CHamoru Legends: A Gathering of Stories

Literature & Fiction

Perez, Teresita Lourdes

United States

University of Guam Press

Francisco Garcia's book is of a genre that has no modern equivalent. Although its title would seem to stamp it as a biography, the book might better be described as part history, part hagiography, part travel adventure, and part devotional literature. It is easy to understand why Garcia's biography was translated into English piecemeal. Three different translators extracted from the volume what corresponded to their own interests: Margaret M. Higgins selecting what touched on the local history and culture of the Chamorro people, Sr. Felicia Plaza excerpting those parts that touched directly on the life of San Vitores, and Fr. Juan Ledesma translating the remainder. Garcia's original was intended as a testimony to the saintliness of Diego Luis de san Vitores, the man who introduced the Christian faith to the Marianas. It was written as a tale of personal heroism, its hero the Jesuit missionary priest whose virtues were not allowed to speak for themselves but were authenticated by, numerous instances of divine intervention. Miracles, those extraordinary instances of God's action in the world, were regarded as rather common occurrences in the day in which Garcia wrote, and the volume offers many examples. But such excesses, as we would regard them today, and the simplistic world view that inspired this style of writing should not blind us to the fact that the book rests on a solid historical base. We should recall that Garcia drew upon the missionaries' own letters and annual reports to fashion his biography. The scope of the book includes not just the four brief years of San Vitores's life on Guam, but another ten years of missionary work following his death. The volume offers a detailed narrative of the early critical years of mission activity between 1668 and 1682 in this earliest of mission fields in Oceania. As a historical source for this period Garcia's book is indispensable. -- Francis X. Hezel, S.J.

The Life and Martyrdom of Diego Luis de San Vitores, S.J. (2nd Edition) (Marc Monagraph Series, 3)

Biographies & Memoirs

S.J., Francisco García

Leaders & Notable People

A Marianas Mosaic: Signs and Shifts in Contemporary Island Life

A Marianas Mosaic: Signs and Shifts in Contemporary Island Life features authors in and of the Mariana Islands writing in voices that range from scholarly to poetic about the social, political, and cultural dynamics unfolding across the archipelago. This mosaic of perspectives touches on topics pertinent to contemporary island life including traditional healing, family trauma, sovereignty movements, local clothing brands, multimedia advocacy, spirituality, and more. This collection illuminates the complexity and beauty of the region and provides a deeper understanding of Marianas history and experiences.

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

The Secret Guam Study, Second Edition

Willens, Howard P.

Ballendorf, Dirk A.

Politics & Government

On February 1, 1975, National Security Adviser Henry A. Kissinger informed the departments of Defense, Interior, and State that President Gerald R. Ford had decided that the U.S. should seek agreement with Guamanian representatives on a commonwealth relationship no less favorable than that which we are negotiating with the Northern Marianas. This presidential decision was based on a year-long classified study by these agencies, which concluded that the national security and defense interests of the U.S. required that Guam's legitimate complains about its political status be promptly addressed.

History

Americas

Ulithi Atoll, Micronesia draws together rich and varied sources of information on this important Pacific Island community. Representing multi-disciplinary research and literary traditions, the 12 authors report on various aspects of life, culture, economics, human development, island challenges, and the ecology of Ulithi. Experiences of Ulithians are traced through successive periods of competitive explorers and traders; the Spanish, German, Japanese, and US colonial periods; and finally, Ulithi's emergence into its self-governing status within Yap State of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). Each author of this book has had significant experience within Ulithi Atoll and among Ulithian people. Three of the writers- Eulalia Harui-Walsh, Joliene Hasugulayag, and Joshua Walsh- bring their own indigenous experiences and wisdom to their chapters. Each chapter is enriched by information about or provided by contemporary Ulithians.

Ulithi Atoll, Micronesia

Anthropology

This textbook describes the principles of science in relation to island ecosystems through the perspective of environmental science,

Tropical Pacific Island Environments

Maria Lobban Christopher; Schefter

Histoire des isles Marianes (History of the Mariana Islands), written in Paris in 1700, provides a detailed glimpse into a tumultuous and critically significant period in the history of the Mariana Islands and the Chamorro people - the period commonly referred to as the Spanish-Chamorro Wars. Using research conducted in several national and international archives in Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, and at the Richard F. Taitano Micronesian Area Research Center in Guam, Alexandre Coello de la Rosa produced this English translation of the first Spanish edition (Madrid, 2013) of the Histoire des isles Marianes (Paris, 1700), by Charles Le Gobien. This present edition stems from a manuscript preserved in the Arxiu de la Companyia de Jesus a Catalunya, in Barcelona, attributed to Father Luis de Morales, who had been part of the Jesuit mission to the Marianas. Thus, this text calls into question the authorship of Father Le Gobien. Not only because the French Jesuit never stepped foot in the Marianas, but also because his Histoire is based on reports, relations and letters written by other fellow Jesuits, among whom was Father Morales. This book opens with a long introduction analyzing the context of production of the Histoire, together with an annotated edition of the book over ten chapters. Finally, it includes short chronologies of the governors of the Marianas corresponding to the period between 1668 and 1700, as well as the lists of the Viceroys of New Spain (1664-1701) and the Governors and General Captains of the Philippines (1669-1701).

History of the Mariana Islands (2nd Edition)

S.J. S.J., Luis de Morales

S.J. S.J., Charles Le Gobien

I Atfabeton Chamorro was created through a collaborative effort involving teachers, students, artists and photographers from Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. It is a visually captivating book featuring the writing of upper division Chamorro language students from the University of Guam and photography and artwork from a group of talented local artists. Each letter of the Chamorro alphabet is used to describe a significant cultural concept, story, or item, which is written about in Chamorro, English and Japanese.

I Atfabeton Chamorro: The ABCs of Chamorro (hardcover)

Cyrus Segawa Konstantinakos

Reference

I Atfabeton Chamorro: The ABCs of Chamorro (paperback)

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