Lessons from Lesser Laguas – Stories of Aguiguan By Moñeka De Oro Our Islands Are Sacred moneka.deoro@gmail.com Abstract: The four main islands of the Marianas are all located in the southern end of the archipelago. Together Rota, Saipan, Tinian, and Guåhan and the lone uninhabited island of Aguiguan/Aguijan make the “Låguas” portion of the Marianas. All islands north of Saipan collectively create “Gåni.” This presentation will provide vignettes of history focusing on Aguiguan. There are so many significant historical and ecological stories that are not widely shared about Aguiguan. For example, Aguiguan island is the location of one of the last major battles in the Chamorro-Spanish Wars. Aguiguan is also the only place where the endangered Marianas Sheath Bat and countless other plant and animal species still exist today. Commonly referred to as “goat island”, there is so much more to know about this island than the invasive goats that inhabit it today.
Editor’s Note: This paper, presented at the Marianas History Conference, was not made available for publication. Presentation slides on following page.