The word “sumåhi” always stuck with me. It shares the same root word “såhi” with another well-known word on Guam now, “sinahi.” This word is most famous as the Chamorro men’s necklace made of hima shell, but is also the word for “new moon.” The tragic lyrics combined with the imagery of the moon stuck with me so, influencing me to name my first child Sumahi.
Like many cultures, the moon has been very important to Chamorros, especially in marking the passage of time throughout the year. The ancient Chamorro calendar had 13 months, one for each moon. In the naming of their months, they noted that different moons symbolized different ideal moments for different activities. A certain type of crab is best hunted after a particular moon, and the arrival of a certain moon means people should prepare for a period of heat or regular rain.
The moon was so important that “moon talk” — known as “fino’ gualåfon” or “talk of the full moon” — was known as love language among ancient Chamorros. This was a mysterious language even to the Spanish, who were there to hear it in the late 17th century. It was said to be a secret language young bachelors would speak to each other, especially when they were staying together in the guma’uritao. But it was also a language best expressed through love songs, meant to help develop the communication and presentation skill of the young men.
They would write songs and perform for each other, before taking their act public to the rest of the village (and potential love interests).
In pre-World War II Guam, the importance of the moon was still apparent. For example, in my research I came across a short essay entitled “Moon Superstitions” written by Juan Rosario and Felix Camacho, who were students attending the Guam Normal School, which was a training school for teachers back then. The article discusses the beliefs Chamorros had about how the moon phases affected when you should harvest crops, cut wood, or even castrate animals.
For most Chamorros who were educated in the prewar American school system, they were taught very little about local history or culture because the system was blatantly colonial and designed to strip children of their Chamorro language and identities. But interestingly enough, those who went on to become teachers were often given more latitude in their personal intellectual endeavors. In other essays collected from Guam Normal School students, you find discussions on local history, legends and culture. There were even essays where Chamorros were asked who they preferred as their colonizer, the Spanish or the Americans. A number of these essays were collected in the Hale’-ta series, as part of the volume titled “Hemplon Nåna Siha: A Collection of Legends and Stories.”
MICHAEL LUJAN BEVACQUA
Mangilao, Guam
