CHAMORRO CHRISTMAS TREE

Long before we saw Douglas firs.....

The Christmas Tree is an American custom, itself borrowed from Germany. During Spanish times in the Marianas, there was no Christmas Tree.

When the United States took over Guam, the American Naval community wanted to have an American Christmas in Hagåtña, where the highest levels among them lived, at least as much as possible.

As early as 1907, according to former Governor Dorn, the American Governor did something for the Hagåtña school children. After 1907, year after year, the children would gather at the Plaza de España and the Governor, with his wife, and other Naval officers and their wives, with some teachers, would pass out candy and toys, which were ordered and shipped in from the U.S. mainland, the Philippines or Japan.

TRONGKON GÅGO TO THE RESCUE

For trees, the Americans had to improvise. The trongkon gågo, also known as the ironwood or Australian pine tree, was used as a substitute for the true pine and fir trees grown in North America. Though called Australian pine, it is not a pine tree but rather a she-oak. Its leaves are drooping needles that resemble horse hair or a horse tail.

Slowly, a few Chamorros adopted the American custom, modified in that the local trongkon gågo was used. This was an interesting choice since, at least by the 1930s, there were trees on Guam which looked more like pine trees, as seen in this photo of the Hagåtña Cathedral taken before the war. These were Norfolk pines, which aren't real pine trees either, but they sure looked it!

But these trees were not plentiful on Guam and, if cut down, it would take years to replace them. The trongkon gågo, on the other hand, grew in many places where, if one were cut down, hardly anyone would notice!

FINALLY, IN 1924

Then, in 1924, an American fir tree was shipped to Guam by Hans Hornbostel, a former serviceman who had lived on Guam and who was then traveling between Guam and Hawaii while working for the Bishop Museum, collecting Guam artifacts for that institution. The tree was put in cold storage for the trip. It is not known if more firs were sent to Guam for subsequent Christmases but, whatever the case, the trongkon gågo remained Guam's primary Christmas Tree for the moment.

In the Northern Marianas, which did not have American influence until after the war, Christmas Trees did not become common until much later.

When Chamorros decorated the trongkon gågo, they used whatever mother nature or their home closets provided. Store-bought decorations were limited, by each year one could add something new and, in time, a family could amass a little collection of Christmas ornaments. Otherwise, you used whatever you could easily find - even stringing popcorn, as seen in the picture above.

The one drawback of the trongkon gågo was that it quickly browned. Within a few days, its needles would drop to the floor and eventually the branches would be bare.

Judging from the smile of Julie Manley Villagomez, the young lady in the picture above, people were still happy with their trongkon gågo Christmas Tree, until the arrival of American trees became more available.

GÅGO.....NOT GAGO'

Gågo can easily be mispronounced as gago'. That changes the meaning of the word entirely.

Gago' means "lazy." Without the lonnat above the A, as in Å, a flat A is pronounced, like in the English word "fat." With the lonnat, it becomes an open A, like in the English word "father."

Also, in gago' there is a glottal stop at the end. In gågo, there is no glottal stop at all.

A POEM TO THE TRONGKON GÅGO

Utot i tronkon gagu,
(Cut down the gagu tree,)
chule' guatu gi gima';
(take it over to the house;)
po'lo gi fi'on i bentana,
(put it next to the window,)
pues na'ye ni kampana.
(then put on bells.)

Na'ye ni estreyas,
(Place stars,)
kana' diferentes kulot bola;
(hang balls of different colors;)
godde i paketi siha,
(tie the packages,)
pues agang i mambiha.
(then call the older ladies.)

I mambiha mambuñelos,
(The old ladies make buñuelos,)
para todu i bisita;
(for all the visitors;)
ma totche gi anibat,
(they dip it in the syrup,)
pues ma kana' i katupat.
(then they hang the rice pouch.)