From left, Bobbi Sablan, special assistant for the Women’s Affairs Office; Felix Nogis, Carolinian Affairs Office executive assistant; and Gov. Arnold I. Palacios
Felix Nogis, Carolinian Affairs Office executive assistant, addresses the crowd that witnessed the proclamation signing for Chamorro-Carolinian Cultural Heritage Month.
A MONTH of planned cultural activities began on Aug. 31 at the Carolinian Affairs Office during a proclamation signing to designate September as Chamorro-Carolinian Cultural Heritage Month.
Carolinian Affairs Office Executive Assistant Felix Nogis said September will feature different activities at the Carolinian Utt in Garapan.
He said weaving, arts, and storytelling events are also scheduled to take place at different public schools.
Gov. Arnold I. Palacios signed the proclamation and said the month is an opportunity to “teach our children, and those people who have forgotten, some of the customs and nuances of who we are as a people and as a community.”
The events scheduled for Chamorro-Carolinian Heritage Month include a Rota outreach on Sept. 7-9; cultural clinics on Sept. 9, 16 and 23 at the Carolinian Utt in Garapan; cultural outreach events on Sept. 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 26 and 28; a commemoration at the 13 Fishermen Memorial on Sept. 23; Chief Aghurubw commemoration on Sept. 24; Songs and Chants of the Islands on Sept. 10, 17 and 24; and the grand finale at the Carolinian Utt on Oct. 1.
Agatha Ketebengang, CAO program coordinator, said the cultural clinic is an opportunity to learn traditional music and fishing.
She added that Songs and Chants of the Islands will be a series of “sunset concerts” where performers will highlight the various traditional cultural dances of the Carolinians. The grand finale, for its part, will be a celebration featuring food and musical performances.
The Chamorro-Carolinian Cultural Heritage Month activities are a collaborative effort between the Carolinian Affairs Office, the Indigenous Affairs Office, the Office of the Governor, the Women’s Affairs Office and the Refaluwasch Advisory Council.
