THE Northern Marianas Humanities Council is releasing a new children’s show, “Island Time,” on its YouTube channel: @670humanities on July 20, 2023.
“Island Time,” “Inventions,” is an episode of the children’s show that teaches the Chamorro language and celebrates the Chamorro culture with Chamorro actors, local music, animations, and wacky puppets.
“Island Time” is a Northern Marianas Humanities Council production intended for audiences of all ages and ethnicities, though its target audience is Chamorro youth living in the Marianas and across the diaspora.
The series centers around Fu’una, a young Chamorro woman living on Saipan who wants to learn more about her culture.
In the episode “Inventions,” Fu’una’s tough-love Chamorro grandmother, Nåna, is about to leave for a motorcycle road trip across the United States and shows Fu’una how to watch over her house, including taking care of her pet ayuyu (coconut crab) and chiba (goat).
When Nåna leaves, her pets transform from live-action animals to Chamorro-speaking puppets who build robots, hold public office, sing songs, and fully expect Fu’una to keep up. Suddenly immersed in a new home full of Chamorro culture, language, and history, Fu’una embarks on a journey to reconnect with her own indigenous identity.
“Island Time” tackles growing up in our internet age but through the lens of Chamorro culture and identity. By watching Fu’una’s adventures, mistakes, and triumphs, we intend to provide young viewers with an example of how to navigate their own personal and cultural identities in a global and digital world. For example, “Inventions,” shows how modern-day creativity can still be an authentic representation of a 4,000-year-old culture, and new inventions are a way of demonstrating that the old culture is still alive.
