“The one that we’re selecting represents everybody and everything about the CNMI,” he said in a news conference on Friday.
The coins for the CNMI are targeted to be issued in March 2009 to mark the islands’ Covenant Day.
Teresa Kim, Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Villagomez’ legal counsel and one of the three commissioners tasked to work on the coin project, said they asked “narratives” from the CNMI community.
These narratives were then sent to the U.S. Treasury which told its artists to come up with three sets of designs.
“They asked us for narratives as opposed to pictures. Because they have specific artists and that’s all they do, design every specific quarters for the United States of America and so they wanted to use the same artists and so they told us to give narratives or stories and we’ll come up with the design. And they came up with design based on the stories that we gave them,” said Kim.
Esther Fleming, the governor’s special assistant for administrator and also one of the coin commissioners, said there is no information yet on the number of coins that will be minted, but added that the project will generate a lot of interest in the CNMI.
“They said they haven’t decided yet how many they will distribute. I think a lot of people would be interested to get it for souvenirs just like when the U.S. minted new quarters for the year 2000,” she said.
She said the CNMI was given until June 20 to submit its choice.
“We wanted to make sure that they have the symbolisms that we have…. We’re quite fortunate to be included in this second round of this program just like the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and Guam,” she said.
Cathy Anderson, a former public information officer of the administration who now runs her own public relations firm, said the minting of the coins is a major historic development in the islands’ relationship with the federal government.
The chosen CNMI quarter design shows the Chamorros’ latte stone erected on an island surrounded with three coconut trees and wild plants.
Near the shore is a proa or a canoe representing the Carolinian people who are known for their exceptional navigational skills. Two native birds known as Chungi hover in the sky.
Underneath the latte stone is the mwar which the governor said symbolizes the unity between the CNMI’s Chamorros and Carolinians.
“Carolinians are very humble people they don’t mind lying down,” he said in jest referring to the mwar underneath the latte stone.
