WAR STORIES : WATER HOSE

 

SEEING A WATER HOSE WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN

Experiences of a young Chamorro girl during the Japanese Occupation.

Ma aresta si tatå-ho ni Chapanis sa' ma sospecha na guaha ha nåna'na' ginen i Chapanis ni man ma pribi.

(My father was arrested by the Japanese because they suspected he was hiding something from them which was prohibited.)

Gi magåhet, mannå'na' bateria si tatå-ho ni siña ma na' setbe para i redio, lao tåya' na ma gacha'.

(In reality, my father was hiding a battery which could be used for a radio, but he was never caught.)

Lao nahong ha' i ma sospecha ha' na guaha ha nåna'na' pues ma aresta.

(But it was enough to be merely suspected of hiding something so he was arrested.)

Ma konne' si tatå-ho para i ofisinan i Chapanis ya hu dalalaki siha lao ti ma tungo'.

(They took my father to the Japanese office and I followed them but they didn't know.)

Annai man hålom si tatå-ho yan i Chapanis gi ofisina, kahulo' yo' gi trongko para bai hu li'e'.

(When my father and the Japanese entered the office, I climbed a tree to look.)

Siña hu li'e' håfa ma susesede sa' lokka' i trongko ya siña hu li'e' gi bentåna.

(I could see what was going on because the tree was tall and I could see through the window.)

Ti hu tungo' håfa ma fafaisen si tatå-ho sa' ti siña hu hungok lao hu li'e' na ma patmåmåda si tatå-ho kada biråda.

(I didn't know what they were asking my father because I couldn't hear but I saw that they were slapping my father time after time.)

Despues, ma konne' si tatå-ho para i san hiyong ya, achok ha' ma kollat i lugåt, lokka' i trongko annai eståba yo' ya siña hu li'e'.

(Later they took my dad outside, and even though the place was fenced, the tree was tall where I was and I could see.)

Ma kana' i dos kanai-ña si tatå-ho gi un trongko ya esta i dos patås-ña ti ha papacha i edda'.

(They tied my dad's two hands to a tree and his feet were off the ground.)

Ma afuetsas un tilipas hånom gi halom pachot-ña ya ma na' bula i tiyån-ña ni hanom.

(They forced a water hose into his mouth and filled his stomach with water.)

Annai esta ma chuchuda' i hanom gi pachot-ña, ma na' påra i hanom ya ma tutuhon ma dommo' i tiyån-ña si tatå-ho asta ke muta' gue' todo hånom.

(When the water was already spilling from his mouth, they shut off the water and began to punch my dad's stomach until he was vomiting water.)

Ma'å'ñao yo' na siña måtai si tatå-ho lao en fin ma na' tunok gue'. Ti siña esta si tatå-ho tumohge ya umåsson ha' gi hilo' odda'.

(I was afraid my dad would die but finally they took him down. My dad couldn't stand and he just lay on the ground.)

Despues ma ågang si tiu-ho yan i primu-ho siha para u ma konne' si tatå-ho tåtte gi gima'.

(Later they called my uncle and my cousins to take my father back home.)

Despues nai hu tungo' na ma faisen si tatå-ho mångge si Tweed, ya ti ma hongge na ti ha tungo'.

(Later on I found out they were asking my dad where Tweed was, and they didn't believe that he didn't know.)

Lao annai esta annok na magåhet na ti ha tungo' sa' ma kastiga fehmaman lao tåya' ha sångan, ma hongge en fin na ti ha tungo'.

(But when it became clear that he really didn't know because they punished him so fiercely but he didn't say anything, they finally believed he didn't know.)

Lao desde ayo asta på'go ti siña hu sungon lumi'e' na guaha taotao gumigimen hånom ginen i tilipas, ya kontodo i famagu'on-ho yan i nietu-ho siha hu na' famåra siha mangimen hånom ginen i tilipas yanggen hu li'e'.

(But from that time till now I can't stand to see someone drink water from a hose, and even my children and grandchildren I stop them when I see them drinking water from a hose.)

NOTES

Tweed - was an American Navy radioman who fled from the Japanese and was taken cared of by many Chamorros. He was a thorn in the side of the Japanese the whole time and was rescued by an American ship when the US came back to retake Guam.

Tilipas literally means "intestines" and when rubber hoses came to Guam during American times, Guam Chamorros called hoses tilipas. In the Northern Marianas, the Chamorros there used the Japanese word hos for "hose."

Påtas - originally meant feet of animals (or of furniture) and addeng meant human feet. Guam Chamorros began using påtas even for human feet, but in the Northern Marianas the original meaning of both påtas and addeng remain.