SEPTEMBER was proclaimed CNMI Cultural Heritage Month during a proclamation signing on Friday, Aug. 29 at the Carolinian Utt in Garapan. The proclamation kicked off a monthlong series of activities celebrating Chamorro and Carolinian culture.
The Indigenous Affairs Office and Carolinian Affairs Office will conduct school outreach with cultural practitioners across Saipan, beginning Sept. 4 at Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School. Other visits are scheduled for Sept. 9 at Oleai Elementary School, Sept. 16 at Tanapag Middle School, Sept. 17 at Kagman Elementary School, Sept. 24 at Hopwood Junior High School, and Sept. 25 at San Vicente Elementary School.
On Sept. 12 and 19, the NMI Museum of History and Culture and the American Memorial Park Museum will host the Cultural Road Map program, where island middle school students will take part in hands-on cultural workshops.
Sept. 20 will mark Chief Aghurubw Day, when the community will gather at Managaha to honor the navigator who led the Carolinians to settle in the Marianas.
The CNMI Chamorro and Carolinian Language Symposium is scheduled for Sept. 25 and 26 at Saipan World Resort’s Taga Hall from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. as part of the month’s events.
Finally, on Sept. 27, Cultural Heritage Month will close with Puengin Chahan Uuwm, where organizers will prepare food in an underground oven for residents to enjoy.
At the Carolinian Utt on Aug. 29, the proclamation was read in both Chamorro and Carolinian. As part of the day’s festivities, the 500 Sails vessels Neni, a Chamorro canoe, and Mikaela, a Carolinian canoe, sailed in the lagoon.
Gov. David M. Apatang said Cultural Heritage Month is dedicated to ensuring that the CNMI’s indigenous cultures continue to thrive.
“Our stories, our languages, our customs, our core values are not simply memories of the past, but important values that identify us today,” he said. “As individuals and as a community, Cultural Heritage Month is both a celebration and a call to action. It calls on each of us to preserve our indigenous languages, to revive traditional practices, and to honor the wisdom of our manamko’ by passing it on to our manhoben.
“It is about ensuring that our proas, which once carried our ancestors across the vast ocean, still sail in the hearts of our youth, carrying with them pride, resilience, and a deep connection to their heritage.”
Gov. David M. Apatang, center, poses for a photo with other CNMI officials and cultural advocates after signing a proclamation designating September as Cultural Heritage Month on Friday, Aug. 29 at the Carolinian Utt in Garapan.
Traditional canoes Mikaela, foreground, and Neni sit on the sand after sailing through the Saipan Lagoon, as part of the proclamation signing declaring September Cultural Heritage Month.
