Chinatown resident Paulino B. Reyes told Variety: “I am half Chamorro and Carolinian. I speak both languages but I know a lot of people who don’t know how to speak their native tongue.”
Reyes said his mother teaches him how to weave, make local medicine, while his uncles teach him traditional dances. His father teaches him how to hunt, fish, and how to respect the spirits of the jungle.
“We live in a modern age where technology rules everything. But that is not an excuse to ignore our culture.
Everyone should know their own culture by heart,” he added.
When asked why preserving local languages is important, Reyes replied: “It is who you are. Where will you be if you don’t know where you come from? You will be lost. It is that important.”
Reyes said he enjoys the convenience of technology but it does not beat the tranquility he finds when he weaves baskets with his mother or goes fishing with his father to catch atulai early in the morning.
Ivan A. Blanco, director of the Central Statistics Division, told Variety that the estimated total population in the CNMI in October 2005 was 65,927. The estimated total population for Saipan was 60,608; Tinian, 2,829; and Rota, 2,490. There were 14,749 Chamorros and 2,652 Carolinians. When combined, Chamorros and Carolinians made up only 28 percent of the CNMI’s population.
A Kagman resident, a Carolinian, who declined to be identified said parents must teach the local languages to their children.
“Ultimately, it is the parent’s duty to teach the language. We see how outnumbered we are. Some parents give in and only speak to their children in English just for the convenience of the other people around them. It is good they are learning English, but it is bad that they are ignoring their heritage. We all need to make sure we keep our local languages and culture alive,” she added.
