Guam is an island territory of the United States located in the Western Pacific. It is home to the indigenous Chamorro people and their language, which incorporates many Spanish words. Chamorro culture blends ancient traditions with influences from Spanish colonial rule as well as American and other cultures. Respect for elders and family/community are highly valued. Traditional foods, festivals, and practices continue while adopting outside influences. The Chamorro language and culture have persevered despite colonial impacts.

1. COUNTRY GUAM
Reyvie C. Galanza |bsed-1 2nd shedule

2. LOCATED IN THE HEART OF THE WESTERN
PACIFIC, GUAM IS AN ISLAND TERRITORY
OF THE UNITED STATES, THE LARGEST OF
THE MARIANA AND MICRONESIAN
ISLANDS,
Identification. Guam is the southernmost island in the Mariana
Islands chain. The Chamorro people and their language are indigenous
throughout the archipelago

3. • .
HISTORY AND CULTURE
But Guam is much more than sun, sea, and sand.
The island is awash with a history that dates back to
the Latte Period of 2000BC, the period of Ancient
Chamorro life before a Spanish expedition led by
Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived on
March 6, 1521. With 131 sites around the island
listed on the National Register of Historic Places,
these historical landmarks weave a fascinating tale
of the island’s struggles, resilience, and victories
over thousands of years. Though the island’s colorful
history spans the Spanish era, the American period,
and Japanese WWII occupation, today Guam is most
widely celebrated for its native Chamorro culture
and pride.

4. NATIONAL IDENTITY. CHAMORROS HAVE A DUAL IDENTITY AS THE INDIGENOUS
PEOPLE OF THE MARIANA ISLANDS AND A PART OF THE UNITED STATES. THE
VALUE OF INAFA'MAOLEK , LITERALLY TRANSLATES AS "TO MAKE GOOD" AND
CONNOTES A SPIRIT OF INTERDEPENDENCE AND COOPERATION. THIS CONCEPT
BONDS PEOPLE TO THE IDEA THAT RESIDENTS CAN LIVE PEACEFULLY AND
PRODUCTIVELY WHEN THEY ACT IN THE INTERESTS OF THE GROUP RATHER THAN
THE INDIVIDUAL
Culture Name
Chamorro
Old attire

5. What are the Chamorro beliefs?
Religion. Most Chamorros are Roman Catholic and few in the Marianas still
maintain some customs and beliefs from the time before the first European
conquests; some residents of the Marianas will still ask permission from
ancestral spirits before entering parts of jungles.
Spain maintained a colonial presence until 1898, and contemporary
Chamorro culture evidences much Hispanic influence, particularly the
preeminence of the Roman Catholic Church

6. COUNTRY ‘S ETIQUETTE AND CUSTOMS

7. the manakhilo ("high people") and manakpapa' ("low people"). The manakhilo includes
wealthy families from the capital of Hagåtñta who have held positions of power since the
colonial era.
Class lines are not strict because most clans have members in both social classes, and the
rich and the poor tend to live side by side within family compounds in rural villages. Those
outside the clan compound may live in modern housing subdivisions that congregate
people along economic lines.

8. The culture of Guam reflects traditional Chamorro customs in a combination of
indigenous pre-Hispanic forms, as well as American, Spanish and Mexican
traditions.[1] Post-European-contact CHamoru Guamanian culture is a
combination of American, Spanish, Filipino, other Micronesian Islander and
Mexican traditions. Few indigenous pre-Hispanic customs remained following
Spanish contact. Hispanic influences are manifested in the local language, music,
dance, sea navigation, cuisine, fishing, games (such as batu, chonka, estuleks, and
bayogu), songs, and fashion.

9. RESPECT FOR ELDERS AND AUTHORITY FIGURES IS A CORE
CULTURAL VALUE. CHAMORROS DEMONSTRATE RESPECT
BY BENDING OVER AND SNIFFING AN OLDER PERSON'S
RIGHT HAND.
Greetings

10. How do Chamorros greet each other?
'Hello' might as well be Chamorro for mistletoe, as people
often greet one another with a single cheek-kiss. Cultural
blog The Anthrotarian notes the Spanish do a double kiss,
beginning with the right cheek, and Filipinos do a “cheek-
to-cheek kiss, not a lips-to-cheek kiss.”

11. GATHERING , EVENTS
Before colonial rule, Chamorros recognized the power
and authority of clan elders. Informal positions of
authority were granted to elders who commanded the
respect of their clan members. Elders could pool the
labor and material resources of their clans in times of
need.

12. Each village celebrates the feast day of its patron saint. These
fiestas draw large crowds, with prolific amounts of food
prepared for reciprocal exchanges among clan members and
friends. Killing a pig or cow and preparing vegetable and
seafood dishes are typical aspects of a fiesta.

13. By circulating items of food and other material goods, and lending support
when labor is needed, Chamorros maintain and strengthen links of kin and
friendship. During funerals, family members and friends give food, service,
and money for nine days after the death. The family of the deceased
acknowledges this support by reciprocating with money, goods, or services
when those families are in need.

14. Marriage and festivals
Before marriage, it was customary for young men to live in concubinage with young women, whom they
purchased from their families with gifts. Frequently a number of young men and young women would live
together in one large public house, as is also the custom among the Igorot of Luzon. After marriage, a
was expected to be content with one wife, and a wife with one husband, at a time. Divorces were noted as
being frequent, with the children and the household property staying with the wife. From then until the
marriage the young man was obliged to serve the girl’s family, who tested his skill in such things as
and fishing. The engagement usually lasted from six months to one year before the wedding.
Festivals were celebrated with the men and women collecting in separate groups, forming semi-circles. They
would sing and chant their ancestral legends and fables. Sometimes these traditional songs would be sung
treble, contralto, and falsetto singers in a three-part harmony. The songs were accompanied by certain
and movements of the body. Women used rattles and castanets made of shells to make music as well.[9]

15. FOOD
Food is a significant part of the cultural economy, reflecting an affinity with the land. Sharing food is
part of a system of reciprocity based on a sense of perpetual interpersonal obligation. Daily foods
include traditional staples such as rice, fish, breadfruit, and taro, in addition to growing quantities of
imported foods such as canned goods, and fresh and frozen meats and vegetables, readily available
for purchase at local grocery stores.

16. MEN DO NOT NECESSARILY STAND WHEN A WOMAN
ARRIVES OR LEAVES THE TABLE, BUT YOUNGER PEOPLE ARE
LIKELY TO STAND WHEN AN OLDER PERSON ARRIVES OR
LEAVES.
WHETHER YOU EAT EVERYTHING OR LEAVE SOME FOOD ON
YOUR PLATE IS ENTIRELY UP TO YOU. HOWEVER, WHEN
DINING WITH A CHINESE PERSON, IT IS CUSTOMARY TO LEAVE
A LITTLE BIT ON YOUR PLATE TO SHOW THAT ENOUGH FOOD
WAS SERVED. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE TASTE OF SOMETHING,
LEAVE IT ON YOUR PLATE. NO EXPLANATION IS NECESSARY.
THE ASIAN RESTAURANTS WILL ALWAYS PROVIDE YOU WITH
BOTH CHOPSTICKS AND CUTLERY. NAPKINS ARE ALWAYS
PROVIDED.
DINING ETIQUETTE FOR LEAVING THE TABLE. IF YOU MUST
LEAVE THE TABLE, SIMPLY EXCUSE YOURSELF.
IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO DRINK, JUST SAY SO. THIS WILL NOT
BE A PROBLEM.
Guam Dining Etiquette

17. Cuisine. Guam is especially proud of its
savory cuisine that combines Asian,
Spanish and Pacific Island influences into a
unique island fusion. Chamorro barbecue,
red rice and chicken kelaguen are world
famous and are just a few of the tasty local
dishes every visitor must try.

18. The Chamorro language is an Austronesian
language that has, over time, come to
incorporate many Spanish words. The word
Chamorro is derived from Chamorri, or Chamoli,
meaning “noble.” English and Chamorro are the
official languages; although Chamorro is still
used in many homes, English is the language of
education and commerce. Because of the
number of tourists and investors from Japan,
Japanese is increasingly also used.
THE COMMUNICATION STYLE AND RELATION SHIPS

19. "The most notable influence on Chamorro language and culture came from the Spanish....
There was wholesale borrowing of Spanish words and phrases into Chamorro, and there was
even some borrowing from the Spanish sound system. But this borrowing was linguistically
superficial. The bones of the Chamorro language remained intact.... In virtually all cases of
borrowing, Spanish words were forced to conform to the Chamorro sound system...
Unlike most of its neighbors, Chamorro is not classified as a Micronesian or
Polynesian language. Rather, like Palauan, it possibly constitutes an
independent branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language family.[5][6]
At the time the Spanish rule over Guam ended, it was thought that Chamorro
was a semi-creole language, with a substantial amount of the vocabulary of
Spanish origin and beginning to have a high level of mutual intelligibility with
Spanish. It is reported that even in the early 1920s, Spanish was reported to be
a living language in Guam for commercial transactions, but the use of Spanish
and Chamorro was rapidly declining as a result of English pressure.

20. Young women who trained young men
Ma uritao, an ancient CHamoru term used before Christianity was introduced to the CHamoru people,
describes young unmarried women who resided at the Guma’ uritao (bachelor’s house) to sexually train
young men as a part of their education to become men.
Prior to the 16th century European arrival, CHamoru society was organized into clan settlements. Clans
were formed based on familial bonds and obligations on the woman’s family and were a significant source
of moral, material, and financial support.
Clans had a few main gathering places, one of which was guma’ uritao or the male bachelor house. At
puberty, unmarried CHamoru males would leave their mother’s home and live at the guma’ uritao. In this
setting, uritaos (bachelors) learned the life-skills and knowledge of their male elders, such as canoe-
making, house-building, sailing, fishing, hunting, farming, and fighting. All of these skills were necessary to
sustain the health of the clan.
Ma uritao were unmarried young women in a clan, who were chosen to serve an integral role in the
cultivation of uritaos for another clan’s guma’ uritao. Since ancient CHamoru society valued children, ma
uritaos who got pregnant were equally valued for marriage purposes rather than women who didn’t serve
as ma uritao. This social practice also increased ma uritao’s parents’ social status and resources as well as
her chances of a having good marriage.