ILEK-ÑA SI PÅLE'

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The following sermon reflects a time when the husband was the bread-winner, and the wife managed the household.  It was preached in Tinian in 1963, at a time when most people worked their own farms for a living.

I palao'an ni umassagua nesesita u yodahe yan tomtom na manehånten i salåppe' i familia.  Lao i palao'an debi de u yodahe lokkue' gi ma desean i salåppe' yan pot todo i kosas siha ni siña finahan nu i salåppe'.  Yanggen i palao'an ha despetdidisia i salåppe' gi ti man nesesårio yan manaisetbe siha na kosas, guiya siempre u ma achåka yanggen mumeggai i dibe gi tenda siha ni ti man e'empas.

Un tiempo annai eståba yo' giya Guam, manbisita yo' gi un guma'.  Gi halom ayo na guma' eståba un foggon elektrisidat ni sumen nuebo, yan nuebo na kåhon ais.  Lao ayo na guma' tåya' elektrisidat sa' ti nahong siha salåppe'.  Ma gåsta i salåppe'-ñiha gi ayo i menos impottånte, ya ti man nahong siha salåppe' para i mås impottånte.  Pues håfa ma susede?  Ayo na familia ha popo'lo i sapåtos-ñiha gi halom i feggon!  Hengge yo' sa' hu li'e nu i propio matå-ho.

The married woman needs to be a careful and wise manager of the family money.  But the woman also needs to beware of the desire for money and for things which money can buy.  If the woman wastes money on unnecessary and useless things, she will be blamed if unpaid bills at the stores increase.


One time when I was on Guam, I was visiting a house.  In that house was a brand new electric stove, and a new refrigerator.  But that house did not have electricity because they didn't have enough money.  They spent their money on the less important, and didn't have enough money for the more important.  So what happened?  That family were putting their shoes inside the stove.  Believe me because I saw it with my own eyes.

Interesting terms :

Yodahe = careful.  Root word is adahe, "to be careful, to care for" 

Manehånte = manager.  From maneha, "to manage."  Borrowed from Spanish manejar.

Despetdisia = to waste.  From the Spanish desperdiciar, "to waste, squander."

Achåka = to blame.  From the Spanish achacar, "to attribute, lay blame."

Kåhon ais = literal translation of "ice box."  There is no indigenous term for "ice," and Chamorros didn't borrow the Spanish word for it.  So ais is "ice."  Kåhon means "box."