Last year’s winners of the Governor’s Humanities Award: front row, second from left, April Repeki, Outstanding Humanities Teacher (non-classroom); Frances Sablan, Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities; Master Navigator Mario Benito, Preservation of Traditional Cultural Practices; Sofina Tomokane, Preservation of Traditional Cultural Practices; Beylul Solomon, Research and Publications in the Humanities. Not pictured: Gloria Rasiang, Outstanding Humanities Teacher (in a classroom setting).
THE deadline to nominate candidates for the Governor’s Humanities Awards is October 5, according to the Northern Marianas Humanities Council.
The awards recognize “outstanding contributions to the humanities by individuals and organizations in our community.”
The award has five categories:
• Research and Publication in the Humanities. Nominees for this category are recognized for original scholarly research in one or more of the humanities fields that resulted in a manuscript or in the publication of a book or article. Research and publication topics must relate directly to the Northern Mariana Islands or to the greater Pacific region.
• Outstanding Humanities Teacher. Nominees are recognized for significant contributions to humanities instruction. Nominees may be teachers in kindergarten to college classrooms or individuals involved in humanities instruction outside of the formal classroom setting.
• Preservation of Traditional Cultural Practices. Nominees are recognized for a significant contribution to preserving traditional cultural practices relating to such topics as language, subsistence, medicine, law, kinship, religion, construction, transportation, and beyond.
• Preservation of CNMI History. Nominees are recognized for significant contributions to preserving history relating to the Northern Mariana Islands. Such contributions may take the form of film and video projects, recording oral histories, and other projects that record and examine important aspects of local history.
• Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities. This is the Humanities Council’s most prestigious award. Nominees are recognized for significant contributions in one or more fields of humanities over the course of multiple decades, typically three or more. This award may be presented posthumously.
On the award’s nomination form, the Humanities Council asks for a description of the nominee’s contribution to the humanities. It also asks for supporting documents such as articles or books written by the nominee; video clips of the nominee practicing the humanities; or other proof of the nominee’s contributions.
Humanities Council Executive Director Leo Pangelinan said highlighting award winners helps demonstrate what makes the Marianas a unique place.
“It’s important to shine a light on their achievements so that we have examples of exemplary creative and intellectual expressions that define our community,” Pangelinan said. “These awards promote awareness of individuals and groups that have made important contributions to our collective understanding of who we are as a people — our history, culture, and the world we live in.”
Past winners have included chant and dance instructor Frances Manibusan Sablan (2022 Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities); Master Navigator Mario Benito (2022 Preservation of Traditional Cultural Practices); and radio host Catherine Perry (2021 Preservation of CNMI History).
The awardees will be recognized in October as part of the Humanities Council’s Humanities Month.
Submission packets can be dropped off to the Humanities Council office at the Springs Plaza building on Middle Road in Gualo Rai, in the same location as Bank of Hawaii. For more information, contact (670) 235-4785. Packets may also be sent to [email protected]/.
