Frances Sablan teaches school children how to chant and dance Fa’i.
THE Indigenous Affairs Office, the Carolinian Affairs Office and the CNMI Arts Council began a series of classroom outreach activities by visiting William S. Reyes Elementary School and Dandan Middle School on Sept. 7 in honor of Chamorro and Carolinian Cultural Heritage Month.
At WSR, Frances Sablan taught 1st graders how to chant and dance her original piece titled “Fa’i,” which is about rice that ancient Chamorros would grow on Saipan, Tinian, Rota, and Guam.
Over at DMS, weaver Jacob Teuira demonstrated weaving techniques, and taught students how to make a coconut leaf basket.
All throughout September, IAO, CAO and the Arts Council will be visiting the Chamorro and Carolinian language classes of schools around the island. Other cultural artists will be present.
According to Josh Villagomez, an administrative assistant at IAO, the collaborative outreach events are about keeping the culture alive in a new generation.
“This is going to be a month where we perpetuate our unique customs, cultures and traditions and most especially our language,” Villagomez said. “It’s a really good opportunity for this month to be about outreach and especially focusing on educating our youth.”
Villagomez said because the CNMI is a “melting pot,” the outreach events also aim to share local cultures with students who may not have a personal connection to them.
“The beauty of [the Marianas] is that all different cultures have a different contribution to our way of life,” he said. Chamorro Carolinian Cultural Heritage Month is “about sharing our cultures and inviting other cultures to be able to share.”
Carmen Sablan, a Chamorro teacher at WSR, said her class is multicultural. Most of her students are from cultures outside of the Marianas, she added.
“I tell the kids it never hurts to learn another language,” she said. “And if you consider the CNMI your home, it will only do you good to know your community and know the language of your community. And they’ll respect you for it.”
Jacob Teuira demonstrates weaving at Dandan Middle School.
