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The essence of our island – the heart of Chamorro culture that includes and warmly welcomes visitors through language, foods, dances, songs, and gifts that represent nature, history and culture. Daily, interactive encounters between each one of us and the visitors we meet, that build an image of Chamorro essence that each visitor can take home with them – in words, experiences, and gifts that represent WHO WE ARE.
Based on my experiences of working as a folklorist since 1985, I would like to provide a historical overview of particular artists and art forms that have made an impact on WHO WE ARE today. My job at the Guam Council on the Arts & Humanities Agency (CAHA) was to identify, document, and promote Guamʼs traditional arts and artists. I had the wonderful job of visiting, interviewing and arranging video documentations of palm leaf weavers, kantan chamorita singers, rope makers, blacksmith toolmakers, canoe builders, and dancers, to name a few. I already knew many of these practitioners from Inalahan where I grew up. I was documenting dances that the man-amko practiced in their lifetime – Spanish-influenced batsu (waltz), sotis (polka), and Philippine-influenced dances with coconut shells and small bamboo sticks. These dances werenʼt being featured in any of the hotels. Polynesian dance groups were hired by hotel management for their dinner shows. Young folks were dancing American hip hop and cha cha. The old dances were fading away along with the elder practitioners. In 1984 a new type of Chamorro dance was showing up at parties and public functions. “Taotao Tanoʼ”, meaning “People of the Land”, was a new group led by a young man who was passionate about the idea that Chamorro people must have had their own dances before the Spanish conquest. With this idea, “Ancient Chamorro Dance” was created in 1984 by Frank Rabon, who was awarded the title of Master of Chamorro Dance many years later. The “Bailan Uritao”, or “Dance of the Young Men” stood out as something different, with very masculine use of long sticks, called “Tunas”. These and other dances told a story of ancient Chamorro life as Frank researched his heritage and shared his ideas through dance. These dances caught the attention and interest of young Chamorros. Frank spent years developing and teaching these dances to entire school populations through the CAHA Arts-in-Education program. Today, more than a generation of school students has grown up knowing more about their ancient heritage through the dances created by Frank Rabon. His successors have formed their own dance groups. In 2001 Frank and the successive dance groups formed a non-profit organization called “Paʼa Taotaotano”, meaning “The Way of Life of the People of the Land”. This organization represents a coalition of approximately 12 dance groups throughout Guam, the Northern Marianas, and even in California.
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