On November 21 I gave a talk for the MARC Seminar Series at the University of Guam. This talk was meant to encourage a continuing discussion of the crescent-shaped, carved body ornament called Sinahi by contemporary Chamorros. My interest in this object is due to the fact that it has become a major icon of Chamorro identity, yet its ancient origins and usage is a mystery. To summarize my talk: · The name Sinahi was given by contemporary Chamorros because it looks like a crescent moon. This is confusing because Sinahi actually means New Moon, meaning the dark moon. According to my sources, ancient Chamorro language described the waxing moon as Sinahi---( i.e One, Two) , using ancient terminology for the enlarging size of the crescent over the month’s cycle. Contemporaries shortened these terms to just Sinahi . In the northern Mariana Islands, it has been called Kalang , meaning pendant. · It was carved from the giant clam shell, a ver
LETTER TO THE EDITOR FestPac is important By Judy Flores Printed December 3, 2019 I grew up in Inalåhan in the 1950s when historical knowledge was limited to the celebration of our American heritage, where we studied American heroes such as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. The CHamoru people were proud of their Spanish heritage, where white skin and long noses were signs of beauty. Ancient times were referred to as “tiempon antis de mannungu’ hit” or the time before we had knowledge. Schools celebrated international cultures instead of our own CHamoru culture. In sixth grade, our CHamoru principal taught our class a short hula dance where we wore muumuu dresses and kept rhythm with bamboo whisks while a hula-trained classmate danced to the tune of “My Little Brown Gal”. During family parties, old people danced the batsu and sotis while we youngsters giggled at them. The jukebox at the store next door
Article by Therese Padua Howe Guam PDN. Photo also by Therese. Correction and clarification: This story has been updated to reflect the correct spelling of Heather Beaman's last name in photo captions. If you haven’t taken advantage of Judy Flores’ batik painting workshops yet, you need to go online now and grab a slot in one of her monthly sessions — they sell out fast. The workshops are a unique opportunity to learn firsthand from one of Guam’s cultural icons, and it’s a master class in the ancient Indonesian art form of painting based on a wax-resist dyeing technique. The three-hour workshops take place at her garden studio in Inalåhan, where she has tables set up in her covered patio areas for her small groups of students. I was lucky enough to spend Saturday afternoon at her July workshop, and was pleased to discover that despite my lack of artistic talent, I was able to create some colorful silk scarves that I would actually wear or could give away as gifts. Flo
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