Some Notes on Chamoru Literature
Albert Wendt’s famous essay “Towards a New Oceania” (1976) ends: “This artistic renaissance is enriching our cultures further, reinforcing our identities/self-respect/and pride, and taking us through a genuine decolonisation; it is also acting as a unifying force in our region. In their individual journeys into the Void, these artists, through their work, are explaining us to ourselves and creating a new Oceania.” The end of Wendt’s essay spirals into a new beginning, as Pacific writers have continued writing towards a new Oceania.
Chamoru Literature is one of the lesser known literatures of this new Oceania. There are no Chamoru writers included in either of the first two anthologies of Pacific creative writing, nor will you find any mention of Chamoru literature in any of the first several anthologies of Pacific literary criticism. In The Pacific Islands: An Encyclopedia (2000), Chamoru scholar (and poet) Keith Camacho noted in the “Chamorro Literature” section: “To date there are no established Chamorro creative writers.”
There have been many Chamoru creative writers who have published work in the twentieth century; unfortunately, many of them have not received the credit or notice that they deserve, nor have they received the publication opportunities that many other Pacific writers have enjoyed. It’s difficult to become established as a creative writer without support. Plus, those who have published more regularly have not been able to circulate “beyond the reef” because the Chamoru archipelago has been separated for too long from the centers of Pacific literary production.
The situation of Chamoru literature has dramatically changed in the first dozen years of the twenty-first century. Chamoru writers have appeared in various anthologies, a section on Chamoru literature appeared in Michelle Keown’s Pacific Islands Writing (2007), the spoken word scene has blossomed on Guahan (biba Sinangan-ta!), creative writing and Pacific literature courses are being taught at the high school and college levels on Guahan, the University of Guam’s literary journal (biba Storyboard!) has been very active, a few critical essays on Chamoru literature have also appeared in academic journals (the most recent being Paul Lai’s essay, “Discontiguous States of America: The Paradox of Unincorporation in Craig Santos Perez’s Poetics of Chamorro Guam” in The Journal of Transnational American Studies), and several books have been published by several Chamoru writers (including Peter Onedera, Tanya Chargualaf Taimanglo, and Lehua Taitano).
I have been fortunate enough to be a small part of this movement as a writer, editor, publisher, and scholar. I wrote one of the few essays you can find on Chamoru literature (“Signs of Being: Chamoru poetry and the work of Cecilia C.T. Perez”) in a widely read U.S. literary journal. I am working on several other critical essays on Chamoru literature, as well as on Micronesian literature (another under-appreciated geo-literary sub-category of Pacific literature).
I don’t know if two books qualifies as “established,” but I’m happy that my work has contributed in a small way to the visibility of Chamoru literature. My first book, from unincorporated territory [hacha], was published by Tinfish Press in 2008; my second book, from unincorporated territory [saina] was published by Omnidawn Publishing in 2010. My second book, as many of you know, was a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize in Poetry and winner of the PEN Center USA Literary Prize for Poetry. This kind of recognition for a Pacific writer within the U.S. literary mainstream is–sadly–very rare.
So besides writing both creatively and critically, I’ve tried to contribute in small ways as an editor and publisher. I had the pleasure of co-editing (with Michael Lujan Bevacqua and Victoria Leon Guerrero) the anthology: Chamoru Childhood (2009) (I also published it). This anthology features some of our most talented writers: Florence Blas, Peter R. Onedera, Evelyn San Miguel Flores, Helen Perez, Rebecca Leon Guerrero, Tanya M. Champaco Mendiola, Keith L. Camacho, Charissa Lynn Manibusan Aguon, Jovan A. Taitague Tamayo, Melvin B. Won Pat-Borja, Julian Aguon, Josette Marie Lujan Quinata, Destiny Tedtaotao, Joseph Borja, Celia Chavez, Jessie Rae Camacho Tedtaotao, and Samantha Marley Barnett.
In 2010, I edited a special feature titled “Nånan Tåno` is calling for you”: Four Contemporary Chamoru Poets” for The Offending Literary Journal. You can read amazing work by Lehua Taitano, Clarissa Mendiola, Kisha Borja-Kicho’cho’, and Anghet Hoppe-Cruz.
In 2011, I edited a Chamoru Poetry feature for the Platte Valley Review, featuring Jay Baza Pascua, Evelyn Flores, Michael Lujan Bevacqua, Charissa Manibusan Aguon, Lehua Taitano, and Clarissa Mendiola.
I am working on several other editing projects featuring Chamoru writers this year. And I recently learned that another Chamoru writer and scholar is working on what will be the first comprehensive attempt at a Chamoru Literature anthology.
And, of course, I see blogging as a valuable way to publicize Chamoru literature. Indeed, it’s an exciting time to be a Chamoru writer.
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On Book Reviewing
As you can see from this page, I’ve published around 70 book reviews since 2007. When I first start writing book reviews, I had just finished my MFA and I couldn’t afford to buy all the books I wanted to read. So I requested review copies and figured the free book was worth the hour or two it took me to write a 1,000 word review. Plus, I had a much easier time back then finding journals willing to publish my book reviews than finding one willing to publish my poems! So it was a good way to build my publication list. Lastly, writing book reviews made me pay attention to publishers and journals more than ever before.
I always recommend that young poets write and publish book reviews–and it is something I will require in my graduate courses. I only wish more mid-career and older poets would take the time to review younger writers. I also wish the book reviewing culture wasn’t so ethnically and/or aesthetically insular. I do believe that book reviews are very important to creating a healthy book culture–and there are still some great venues for poetry reviews.
I wish I had more time to review. Since I started my new job at U of Hawai’i, my reviewing productivity has plummeted. From 22 reviews in 2007 to 4 in 2011! Fail. I apologize to all those who have sent me books and to all those who have queried.
With all that said, I wanted to point readers to two new omnibus reviews that have recently been published. The first is a review of three books from a single Press:
The second looks at three books by Latino writers:
Thanks to the editor Chloe Garcia Roberts & Zach Savich for their editorial guidance.
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Report Back: MLA, UW, and SEA
This past weekend, I attended the Modern Language Association (MLA) annual conference, which was held this year in Seattle, Washington.
On Thursday, I participated in the roundtable “Indigenous Languages and Literatures in the America,” presided by Cheryl Higashida (Univ. of Colorado, Boulder). The speakers included Lisa Brooks (Harvard Univ); Luis Carcamo-Huechante (Univ. of Texas, Austin); Tony Johnson (Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe); Penelope M. Kelsey (Univ. of Colorado, Boulder); Margaret Noori (Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor) and Frederick White (Slippery Rock Univ.).
I was honored and humbled to be on such an amazing panel. All these scholars talked about their work with indigenous languages, ranging from indigenous radio programs, to indigenous language immersion schools, to literary scholarship, and for me–to indigenous language and poetry! We talked about the joys and struggles of indigenous language revitalization, and shared possible strategies within and outside the academy. It was truly an inspiring discussion. Special thanks to Sheryl Day for coming through!
Here is a picture of the panel:
On Thursday night, we headed up to the University of Washington (UW) for PACIFIC UNITY: A CELEBRATION OF INDIGENOUS PACIFIC ARTISTS, sponsored by the Northwest Association of Pacific Americans, the Pacific Islander Studies Institute, PIONEER, and the Micronesian Islands CLub. This event took place at UW’s Ethnic Cultural Theater and was hosted by Michael Tuncap & Pollard Fa’alogo.
The idea of the event was to connect Univ of Hawai’i (UH) Pacific faculty with the Pacific student body and community in Seattle. So I performed alongside my UH colleagues, Brandy Nalani McDougall, Ku’ualoha Ho’omanawanui, and Caroline Sinavaiana. Additionally, performances from the community and the university also performed: Belauan writer Chasmon Tarimel (UW Micronesian Club), Samoan singer Harrison Togia (UW Polynesian Student Alliance), Samoan poet Kiana Fuega (UW alumnus), Chamorro rapper Fathom (Danny Salas from South Puget Sound Community College), and others.
The last group to perform was Kagaka Lua, a Samoan group dedicated to promoting Polynesian and art, culture, and music. They work with various Washington high schools to promote gang prevention and nonviolence among incarcerated youth. The group was founded by Felise Kaio Jr & Pollard Fa’alogo. Check out their website here.
It was so inspiring to connect with the Pacific community in Seattle and with the Pacific students at UW. I am amazed by how organized and passionate and committed they all are to improving the lives of our people in the diaspora. Many of them don’t often have the opportunity to engage with Pacific Islander professors, so I was happy that we were able to let them know that we support them and that UH is a great place to study with Pacific faculty, if any of them decide to pursue graduate school. Overall, it was an event that I will never forget, and I look forward to future collaborations with our brothers & sisters in Seattle & Tacoma. Saina Ma’ase to all the sponsors, organizers, and students for coming through!
A picture of Kagaka Lua performing: 
On Friday, I was the “respondent” on the panel “Humor and Subversion: Approaches to Literature and Orature at the Universities of Hawai’i and Guam,” featuring, once again, my UH colleagues Caroline Sinavaiana, Brandy Nalani McDougall, and Ku’ualoha Ho’omanawanui, alongside one of my favorite scholars: Nicholas Goetzfridt, from the University of Guam. You can read the paper topics here.
All of their papers were quite brilliant and thought-provoking–and yes, they were funny too in a subversive kind of way. It was, of course, an honor to be amongst such brilliance. I was also especially excited to meet Nicholas because I have read his bibliography of Pacific literature and am currently reading his bibliography of Guahan history. For my “response,” I told a bunch of jokes and gave away free SPAM. Oh yeah, and I also quoted Joy Harjo: “Stories and songs are like humans who when they laugh are indestructible.” Special thanks to Ida Yoshinaga, Cristina Bacchilega, & Elizabeth DeLoughrey, Erin Suzuki, Sheryl Day, & Dina El Dessouky for coming through!
Nick reading his presentation:
On Friday night, I hosted a “Pacific Poetry Reading” at Open Books: A Poem Emporium, featuring Caroline, Ku’ualaoha, and UH graduate student Jaimie Gusman. John & Christine (the owners of Open Books) were so warm and welcoming as always, and so was our crowd. Quite a few friendly faces were there too: Dina El Dessouky, Rachelle Cruz, Margaret Rhee, and Erin Suzuki!
Pictures of the readers:
As a final thought, I want to say how grateful I feel that I am able to travel with, read with, present with, and do outreach with an amazing group of Pacific colleagues! Going to MLA did not feel like I was going alone to a big scary conference, but it actually felt like I was voyaging with a group of friends. I don’t know if there are many other professor who can say that about traveling with their colleagues.
Anyhoo, Four events in two days was rather hectic, but well worth the exhaustion. Looking forward to visiting Seattle again soon and having more oysters:
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Fall 2011
My first semester as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the English Department at the University of Hawai’i, Manoa (UHM), came and went faster than a case of Spam. I still can’t believe I even landed this dream job, which makes it even harder to believe that the first semester is done.
Teaching
More than anything else, the teaching aspect of the job was the biggest change in my life. I taught two courses this semester: Literature of the Pacific and Intro to Creative Writing: International Poetry and the Visual Arts. These were both new preps for me, but I think I created very interesting syllabi for both courses (I shared much of my curriculum on Facebook). Ultimately, though, my students made these courses sing. Any time anyone asked how the new job was going, the first thing I’d say was, “My students are amazing.” I looked forward to every course period, and I was very sad to see my students go.
Service: Committee Work
I was assigned to the Graduate Program Committee. This committee worked to decide graduate curriculum and deal with other graduate program concerns. It was exciting because we have a very dynamic graduate curriculum. For my own contributions, I will be teaching a graduate poetry workshop for Fall 2012, and a Pacific Poetry and Poetics course for Fall 2013. I felt very fortunate that the committee consisted of faculty members that I deeply respect, and I learned so much from them about how our graduate program operates.
Service: Reading/Lecture Series
I also wanted to serve the native community and the native student body by curating “Native Voices: A Reading and Lecture Series,” with my American Studies colleague Brandy Nalani McDougall. Our goal was to provide a space for indigenous writers, scholars, and activists to engage with our students, and for our indigenous students to share the stage with well-known indigenous writers. Thanks to all of you who participated in and attended our event. And thanks to the English Dept, the Center for Pacific Islands Studies, American Studies, the Pacific Writers’ Connection, Revolution Books, and the Center for Hawaiian Studies. We hosted four events:
- 8/22: Literary reading featuring Sia Figiel, No’u Revilla, Marie Alohalani Brown, and Tagi Qolouvaki.
- 9/23: Literary reading featuring Dan Taulapapa McMullin, David Keali’i, and Kai Gaspar.
- 11/9: “Demilitarization: A Roundtable featuring scholars and activists from Hawai’i and Guahan (Guam),” featuring Julian Aguon, Lisa Natividad, Terri Kekoolani, Ty Kawika Tengan, and Kaleikoa Kaeo.
- 12/15: Literary reading featuring Imaikalani Kalahele, Terisa Siagatonu, Donovan Kuhio Colleps, Paul Robins, Ulu Cashman.
I didn’t perform as much as I usually do this semester. Just twice: at Revolution Books in Honolulu (8/6) with Margaret Rhee and Janine Oshiro; and for the Pacific Writers’ Connection in Honolulu (11/1) with W.S. Merwin and Brandy Nalani McDougall.
Awards
Although I didn’t perform much from my own work, I was very honored that my second book, from unincorporated territory [saina], was named a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the winner of the PEN Center USA Literary Award. If you haven’t read my book yet, feel free to purchase it here ($15.95).
Class Visits
Both my first and second books were taught in several university courses this semester. I had the honor and pleasure to visit some of these courses, either in person or via Skype.
- 8/3: Native American Literature: Reading and Composition at UC Berkeley
- 10/27: Documentary Poetics at Syracuse University
- 11/15: Pacific Literature and Cultures at University of California, Los Angeles 11/17: Poetry: Form & Theory at the University of Hawai’i, Manoa
- 11/21: World Indigenous Literature at Kansas University
- 11/28: Intro to English Studies at the U of Hawai’i, Manoa
I enjoy engaging with students reading my work—especially since these students encounter my work in so many different contexts. Because I am too far away now to visit many of these universities in person, thank goodness for Skype. I also feel happy when many of these students stay in contact with me via Facebook or email. Special thanks to all the professors who have assigned my work in their courses.
Lectures
I gave two lectures/talks this semester: 1) “Organic Acts: How my Grandmother Revised the Poem of Her Life” at the Center of Biographical Research at UHM (8/22) and 2) “Chamoru Poetry” to a “Pacific Worlds” course at UHM (11/1). I’ve been writing more and more of what I call “talk-lectures” in the past few years—it’s a form I really enjoy writing and gives me some flexibility when I am a guest speaker at universities or other venues (besides from just reading my poems).
Editorships
As many of you know, one of my passions is as an editor and publisher. I feel great joy supporting other writers and sharing their work with the world. I guest-edited a few projects this semester:
1) The first full-length collection by Jai Arun Ravine, titled and then entwine and published by one of my favorite presses: Tinfish Press. You can purchase the book here for $18. Special thanks to Susan Schultz. 10/1
2) A special feature on “Four Contemporary Chamoru Poets,” for The Offending Adam. This featured the work of Kisha Borja-Kicho’cho’, Anghet Hoppe-Cruz, Lehua Taitano, and Clarrissa Mendiola (10/24). Special thanks to Andrew Wessels. Free to read here.
3) Honolulu Poetry Feature, featuring Caroline Sinavaiana, Claire Gearen, Scott Abels, Jaimie Gusman, and Amalia Bueno—all faculty or students of UHM. Special thanks to Charles Jensen. Free to read here.
4) A Special Feature “Kantan Chamorrita: Contemporary Chamoru Poetry” for The Platte Valley Review (Winter 2011 Issue). Special thanks to Allison Hedge Coke. Free to read here.
Publishing
With Brandy Nalani McDougall, we founded Ala Press, a publishing venture dedicated to publishing Pacific literature. Our first publication was Nafanua: Writers and Artist from the Festival of Pacific Arts in American Samoa (8/21), edited by Dan Taulapapa McMullin. This can be purchased here for $12.
Our second anthology, A Penny For Our Thoughts: Poetry from the Kamahemeha Class of 2011 (12/15). This will be available for online purchase in early 2012.
Creative/Critical Publications
Luckily, some of my creative and critical writings were published this semester.
1) Several poems from my first book were translated into Spanish and published in Periodico de Poesia, the literary journal of The National University of Mexico (August issue). Free to read here.
2)a poem titled “from tidelands” in the Platte Valley Review (Winter 2011 issue)
Free to read here.
3)a poem titled “Spam Remix” in Locuspoint (11/30/11). Free to read here.
4)a poem titled “from descending plumeria” in the anthology A Pacific Collection: Reading for Civic Reflection (2011).
5)A critical book review was published in Zoland Poetry Review (Volume 2, 2011). Free to read here.
6) an essay titled “Surviving Our Fallen: Chamorros, Militarism, Religiosity, and 9/11,” Conversations at the Wartime Café: A Decade of War: 2001-2011, edited by Sean Labrador y Manzano. This essay can be read for free on my blog.
Audio Publication
My first ever audio poetry album, Undercurrent, was recorded with Hawaiian poet Brandy Nalani McDougall and released by the poetry label Hawai‘i Dub Machine (8/4). A review of the album was published in the literary journal Litseen (11/15/11).
You can purchase the album for 9.99 on iTunes here.
Activism
Activism this semester centered around the APEC meeting in Honolulu. I participated in several of the marches and protests organized by various activist groups here in Honolulu. It felt very empowering to connect with these groups and to get to know the activists.
I also performed a poem, “The Micronesian Kingfishers,” as part of the Militarism Panel for the Moana Nui conference. It was a great honor to participate in this panel as militarism is an important theme in my work. One of the Native Voices events, the Demilitarization Panel, was also organized as part of the activism against APEC.
The final event I want to mention was organized by the UH Marianas Club, a club composed of Chamoru students at UHM. They decided to hold a screening of the important documentary, The Insular Empire: America in the Marianas. I was part of a panel discussion after the screening, with Tressa Diaz and Anghet Hoppe-Cruz. It was so empowering to connect with the Chamoru student community and to know that they are interested in both culture and politics.
The End
As I re-read this report, I can’t believe all this happened in 16 weeks. Looking at my calendar for next semester, things won’t be slowing down much, but at least I feel passionate and committed to everything I’m involved in, and that I can support myself by doing what I love.
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One of the unexpected joys of my new job as an assistant professor at the university of hawai’i, manoa (UHM), is engaging with the Chamoru student community here in hawai’i. they say there are around 50-60 Chamoru students at the university, some of which are a part of the UH MARIANAS CLUB.
many members of the club take Chamoru language class taught at UHM. while my schedule has not allowed me to take the class this semester, i definitely plan on attending next semester when my schedule changes.
in addition to language class, the Marianas club also conducts cultural and political activities. just two weeks ago during the APEC and anti-APEC events, the club co-sponsored and performed at the DEMILITARIZATION ROUNDTABLE that i hosted and co-organized with Brandy Nalani McDougall.
And just last thursday, the club organized and hosted a screening of the INSULAR EMPIRE: AMERICA IN THE MARIANAS and a panel discussion following the screening. they did a great job securing a venue, providing food, and facilitating the panel discussion. they also opened the event with a pledge (INIFRESI) and a chant/song (O ASAINA).
i was on the panel with TRESSA DIAZ and ANGHET HOPPE-CRUZ. it was truly inspiring to be on a panel with these amazing Chamoru women–and it was inspiring to witness the spirit, passion, and love shown by the members of the Marianas club.
i feel very confident that we will continue to support our people’s struggle for decolonization, even though we are far from our homeland. i look forward to working with the Marianas club on future cultural and political actions in hawai’i. additionally, i’m happy to feel that there is a supportive space for future Chamorus students who decide to study at UHM. Chamorus have a long history at UHM, and i honored to be a Chamoru faculty member here.
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For our second collective action, the Community Writers Collective performed a poem as part of GLOBOFLOʻs Alterna APEC “Forum (to) Festival” held on 6 Novemeber 2011, at the University of Hawaiʻi, Manoa, Art Auditorium.
It was a wonderful event that featured many artist/activists directly & indirectly involved with resisting the world order that APEC is creating. Hereʻs a flyer for the event and its participants:
The poem we performed, titled “Human Microphone,” collaged some of our membersʻ words with words from poems by Martin Espada, Mahealani Perez-Wendt, Haunani-Kay Trask, and Joy Harjo. The form of our performance aimed to capture the spirit of the “human microphone” that has been essential for the Occupy/DeOccupy movement, as well as for the poetry readings that have emerged as part of the movement.
I want to thank the Collective Action Group #2 for volunteering their time & talent to this event: Claire Gearen, David Kealiʻi, Brandy Nalani McDougall, Noʻu Revilla, and Lyz Soto. I also want to thank Professor Jaimey Hamilton for organizing the Festival.
Here are some pictures from the event:
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A Selection of Chamoru poetry
kantan chamorrita:
Kantan Chamorrita from Guampedia on Vimeo.
Hurao Return Home (featuring Jay Pascua):
Guam Inifresi (Pledge of Allegiance) by Bernadita Camacho Dungca, 1991. Song performed by Zach Lujan:
Cecilia “Lee” Perez:
Melvin Won-Pat Borja at DEIS hearing:
Kisha Borja-Kicho’cho’:
Malafunkshun:
Team Guahan at Brave New Voices:
Team Guahan at Brave New Voices (2):
Ami Mattison:
Erica Benton:
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The Community Writers Collective is an initiative I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and I’m so grateful to have the space/time in the English Department at the University of Hawai’i to make this happen.
The “Community Writers Collective” believes that creative writers can be a vital component to inspiring, empowering, and nurturing our communities. In turn, we believe that our communities can inspire, empower, and nurture us.
We believe that creative writers will only be relevant in the 21st century if we are relevant to our communities. We believe that creative writing programs will only be relevant if they institutionally support community-engaged initiatives and intentionally train community-engaged writers.
Our method is simple: we ask a community organization, “How can we, as creative writers, contribute?”
With the current political climate here in Hawai’i, the first request was a need for protest signs. This made sense since writers work to harness the power of figurative language, emotive rhetoric, and memorable phrasing (and yes, everyone is a poet at heart).
So today (10/17), the Community Writers Collective conducted our inaugural action by making a handful of “protest-sign poetry” and protesting the inaugural APEC event, which happened to occur at the East-West Center on our campus (if you are not familiar with APEC, please go here).
Here are some of the signs we made. I especially love the sign that quotes acclaimed Pacific scholar and writer Epeli Hau’ofa:
The protest occurred at high noon, as several community groups gathered across the street from the East-West Center. The day started with a powerful speech by one community leader and some protest chanting. Here’s a pic of some of the crowd:
Then we marched to the garden behind the East West Center building, where we stood right outside the windows of where the APEC meeting attendees were eating lunch.
We protest chanted and waved our signs. They ate their lunch and a few of them even took pictures of us. The cops kept us from pressing our voices right up against the glass. Here is my picture of the moment:
Overall, it was an empowering event. And, for the Community Writers Collective, it marked a beginning. Stay tuned for our future actions!
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You can read Part 1 of this essay here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here , Part 4 here, Part 5 here, and Part 6 here.
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Surviving Our Fallen: Chamorros, Militarism, Religiosity, and 9/11 (Part 7)
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In 2010, the Konsehilon Tinaotao Guam (Guam Humanities Council) invited me to participate in their project: “‘8,000, How It Change Our Lives?’ Community Conversations on the US Military Buildup in Guam.” This project aimed to provide space for island residents to discuss the military buildup through “humanities-based conversations on related themes of service, leadership, community, identity and power.”
It was an interesting moment in my life because I was set to travel to Guam a few weeks after I celebrated my 30th birthday. I realized: I spent the first fifteen years of my life in Guam, and the last fifteen years of my life in California. After all this time, my body was returning home.
Poetry was a way for me to stay connected to home, but I never thought it would be the thing itself that would bring me back home.
The publication of my second book of poems, from unincorporated territory [saina] (Omnidawn Publishing), coincided with my visit home. Boxes of my book were shipped from California (where my publisher is based) to Guam.
During the week that I worked for the Guam Humanities Council, I engaged in community conversations at all except one of Guam’s public high schools, the island’s only community college, and the University of Guam. Additionally, I performed at a social worker’s conference, a Humanities Council community event at a hotel, and at a local restaurant. All in all, I must have engaged with nearly 500 students and 300 community members during that week. I was also interviewed for two local television news stations and one radio show.
While I write about this trip in more detail in my forthcoming third book of poems, I’d like to touch upon two moments related to militarism for this essay. When I visited one of the public high schools, I walked the halls to pull my thoughts together before meeting with a group of students in the library. As I turned down one hall, I was startled to see a young white man dressed in fatigues carrying a machine gun, standing perfectly still.
My eyes deceived me: it was not a real person, but a life-sized cardboard cut-out. This figure, as opposed to a figure of one of our chiefs or cultural leaders, is what greeted these students as they walked down the hall. I imagined this figure became a talayeru, a throw net fisherman, stalking through the tides for his daily catch of new recruits.
Perhaps it’s not surprising that JROTC instructors on Guam make more money than our public high school teachers. The average pay of a JROTC instructor/director is about 90k, while the average pay of Guam’s public school teachers is about 45k.
Not all, but quite a few of the students I met at the various schools were involved in JROTC. They said they were enlisting after high school because the military promised to pay for college.
~
As I walked towards the departure gate of Guam International Airport, I was once again stopped in my tracks at the sight of a proud soldier. Then another, and another, and another: “The Fallen Brave of Micronesia.” Twenty-three banners. Each banner features a photo of a soldier from Micronesia who died during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Name, rank, and flag of their home island. Above them and behind them all: an American flag waving.
This pictorial memorial was installed and unveiled in the East Ticket Lobby of the airport to honor the 23 sons of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, and the Republic of Palau. A dedication ceremony occurred on July 20, 2007, as an official event of the 63rd Liberation Day festivities.
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I look at Jonathan’s picture. If I ever write a novel, I say to him, I will name a character after you.
~
“hu hongge
i lina’la’ tataotao
ta’lo åmen”
~
The U.S. military has cast its nets upon our Chamorro bodies. Uniformed our bodies. Tough bodies. Fallen bodies. Gutted bodies. The fragile box of the Chamorro body. Memories of fallen bodies in our bodies. Bodies in boxes. Bodies in words. Bodies in pictures. Chamorro bodies we can never hold again. Chamorro bodies whose voices are silenced.
~
We survive
the fallen.
~
Writing this essay to commemorate the ten-year anniversary of 9/11 has not been easy. Oddly, I feel survivor’s guilt. Not the guilt of those who survived 9/11 must feel. Not the guilt of those who have actually fought in and survived America’s wars of terror while their friends died right next to them. I feel guilty for escaping the net of militarism. A net whose pull is strong on Guam and in the psyches of many Chamorros.
Within my guilt, I feel anger. Anger. Because no Chamorro should feel guilty for living a non-militarized life; no Chamorro should feel guilty for being able to hold our mothers and fathers as they grow older and watch us grow. I feel anger because I know some of the students I met on Guam will someday end up fallen and memorialized. They will be survived, as opposed to surviving.
~
I return to Dante:
Just as a swimmer, who with his last breath
flounders ashore from perilous seas, might turn
to memorize the wide water of his death—
So did I turn, my soul still fugitive
from death’s surviving image, to stare down
that pass that none had ever left alive.
We are not fish. We are Chamorro. We are Guahan. Swimming against the strong currents of militarism. We are strong Chamorro bodies. Swimming Oceania and the diaspora, swimming the veins of
our genealogies.
We turn to each other
to memorize our faces.
To say goodbye. Bodies
return home. Tough boxes.
Tough Words. To memorialize.
We return. We stare
at the surviving images of
the dead. Prayers to the patron saints
of war. We stare. Images of
the towers falling.
The surviving images of
the fallen. Will we
rise from
Our own passages
Of the wide ocean of our death–
Our own images
Of the tidal fire of our breath–
~
Notes:
—The translation of Canto I comes from John Ciardi’s translation in The Divine Comedy: The Inferno, The Purgatorio, and The Paradiso (Penguin, 2003).
—The tourism figures come from the Introduction to the Guam Visitors Bureau Five Year Plan (FY 2007-2011). Accessed 5/30/11 (http://www.visitguam.org/runtime/uploads /Files/5%20Year%20Plan/introduction.pdf).
—“Island Mourns Fallen Soldier” is a partial headline from Guam’s major newspaper, Pacific Daily News (3/28/08). The full title is “Guam Son Killed in Iraq: Island Mourns Fallen Soldier.”
—Tintoretto’s inscription can be found in Tom Nichol’s Tintoretto: Tradition and Identity (Redaktion Books, 1999).
—“The Exceptional Life and Death of a Chamorro Soldier: Tracing the Militarization of Desire in Guam, USA” (2010), by Michael Lujan Bevacqua, can be found in Militarized Currents: Toward a Decolonized Future in Asia and the Pacific (U of Minnesota Press, 2010), edited by Setsu Shigematsu and Keith L. Camacho.
—The names of the fallen soldiers retrieved from a feature in the Pacific Daily News titled “Remembering our Fallen,” posted on May 2, 2011. Accessed on May 5, 2011 (http://www.guampdn.com/article/20110503/NEWS01/105030301/Remembering-our-fallen).
—“Deliberating ‘Liberation Day’: Identity, History, Memory, and War in Guam,” by Vicente Diaz, can be found in Perilous Memories: the Asia-Pacific War(s) (Duke U Press, 2001), edited by T. Fujitani, Geoffrey M. White, and Lisa Yoneyama.
—For a more thorough history of militarism and the current military buildup on Guam, please see Lisa Natividad and Gwen Kirk’s “Fortress Guam: Resistance to U.S. Military Mega-Buildup,” The Asia-Pacific Journal, 19-1-10, May 10, 2010.
—Background information on Jonathan Pangelinan Santos and quote from his diary is from “The Corporal’s Diary’: Fallen soldier’s journal and videotapes inspire documentary,” by Donald Allen, in Stars and Stripes, January 4, 2009. Also, the note about his nickname can be found at the Combat Veterans International memorials online. Accessed on April 31, 2011 (http://www.combatveterans.com/memorials/santos.htm).
—For more information on Eyes Wide Open: An Exhibit on the Human Cost of War visit their website: http://afsc.org/campaign/eyes-wide-open.
—Information on “Operation: Special Intentions” and the quote from Monsignor James L.G. Benavente was retrieved from “Relics of military patron saints tour Guam,” a press release of the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica (Hagatna, Guam), March 4, 2009.
—For more information on the projects of the Guam Humanities Council, visit its website: http://www.guamhumanitiescouncil.org/neh_wtp.html
—Thanks to A. Ricardo Aguon Hernandez, Budget Analyst at I Liheslaturan Guahan’s Office of Finance and Budget, for providing a breakdown of the “compensation injustice” between JROTC and Guam’s public school instructors.
—“Hu hongge i lina’la’ tataotao ta’lo åmen” can be translated as “I believe in the resurrection of the body, amen.”
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You can read Part 1 of this essay here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here , Part 4 here, and Part 5 here.
Surviving Our Fallen: Chamorros, Militarism, Religiosity, and 9/11 (Part 6)
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A young Chamorro named Jonathan Pangelinan Santos joined the army after high school as a way to pay for college. He was deployed to Iraq in 2004. They say he collected around 75 books in Iraq and was nicknamed: the Librarian.
While in Iraq, he kept a video diary using a hand held camera and a written diary in a government-issued green notebook. He wrote: “I will read ‘The Principles of Writing,’ and then I will write the Great American novel and get hired as a professor at a prestigious university.”
Jonathan’s mother, Doris Kent, discovered the diary and tapes when the Army delivered his “Tuff Box” to her. His most valuable belongings. His relics.
She donated her son’s boots to “Eyes Wide Open,” a traveling exhibition of the American Friends Service Committee. The exhibit, began in 2004, features a pair of empty boots for each U.S. military casualty in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a pair of shoes for each Iraqi and Afghan civilian death.
After meeting Mrs. Kent, documentary filmmaker Patricia Boiko produced and co-directed “The Corporal’s Diary: 38 Days in Iraq” (2008). Jonathan’s words and video footage are featured in the documentary.
The Corporal’s Diary Trailer 3 Minutes from Patricia Boiko on Vimeo.
Jonathan was 22 years old when he was killed in Iraq. A young Chamorro who dreamed of being a writer. He could’ve studied creative writing in college; he could’ve written the Great Chamorro novel; he could’ve taught at the University of Guam.
~
[2008]
[U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Joseph Gamboa of the 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, from Merizo died March 25 in Iraq from injuries sustained when he came under indirect fire. He was 34]
[U.S. Army Spc. Philton Ueki was killed in Iraq on April 23. He was buried in California]
[Christopher Albert Quitugua died June 19 in Iraq after the vehicle he was riding in flipped after a tire blowout. He was 28]
[Guam Army National Guard Sgt. Brian S. Leon Guerrero was killed July 10 in Afghanistan when the vehicle he was in hit an improvised explosive device. He was 34]
[Guam Army National Guard Spc. Samson A. Mora was killed July 10 in Afghanistan when the vehicle he was in hit an improvised explosive device. He was 28]
[U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Anthony M. "Tony" Carbullido died Aug. 8 from injuries he suffered when his convoy vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan]
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My first book of poems was published in 2008. I was 28 years old.
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[2009]
[Hawaii Army National Guard Spc. Cwislyn K. Walter, 19, died as a result of injuries sustained in a single-vehicle accident Feb. 19 in Kuwait]
[U.S. Army Sgt. Jasper Obakrairur, 26, of Palau, was killed by a roadside bomb on June 1 in Nerkh, Afghanistan]
[U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Jose San Nicolas Crisostomo, formerly of Inarajan, died on Aug. 18, after an improvised explosive device detonated near his convoy in Kabul, Afghanistan]
[U.S. Army Sgt. Youvert Loney, 28, Pohnpei, Micronesia; died Sept. 5 in Abad, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked his vehicle using small arms and recoilless rifle fire]
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On Sunday, March 8, 2009, The Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica in Hagatna, the capital of Guam, hosted “Operation: Special Intentions.” This exhibit presented relics of St. Anthony of Padua (Patron Saint of Sailors), St. Therese of Lisieux (Patron Saint of Pilots and Aircrews), and St. Ignatius of Loyola (Patron of Soldiers).
This national tour was coordinated with the Los Angeles-based Apostolate for Holy Relics, the Archdiocese for Military Service in Washington, DC, and the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George (US Delegation). The relics arrived on Guam after a tour in the Archdiocese of Manila (Philippines), and they continued to Pearl Harbor.
According to Monsignor James L.G. Benavente from Guam: “This is an opportunity for the people to express their solidarity with loved ones in the armed forces. I invite our faithful, family, and friends to pray to and visit with these patron sains so that they may intercede for all of us, especially those abroad…Let this be a time to recall the ultimate sacrifice given by our military men and women—past and present.”
The Cathedral also invited those with loved ones serving in the military to “enlist” their names in the prayer book and to post tribute photos at the church.
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St. Anthony of Padua, Tayuyuti ham.
St. Therese of Lisieux, Tayuyuti ham.
St. Ignatius of Loyola, Tayuyuti ham.
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There’s a picture of Mrs. Kent holding a pair of boots. The laces are threaded with a rosary.
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[2010]
[U.S. Army Spc. Eric M. Finniginam, 26, of Yap, died May 1 of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit in Afghanistan]
[U.S. Army Sgt. Joshua Akoni Sablan Lukeala, 23, formerly of Yigo, died while in combat in Afghanistan]
[U.S. Marine Cpl. Dave Michael Santos, 21, was killed July 16 in Afghanistan]
[Army Pfc. Jaysine "Jen" Petree, 19, was killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan]
~
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the absolutely true blog of Craig Santos Perez
