SIX individuals received the 2023 Governor’s Humanities Awards at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Tuesday evening, Oct. 17, in a ceremony hosted by the Northern Marianas Humanities Council.
The special guests included the awardees’ family members, Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang.
The awards recognized the “outstanding contributions to the humanities by individuals and organizations in our community.”
Taking home the “Research and Publications in the Humanities” award was Northern Marianas College instructor Ajani Burrell. He was recognized for his role as the lead editor of “A Marianas Mosaic: Signs and Shifts in Contemporary Island Life,” a publication of the University of Guam Press.
Aside from editing the work, Burrell also penned two essays, “Repping the Marianas,” which analyzed “logos, taglines, and marketing material from local clothing brands” and interviewed the designers; and “May I Borrow Some Soy Sauce?” which “describes how neighbors on Rota are increasingly less likely to ask each other for small favors.”
William J. Fife III was recognized as an “Outstanding Humanities Teacher in a Classroom Setting” who uses the Socratic method in conducting the History and Principles of Democratic Institutions classes at Northern Marianas College. He employed the same method at Kagman High School.
The recipient of the “Outstanding Humanities Teacher in a Non-Classroom Setting” is Carmen S. Taimanao, a “retired education luminary and a distinguished Chamorro language resource.” She was recognized for her contributions to the Public School System as a trailblazing Chamorro bilingual teacher in 1970-1973, and as a curriculum writer and director for the bilingual program. Outside the classroom, Taimanao translated numerous children’s books into the Chamorro language, and was a member of the Chamorro Carolinian Language Policy Commission, where she “mentored colleagues, led efforts to certify language translators…and participated in researching and implementing orthography standards.”
This year’s recipient of the “Preservation of CNMI History” award is Deborah A. Flemming, who is known for her oral history research and personal research into the cultural and historic sites around the Marianas, focusing particularly on her home island, Tinian. She is also noted for connecting “visitors to the unique history and heritage found on Tinian” by leading jungle and island tours. In addition, she is a cultural advisor for various archeological, infrastructure, and humanities projects.
500 Sails Director of Sailing and Seamanship Milton F. Coleman Jr., better known as “Junior,” was honored for the “Preservation of Traditional and Cultural Practices.”
Coleman is a protégé of Grand Master Navigator Dr. Pius Mau Piailug and sailed with the famed traditional navigator in several long distance voyages on the Hokule’a and other vessels. He is a newly initiated traditional navigator under the Wariyaeng school of navigation in Satawal. Coleman also helped construct the traditional Hawaiian canoe HawaiiLoa when he was a resident of the state.
The final award of the evening, “Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities,” was presented to Donald B. Mendiola, a yo’åmte/suruhuanu or local healer.
Mendiola started learning how to heal with local remedies at the age of eight under the guidance of his grandmother, Tan Ana Mendiola.
His grandmother taught him how to identify medicinal plants. He would later learn Chamorro medicinal healing from over 30 elders.
Aside from his role as a healer, Mendiola has been a Chamorro Language and Heritage Studies teacher for over 30 years and has coached language competition teams that have consistently won medals in the annual University of Guam CHamoru Language Competition.
He is a contributing member of the CNMI’s Chamorro Language Dictionary Revision Committee, a certified translator and interpreter for the CNMI courts and Legislature as well as the vice chair of the Chamorro and Carolinian Language Policy Commission.
William Fife and family. Fife’s wife, Dr. Beylul Solomon, is also a recipient of a Governor’s Humanities Award for Research and Publication in the Humanities.
Deborah Flemming, 2nd left, is flanked by her granddaughters, and her daughter, CNMI Department of Labor Secretary Leila Staffler.
Carmen Taimanao receives the award for “Outstanding Humanities Teacher in a Non-Classroom Setting.”
Milton F. Coleman Jr. receives the award for the Preservation of Traditional and Cultural Practices.
Last year’s recipient of the Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities Award, Donald Mendiola, was honored for his lifelong practice of native healing techniques.
Ajani Burrell’s wife, Sarah Forti, accepts the award on her husband’s behalf. Burrell is on sabbatical leave.
