The Canary and The Chungi’

Here is a charming tale of friendship between the canary and the chungi’, which in English is known as the white tern. I’m excited for our Saturday practice group to read this story because it really made me smile, and it reads like a happy folktale telling us how the two birds became friends. This story is from the book Istreyas Mariånas: Chamorro, written by Joaquin Flores Borja, Manuel Flores Borja, and Sandra Chung. Physical copies may be scarce, but thankfully we are able to access a digital copy on the Inetnun Kutturan Natibun Marianas website.

This post includes the Chamorro text, a Chamorro audio narration by Jay Che’le, and an English translation. Please also note that this story follows the CNMI orthography. I have also added stress marks to some words, to make it easier for learners to see the stress placement. Happy reading!

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The Beautiful Woman at the Well

This story evokes elements of the legend of the scented woman or the white lady, and we’ll be reading it this Saturday in our morning practice group. It’s another story from the KPV Collection (details below) which has been an invaluable resource for our practice groups. I’ve marked this story at the Intermediate Level, but the grammar isn’t too complex, so it’s also great for upper-level beginners who know a fair amount of common vocabulary and have famliarity with reduplication and plural man- prefixes.

As always, this post includes the Chamorro text, an audio narration in Chamorro by Jay Che’le, and an English translation. Happy reading!

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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!

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The Old Pirate

Here is a fun story about a pirate and his treasure that I found in a book in the KPV Collection (details below). In the original document, this story has the title of “E-5”, in case you are looking for the source material. Since this story is on the longer side, I did not include a Quizlet flashcard deck. But feel free to practice breaking this up into phrase chunks for your own studying.

This post includes the Chamorro text, audio narration in Chamorro, and an English translation. Happy reading!

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