Up in Saipan, I was impressed by these two huge trongkon nunu (banyan trees), feared by many as the sagan taotaomo'na (dwelling of the spirits of the ancients).
I was surprised when I learned from an elderly Chamorro lady that these trongkon nunu were deliberately planted by the family!
I asked the lady, "Pot håfa na ma tånom?" "Why did they plant them?"
"Sa' pot nuhong." "For the shade."
And shady it is. The trees are so tall and their branches so expansive that the grass below can scarcely grow since the sunlight cannot reach the soil.
And do people in the house experience anything?
The lady said, "Guaha na man finattoigue." "It happens that they are approached."
But - the trees remain!
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