AMERIKÅNON PAO ASU

An American that smells like smoke.

That is the literal meaning of Amerikånon pao asu.

Amerikåno is "American." Pao means "smell." Asu means "smoke."

Now, what is an Amerikånon pao asu?

He or she is a Chamorro who acts, whether well or not, like an American.

When a Chamorro sheds their Chamorro accent, even when speaking Chamorro. When a Chamorro can't speak Chamorro. When a Chamorro observes American standards of clothing or behavior. Those are all examples of Amerikånon pao asu. These Chamorros are judged as thinking themselves "too good" for island ways. 

It's just human nature, no matter the race or culture, to poke fun at the pretentious. Chamorros who are brown (in varying degrees) like everybody else but who act like they're not Chamorro will be targeted for ridicule or mockery.

So the description "smokey" or "smoke-smelling" is that dent in the armor, that poke in the balloon. For all their American ways, the Amerikånon pao asu still smells like smoke. Is that a reference to the brownness of their skin? Like smoked meat? Or is it a reference to being from the farm, as all Chamorros were at one time? Cooking over wood or coconut husks? Burning trash outdoors? Take your pick. Whoever invented the term didn't explain him or herself in writing.

The Amerikånon pao asu still smells like smoke (remains a Chamorro), despite their American airs, because they are still brown like a Chamorro and still have the facial features of a Chamorro and still descend from Chamorros.