AFTER a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, a Public School System team participated recently in the University of Guam’s Chamorro language competition, winning 38 medals in various categories. Guam took 26 medals.
The competition was held on March 13 and 14, 2023 at the UOG Class Lecture Hall and the UOG Calvo Fieldhouse.
The annual Inacha’igen Fino’ CHamoru is the largest competition in the Marianas that promotes the Chamorro language.
This year’s competition theme was, “I Fino’ CHamoru: Gi Minenhalom Taotao Tåno gi Inabiban Hinemlo’ yan Gråsia” (The CHamoru Language: Through the Wisdom of the Indigenous People in Praising, Healing and Grace).
Sixteen schools on Saipan, Tinian and Rota sent representatives to the competition.
“I am very grateful and proud of the result of the UOG Chamorro language competition,” said Jonas Barcinas, program director of PSS’ Chamorro and Carolinian Language Heritage Studies or CCLHS.
“Our students traveled to Guam for an opportunity of a lifetime, especially the students who had never traveled out of CNMI,” he added. “What they’ve learned from this experience will hopefully help our students understand the value of speaking their mother tongue and I am also hopeful that they will continue to appreciate, value, practice, and promote their indigenous languages, Chamorro and Carolinian. This is one way that the CCLHS program fosters and promotes the revitalization of our indigenous languages.”
This year, PSS sent a total of 208 student-delegates — the biggest in the history of the competition which was launched in 2004.
The PSS students competed in Drawing (K-12), Essay (K-12), Oratorical (9-12), Poetry Recitation (6-12), Proficiency (HS), Storytelling (K-5), Male/Female Singer (MS/HS), Kantan Chamorrita Style of Singing (9-12), Song with Dance (9-12), Dramatic Interpretation (9-12), Children’s Choir (ES/MS), and Chant (9-12).
Barcinas said the CCLHS program continues to grow, thanks to the support of the Board of Education and PSS led by Commissioner of Education Dr. Alfred B. Ada.
Barcinas said it was Ada who initiated an “immersion program” in all elementary schools for kindergarten students.
“We plan to expand the program for our first to fifth graders,” Barcinas added.
Since 2017, the CCLHS program has been led by Barcinas.
Competition results
Of the 206 CNMI students who participated in the Guam competition, 40 are from Hopwood Middle School and were led by CCLHS educator and traditional Chamorro suruhanu Donald Mendiola, and his fellow educators Vic Cabrera and Rebecca Sablan.
“We coached and trained them daily for two months to make sure that they were ready for Guam, and they were,” said Mendiola. Twenty HMS students won first place in the Tinaitai Koru/Choral Reading category, while another group of 20 students won first place in the Lålai/Chant categories.
HMS student Jose Iguel won 2nd place in Rinisådan Po’ema.
“Of our 40 students who competed on Guam, 20 had never been there before,” said Mendiola. “They enjoyed cultural experiences when we took them to Sagan Kotturan CHamoru and heard a talk by Zita Pangelinan [president of the Håya Cultural Preservation Foundation], [Master Suruhana] Mama Chai, and her three apprentices. We also took them down south to Umatac, Malesso, and Inarajan. Overall it was a very fruitful experience for them and we will never forget their wonderful memories of this beautiful and educational trip.”
Kagman High School was represented by students Liza Marie Agulto and Zared Nekaifes and competed in the female singer and male singer categories. They were coached by CCLHS teacher Elsie San Nicolas Johnson.
Nekaifes accompanied Agulto on guitar while she sang her rendition of J.J. Concepcion’s “Protehi i Tano-ta.” Agulto’s performance won her a silver medal while Nekaifes earned a bronze. Their classmate, Oceania Teigita, competed in Rinisådan Po’ema and won gold
Dedication
Marianas High School sent 18 students under the direction of educators and coaches Anita and Alvin Sablan, CCLHS teacher Candice Muna, and Guma Må’gas/ dance coach Luis John “LJ” Castro. The students practiced every day for over two months in preparation for the competition.
“The dedication that we all put in to prepare for the competition shows how much we are trying to keep our language alive,” said Tyler Sasamoto, a freshman at MHS.
Aisha Deleon Guerrero, a sophomore, said “All of our tears, stress and hard work paid off at the end of the day. Although at times we felt like giving up, we all wanted to do this for our culture. Biba Chamorro!”
MHS students dominated six of the eight high school categories. In Prufisiente (Proficiency), Melva Mafnas, Nicolas Terlaje and McGarett Songao spent over three hours in an intensive test of reading comprehension, writing, reading aloud and conversational Chamorro.
Mafnas, a senior, won gold. She attributes her success to her family, especially her mother and father, grandparents, aunts and uncles, who all communicate with her in Chamorro at home.
Silver medalist Terlaje honored his late grandfather who taught him Chamorro.
MHS junior Sohayla DeLeon Guerrero, won gold in Sinangan/Oratory for her powerful speech about perpetuating the Chamorro language and culture.
“Hearing the judges tell us they had goosebumps from our performances made us glad to hear that we, students from the CNMI, have the power and voice to give feelings to other people,” she said. “We are truly honored to be in Guam and to show everyone the love that we have for our culture. We hope that after seeing our performances, the people of the Marianas will continue to learn and speak our Chamorro language and culture. Si Yu’us Ma’åsi yan Fan Gotte!”
MHS sophomore Amber Fitial, for her part, won silver In Rinisådan Po’ema.
Ten other MHS students led by Guma Må’gas LJ Castro won a gold medal in Kånta yan Baila for their performance of “Tiempo,” a song originally released by native rock band “Chamorro.”
Another group of 10 MHS students won gold in Inintetpeten Kotturan Egge’/Dramatic Cultural Interpretation. These students wrote and performed their original skit in the Chamorro language with the guidance of their coaches Anita and Alvin Sablan and MHS Vice Principal Melanie Sablan Rdiall.
Mandy Tenorio, a senior, won bronze in Palao’an na Kakanta for her beautiful performance of “Gupu i Paluma,” a song originally recorded and performed by the late singer and suruhanu, Emilio Ayuyu.
During the MHS dance finale of “Tiempo” choreographed by LJ Castro, the male dancers waved Guam and CNMI flags proudly in the air.
Therese Manalang, a CCLHS educator at Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Jr. Sr. High School on Rota, said, “Above all, One Love and One Marianas to all. We are all winners.”
Another CCLHS teacher, Rose Taimanao Jones of Chacha Ocean View Middle School, said, “This was definitely a competition filled with the love and spirit of our ancestors, in honor of uniting us as One Marianas.”
For MHS senior Mandy Tenorio, “Whether you were born and raised on the islands or stateside, it is never too late to keep your language and culture alive.”
Marianas High School delegates at the UOG Field House.
Marianas High School delegates and coaches cheer and pose for photos after winning first place in Kanta yan Baila/Song and Dance at Inacha’igen Fino’ CHamoru 2023.
Hopwood Middle School delegates and coaches post for a photo after winning first place in Lålai/Chant at Inacha’igen Fino’ CHamoru 2023.
Students and their coaches pose for a photo at the competition venue.
Dandan Middle School students with PSS CCLHS Program Director Jonas Barcinas pose for a photo before boarding their flight for the Guam competition which was held on March 13 and 14, 2023.
The Chacha Oceanview Middle School competing team and their educators-coaches.
The delegates from Tinian Elementary School and their coaches.
CNMI students display their medals.
The team from Koblerville Elementary School with their coaches-educators.
Hopwood Middle School’s winning team with their coaches-educators.
Rota’s participating students pose for a photo.
The Francisco M. Sablan Middle School team members with their coaches-educators.
CCLHS Program Director Jonas Barcinas with Chacha Oceanview Middle School and Tinian High School’s representatives during the oratorical medal presentation.
Khaiceel Barcinas, a third grade student San Vicente Elementary School, placed third in the storytelling category, while brother Khaleel Barcinas, a first grader of SVES, was a participant in the drawing and storytelling categories.
Kagman Elementary School’s winning team with their coaches-educators.
