CHAMORRO and Carolinian artifacts can now be seen inside one of Saipan’s biggest shopping centers.
The windows inside the Duty Free Shop Galleria in Garapan, which used to display the latest Warner Bros. toy items, now exhibit artifacts depicting local culture and history.
“That area was offered to us for free. We think it is wise to put some of our artifacts right there. It’s something new,” Museum Board Chairman Herman T. Guerrero said.
DFS Galleria offered the window portion to the museum after the original occupant, Warner Bros., closed shop recently.
Guerrero said having artifacts at the shopping center would help boost cultural awareness.
“We need a massive effort in promoting our culture and history. It’s important that we’re able to reach as many people as possible and make them knowledgeable about our common past,” he said.
This year, the Museum of History and Culture plans to hire an expert to do a facial reconstruction of an early Chamorro.
The reconstruction, which will cost over $5,000, would include the early Chamorro’s shoulder and chest area.
The museum, under curator and acting Executive Director Gigi York, is trying to get the grants that will fund the museum’s improvement projects.
The CNMI Museum, which is currently housed in the old Japanese hospital on Middle Road, opened in 1998.
