Kottura: I Taotaomo’na

Our Saturday morning practice group will finish reading and translating The Dolphin and the Two Children this week, so the new story for this week is a bit shorter. It’s from a book written by Carmen C. Blas about different Chamorro cultural beliefs and practices, which I found in the KPV Collection. This short piece discusses beliefs about the taotaomo’na, or ancestral spirits. The Chamorro text, an English translation, and a Chamorro audio narration by Jay Che’le is included in this post. Happy reading!

Legend: How the Young Women of Guam Saved the Island

Here is a Chamorro legend that tells us why the middle of the island of Guam is so skinny. It is definitely a beloved legend, as it celebrates the intelligence and courage of Chamorro women. This version combines storytelling from two different versions of this legend I found in the KPV Collection in their Education & Culture Content section (sources detailed below). But the majority uses the version from Dolores I. Marciano.

In this post you’ll find the Chamorro text, a Chamorro audio narration by Jay Che’le, an English translation, and a Quizlet flashcard set for learning the affixed words. Happy reading!

Legend: The Story of the Breadfruit on Guahån

Here is another Chamorro legend about how the breadfruit tree came to be on Guam. I got it from the Legends book that I found on the KPV collection which has a great collection of legends all written in Chamorro. In this post I’ve included the Chamorro, an English translation, an audio narration, and a Quizlet flashcard deck. The narration for this story is done by Jay Che’le, hope you enjoy it!

Legend: Why the Kakkak is Skinny

One of the most gratifying things about learning Chamorro is discovering new stories in the language that I have never heard before. The story about the Kakkak, or the Yellow Bittern, is a story that I never heard growing up. I found this version in a legends book from the KPV Collection that was collected and translated by Carmen C. Blas. This narration is done by Jay Che’le, listen and enjoy!

Kottura: Gupot Nobena

Here’s another cultural piece, from the short stories book I found in the KPV Collection, about devotional prayers and the parties that are held in honor of the saint that the devotional prayer is said to. This short story is in Chamorro with the English translation and narration done by Jay Che’le. Whenever I read or listen to this story, I always end up very hungry because of all the food they describe for the party, and it makes me nostalgic for the days, now 20 years ago, when my family would host events like this or attend them. Hope you enjoy!

Kottura: Mámaisen Saina Si Piling

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.