“Anaguan Village was an ancient Chamorro settlement and was a thriving community of ancient Chamorros in what is now present-day Garapan Village of the island of Saipan, the capital of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
“In the 1990s, the first archaeological excavation at Anaguan was conducted, wherein 268 remains were discovered. In 2015, a second excavation was conducted, wherein 416 ancestral remains were discovered.
“Our indigenous cultures dictate that the highest respect, honor, and reverence be given to our elders. Our community has come together to give our indigenous ancestors, who were our first elders, the highest respect, honor, and reverence on the day they will finally be laid to peaceful rest with the promise that will not be unearthed again.
“Today, August 21, 2020, after years of diligent planning, careful historical preservation, and respectful cultural reverence led by the CNMI Historic Preservation Office, under the CNMI Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, the nearly 700 ancestral remains have been reinterred at Anaguan, marking what will become the largest indigenous memorial in the CNMI.
“As a mark of solemn respect for the residents of Anaguan Village, I hereby direct the flag of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands be flown at half-staff today until sunset, August 21, 2020.”
