DOZENS of community members gathered at two sites in Chalan Laulau to witness the reinterment of ancestral Chamorro remains on Friday, Aug. 18.
The ceremony was organized by the Historic Preservation Office, the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, and the Indigenous Affairs Office.
It began at 8:30 a.m. with a funeral procession that started at the HPO office in As Lito.
The remains were kept secure in a canvas bag that was wrapped in a woven coconut leaf basket.
At each site, the remains were prayed over by Donald Mendiola, a noted suruhuanu/yo’amte, or local healer.
“I was speaking to the ancients, the spirits,” Mendiola said. “I was telling them they were doing a proper burial for them. They were all smiles. They really appreciate what was done for them.”
The remains were lowered into a grave with an offering of fruit and betel nut and covered over with earth and a concrete slab.
IAO Resident Executive Ross Manglona said the remains were located after construction began at two FEMA residential projects.
The remains were dug up and then returned to the general area of discovery after construction was completed, Manglona said.
“As we unearth, we put back,” Manglona said. “[HPO, DCCA, and IAO] are putting them back in a dignified manner.”
Manglona and his office invited the public to the ceremony through letters sent to the media.
“I was astonished to find out that they usually call the public when it’s a large burial, nothing this small. In our culture whether or not it’s a [big number of] people we’re putting back into the Earth, we need to treat the event with respect,” Manglona said.
As construction projects continue around the island, more human remains are bound to be discovered, he said, adding that he will continue to invite the public to reinterment ceremonies.
Department of Community and Cultural Affairs Secretary Maggie Sablan brings the remains of ancestral Chamorros to their reinterment site in Chalan Laulau on Aug. 18.
DCCA staff stand in the background as they wait to assist with the reinterment of ancestral Chamorro remains.
A DCCA staff member lays ylangylang on ancestral Chamorro remains.
Donald Mendiola speaks to the spirits of the ancestral Chamorros.
Saipan Mayor RB Camacho helps return the remains of ancestral Chamorros to their proper burial place.
Ross Manglona, in this image from August of this year, brings an offering to a reinterment site of ancestral Chamorro remains. The Office of Indigenous Affairs helped coordinate the event.
