on Guampedia.

taitai Mas

Kotturan Chamoru: I Kostumbren Mannginge’

On By Schyuler LujanIn Chamorro Stories3 Comments

When you were growing up, did you practice the Chamorro custom of respectfully greeting elders by taking their hand and sniffing it? In my family we would just go around giving hugs and kisses to our elders, so when I was introduced to this custom I wasn’t used to it at all! Here is a short story in Chamorro about this custom, written by Carmen C. Blas, from a book about Chamorro customs that I found in the KPV collection (the direct link to the entire PDF can be found under the References for this post). If you would like to learn more about the mannginge’, I have also included a short list of free, online resources for further reading on this Chamorro custom.

This post includes the Chamorro text, an English translation of the story and a Chamorro audio narration by Jay Che’le. Happy reading!

taitai Mas

Legend: The Girl Who Slept With Her Wet Hair

On By Schyuler LujanIn Chamorro Legends2 Comments

Growing up, my grandmother always warned me against going to sleep with wet hair because if I did, I would wake up with crooked fingers or a crooked neck. It wasn’t until I started learning Chamorro and reading our legends in our language that I realized there is an entire legend based on this! Here is that legend, the version collected by Carmen C. Blas and narrated by Jay Che’le.

Continue reading “Legend: The Girl Who Slept With Her Wet Hair” →