"YES, WE ATE KARABAO"

 

Some older people hesitate to admit that karabao was eaten before the war.

Perhaps some think it is embarrassing to admit that, seeing the karabao as a beast of burden, or buried in mud when not working.

A man born in 1928 told me that, yes, some people did eat karabao now and then before the war.

For some, karabao meat was tough to chew on. But, if a karabao just happened to die (from disease being an exception), why waste the meat and let it rot?

Secondly, depending on the family, there may have been a huge surplus of karabao in the herd. More than needed for farming. So, some were butchered.

In fact, even in the 1950s, stray karabao (and cattle) were sometimes rounded up by the government and slaughtered, with the meat being sold at public auction.

KARABAO MEAT FOR SALE

1959

In the 1920s, a man in Inalåhan was told by his father-in-law to slaughter a young heifer for the feast of San José. The young man convinced his father-in-law to exchange the heifer for some karabao meat already butchered, and the karabao meat was used to feed the father-in-law's fiesta guests.

Another man told me years ago that, during the Japanese Occupation, he would sell karabao meat to the Japanese and sample some himself.

If a family had a sizeable herd of karabao, they might even slaughter a young calf because its meat was more tender.

Even into the 1970s, some karabao owners slaughtered karabao in order to sell the meat. One rancher in Inalåhan had to laugh when he saw kelaguen karabao at a fiesta, because chances were the karabao had been stolen from his large herd. But he let it go.

Then there's the hide of the karabao that can be used once it is butchered. Karabao hide is impermeable to water.

Karabao milk was prized as being more flavorful and creamy than cow's milk. Of course that meant the female karabao was kept alive for that reason.

In all my years I've never come across karabao served at any party on Guam, unless it was karabao but nobody said anything. But, especially before the war, it was not uncommon for people to eat kåtnen karabao.

HINENGGEN CHAMORRO : DOGS AND OCTOPUS

 

MÅTGAN SIEMPRE I PILU-ÑA I GA'LÅGO YANGGEN CHUMOCHO GÅMSON

If a dog eats octopus, its hair will fall off.

I've heard this al my life.

But is it true?

According to many websites, run by veterinarians or canine experts, dogs can eat cooked octopus in moderate amounts now and then with no risk to their health. Eating raw octopus or octopus in large amounts and with frequency could be hazardous to dogs (germs, worms, mercury and many other factors involved).

As for the dog's hair falling off, only one internet source that I came across treats the question and the vet's answer is "no." It won't happen.

Maybe it's just a Guam/Marianas thing. 

If someone has a personal experience seeing a dog eat octopus and lose its hair, please share the story in the comments.

Still, don't feed your dog octopus. If you do, there will be less kelaguen gåmson for humans.

True or not about the dog losing its hair, I decided to write a little poem about it :

Gåmson senan-måme, pues in yite' nai i sepbla;

Kinanno' palo ni ga'lågo yan palo ni kulepbla.

Lao dumåkngas i ga'lågo, patås-ña yan ilu-ña,

sa' an ha kånno' nai i gamson, siempre måtgan i pilu-ña.

Octopus was our dinner, then we threw out the leftovers;

some was eaten by the dog, and some by the snake.

But the dog became bald, his paws and his head,

because when he eats the octopus, his hair will surely fall.

"But how do you say it, Påle? How do you say it?"

Here's the audio, complete with sing-song intonation :

NOTE

PODDONG is the Chamorro word for "fall" or "drop" and can be applied to just about any fall.

MÅTGAN means more like "falling off," like when a fruit falls off a tree when ripe, or the handle of a suitcase when it's old. So, when something is attached to something else and falls off, måtgan is the better word to use, and a dog's hair is attached to its body. But when the entire dog falls into a pit, then poddong is the word.

BÅTBAS UHANG

 

So I learned a new Chamorro word today and I wanted to share it with you.

In English it's called the shrimp's antennae. Even then I'm sure people come up with their own word(s) for it, even calling it a "thingy" if we ever have to talk about it at all!

But I was so happy to hear an older man call it the BÅTBAS UHANG. The shrimp's beard!

Sure enough, I found the expression in some older Chamorro dictionaries.

But what pleases me is how our elders looked at something and came up with words that describe the thing just as it is, as they saw it. We find it in many other words and phrases we use for things that other languages see differently. Just one example would be "sleeping water" for a water puddle.

The word BÅTBAS (beard) is used in combination with other words, too, for other things. But I'll save those for future blog posts.

By the way, we aren't the only ones who describe shrimp antennae using facial hair.

In Filipino it is called the SHRIMP'S MUSTACHE. Bigote ng hipon.

Both bigote (used in both Filipino and Chamorro) and båtbas (barba) are borrowed from Spanish.

ESTORIAN I KAKKAK

Kakkak

(Yellow Bittern - Ixobrychus sinensis)

An tiempon Kuaresma, manayuyunat i taotao.
(During Lenten season, the people fast.)

I man åmko' yan i man malångo u fañocho kåtne.
(The elderly and sick are to eat meat.)

Pues i kakkak ti malago' umayunat, sa' ma'å'ñao na u masoksok.
(Now the kakkak didn't want to fast, because he was afraid to get skinny.)

Pues annai måkpo' i Kuaresma, sinangåne as Jesukristo,
(So when Lent was over, he was told by Jesus Christ,)

"Ti un hongge i fino'-ho, sa' ma'å'ñao hao na para un masoksok."
("You didn't believe my word, because you were afraid that you were going to get skinny.")

"Pues tiene ke ni ngai'an na para un yommok."
("Therefore you will never be fat.")

"Masosoksok hao asta i finatai-mo."
("You will stay skinny till your death.")

• This was a story with a warning to those who did not faithfully observe the Lenten fast and abstinence rules.
• Another lesson to be learned was that when one defies God's law for some perceived benefit, one is stuck with that benefit in such a way that it turns into a liability. What you wanted as a blessing becomes a curse if it defies God's law.

HINENGGEN I MAN ÅMKO'

Sihek

(Micronesian Kingfisher - Halcyon cinnamomina cinnamomina)

Ilek-ñiha i man åmko',
(The old people say,)

yanggen gaige hao gi halom tåno',
(if you are in the jungle,)

cha'-mo tattittiye i sihek yanggen chineflåflågue hao,
(don't follow the sihek if it whistles to you,)

sa' nina' abak hao,
(because it will make you get lost,)

kinenne' hao mås hålom gi taddung gi halom tåno'.
(it will take you further into the deep of the jungle.)

NOTES

Chefla = to whistle

Cheflåggue = to whistle to someone

DEER HUNTERS IN 1872

Guam's deer, or benådo, were brought to the island by Governor Mariano Tobias in the early 1770s.

They became so rampant that they damaged crops, including the governor's own garden behind his Palacio.

In 1872, we see a list of deer hunters on Guam.  They were :

Juan del ESPIRITU SANTO

 

Pedro PEREZ

 

Tomas IRIARTE

 

Andres DELGADO

 

Mariano de CASTRO

 

Alberto GARCIA

 

Antonio NAMAULEG

THE GUAM TOAD

The toad is a common sight on Guam.  But did you know it is a relatively new immigrant to the island?

It was introduced by the Naval government in 1937.  Apparently it was thought that the toad, venomous to many critters, would help eliminate slugs, centipedes and worms.

But it also helped reduce the iguana (hilitai) population, because the hilitai would bite toads or carry them in their mouth, exposing themselves therefore with its venom.

In Guam, Chamorros used the Spanish word råna for toad.

In Saipan, Chamorros used the Japanese word kaeru. 

CHAMORRO FOLK BELIEF

It's a sign of good luck if a praying mantis hangs around. 

How do you say "praying mantis" in Chamorro?  After looking it up in several places, I have come up empty-handed.  Which leads me to believe that the praying mantis is so recently introduced on our island that we haven't had time to invent a local name for it.  Safford (early 1900s) does not mention it in his list of Guam insects.

The Spaniards call it the "mantis religiosa" (religious mantis) or "santateresa."  Santa Teresa (Saint Teresa of Avila) is a well-known Spanish Carmelite saint, so it's no surprise the Spaniards named this pious insect after her.

Some cultures fear the mantis as a sign of doom.

We think it's a sign of good.

I just think it's one of God's creatures.  I am not fond of insects, but I enjoy it when a praying mantis, of its own accord, lands on me and sits, and sits and sits.  This is one insect that isn't a workaholic.

NASTY CRITTER : I NIFO' (STONEFISH)

squidoo.com

The Guam stonefish (nufo' in Chamorro) is very dangerous.  It looks like part of the rocks and stones you see in the water, but it's a living, venomous fish.  If you step on one, you may get pierced by one of its long needles, sharp enough to penetrate your sneakers.  The pain is instant and excruciating.  People who are unfortunate enough to get stung will definitely need medical attention.  While waiting for the meds to kick in, their foot and leg will swell, turn color, throb in indescribable pain and the patient will often suffer from nausea.  It takes a week or more to get over, after getting medication.

Frank Lizama composed this little poem about it :

I NIFO'

Ti bunitu yo' na guihan
yan ti gof dångkolo yo' lokkue'.
I kulot-hu chukulåti
ya i tataotao-hu tituka'.

(I am not a pretty fish

and neither am I very big.

Brown is my color

and thorns are my body.)

Kalan despåsio yo' kumalamten
ayu na chaddek yo' makonne'.
Sumåsåga yo' gi acho'
ya nufo' i na'ån-hu.

(I move about slowly

which is why I am quickly caught.

I live among the rocks

and nufo' is my name.)

~~~Frank Lizama, 1975, DOE Chamorro Studies
(English version mine)

I GUAKA

Cattle were brought to the Marianas by the Spaniards, probably from Mexico.

In traditional Guam of the 1800s, cattle were often raised with minimal attention.  A family might have several heads, with a few families raising decent-sized herds.  On Tinian, larger numbers were raisedby 20 or so men from Guam to support the government's hospitals on Guam and for the local market.  The men on Tinian would serve a few years and return to their families on Guam, while a new batch of men took their place.

The quality of cattle was lower than in other places of the world because there was no opportunity to cross-breed with better types of cattle.  At the same time, there was a lot of in-breeding among the local cattle, resulting in a decrease in their quality.

The stronger cattle were prized as beasts of burden, but in order to make them more docile, they were castrated.  That meant that the higher quality bulls could not breed and produce the next generation of stronger cattle.

Chamorros didn't obtain a lot of milk from their cows; usually no more than three quarts a day.  Besides being used for transportation and farming, cattle was a source of beef.

The one good thing about cattle in the Marianas is that they were generally free from the diseases found among cattle in other parts of the world.

(1913 Agricultural Report)

SNAKE HISS-TERIA....AGAIN

Watching the BBC this morning, I hear an upcoming story about Guam announced.  I wonder what it could be about?  Especially from the Brits.  What interest could they have in Guam?

Snakes.

I thought this stuff was 30 years old already.

Like we wake up with them every day. 

I know they're there, but I haven't seen a snake on Guam (thank God) in years.  But I guess this story is news to the British. 

In a class at UOG, the guest speaker taught us how to handle snakes if we found them.

He asked me, "What hand would you use to pick up a snake?"

My answer, "Somebody else's."

MAHONGANG

In Luta, you can get the best mahongang.  Lobster.

This was served at a small, impromptu dinner.  Just one of 20 other dishes served on the table.

A HUNTING WE WILL GO....

guaminsects.net

PDN SAYS : TOO MANY WILD PIGS ON GUAM

I guess it's easier to get our pork chops from Payless, but the babuen hålom tåno' population on Guam has become a problem.

These wild pigs are damaging roads and property, crops and even the eggs laid by turtles on our beaches.

So a pig hunt is being organized for this coming April.  Maybe we'll see a lot more fritåda after Easter.

BABUE

According to all the sources, no swine were found in the Marianas when the Europeans first came.  They were brought in later by the Spaniards when they settled our islands.  But...it's interesting that we didn't adopt the Spanish name for an animal brought in by Spaniards.  Cerdo or puerco would be "pig" or "swine" in Spanish.  Instead, our word is babue, which is similar to Tagalog baboy and Indonesian babi.  Many Pampangan soldiers settled on Guam in the early 1700s and married Chamorro women, and their word for "pig" is babi.

PATRON SAINT OF HUNTERS

Eustace was out hunting deer and saw one, with a cross hovering between its antlers.  Eustace was converted to Christianity.  In Spanish, Saint Eustace is San Eustaquio.  The Eustaquios from Yoña might want to know that.  He is just one of the patron saints for hunting.

FANIHI : THINGS I REMEMBER, THINGS I JUST LEARNED

In 1985, on a trip to Saipan, I ate part of this fanihi.  I was a young friar all of 23 years of age.

You can't see much of the fanihi; it was mostly eaten by the time we snapped this photo.

I remember...

• how AWFUL it smelled when my aunties would cook it
• it smelled like they were cooking mildewy clothing that had been soaking in putrid water for days
• the smell made me want to run out of the house
• I refused to try it as a kid and began to doubt my relatives' soundness of mind because they enjoyed eating it
• the rat-like face and sharp teeth staring at me from the pot didn't help
• then I tried it - in 1985 - in Saipan - and thought it tasted OK
• it tasted NOTHING like it smelled
• as the saying goes, "It tasted sorta like chicken."

What I have just learned...

• between 1975 and 1981, the Northern Marianas exported 15,805 fanihi to Guam
• what the Northern Marianas ate within the Commonwealth is not included in that number!
• a lot of those fanihi were caught outside the legal times to hunt them
• fanihi can fly between the islands
• we hope that fanihi colonies in the unpopulated or underpopulated islands in the Marianas will help them survive

From the year 1831...

• John Lyell, a visiting Scottish doctor on a whaling ship during the years 1830 and 1831, says that the jungles of Guam swarm with fanihi
• they come out at dusk to feast on breadfruit
• they are prized by the Chamorros and sell for 3 reales each
• a real was a Spanish silver coin, worth an 8th of a peso, and a peso was equivalent to about 50 American cents
• so 3 reales was not a huge amount, about 19 cents
• they were so numerous that 200 could be seen hanging from the same tree, and one sling shot could kill 17 of them

coinquest.com

A 4 reales coin from 1812, a little more than what one fanihi would have cost in the year 1830.  These coins would have been used in the Marianas at the time.

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES : DUKDUK!

Walking past this hole in a field near a beach the other day, I was reminded of this :

flickr.com

THE DUKDUK!

Which hides in holes in the sandy soil like the one above.

When I was a kid, it was all the rave to pick up the dukduk and say "dukdukdukdukdukdukdukduk" into it as close as you could get your lips to it.  Sometimes the crab would come out and tickle your lips with its legs.

This is a Chamorro word that should be pronounced with Chamorro vowels; as in dook dook, not duck duck.

I PAYESYES

wikipedia.com

An Extinct Species?

More than likely on Guam, at least.

The payesyes (Pacific sheath-tailed bat; emballonura semicaudata) is a smaller bat than the fanihi.

The last sighting of it on Guam was in 1972.  In 1984, they were discovered living on Aguiguan, whereas they had disappeared from the larger islands of the Commonwealth by then.

In the Malojlo area, there was an area called Liyang Payesyes (Payesyes Cave).  A Malojlo woman told me she was born there at the end of World War II where her family had taken refuge from the bombing during the American return in July 1944.

There is also a family that goes by Payesyes as it's "better-known-as."

Perhaps because they were too small to offer much in the way of eating, our mañaina didn't hunt payesyes.  They stayed in caves during the day and only came out in the dark to eat insects.  Habitat disturbance, and perhaps the brown tree snake, account for its disappearance.

AGUIGUAN

South of Tinian, North of Rota

The last home of the payesyes

If the U.S. military still uses Aguiguan for bombing practice, what will become of the payesyes and other critters unique to the Marianas and otherwise?

MÅNGGE I FANIHI?

Down to about 35 on the whole island of Guam!
According to the poster above, you can be awarded $1000 for reporting fanihi hunting.

Listen to US Fish & Wildlife Service agent Emily Sablan talk about the current situation of Guam's fanihi, or fruit bat.

The Chamorro word fanihi is related to the word for "bat" in many Austronesian languages.  The word for "bat," for example, is paniki in more than one Filipino dialect, and is paniki in the dialects of Sulawesi, Indonesia, where it is also eaten as a delicacy.

flickr.com

The Welcome Sign of the Town of Paniqui in the Philippines has a nice bat (or paniki) on it to remind us that their word for bat and our word fanihi come from the same Austronesian roots.

I CHIBA

GUAM CHIBA

Chiba is taken from the Spanish feminine word "chiva," which, along with the masculine form "chivo," mean "young goat."

The Spaniards brought them to the Marianas.  Our mañaina ate the meat but they also drank the milk, but not regularly. Goats were also easy to raise; no special food was needed, just let them eat the grass. This made them cheap "lawn mowers," as well as food disposal units.

I was driving around Agaña Heights the other day and bumped into a few chiba keeping the grass short in the village.

The Spanish word for "female goat" is "cabra."  Our mañaina never adopted this word.  But what the Chamorros called the island of Apapa the Spaniards called Cabras Island, meaning "She-goat Island," because of the many goats that were allowed to roam there. Up to now, everybody, Chamorros included call it Cabras Island. Very few people even know its original, Chamorro name.

APAPA OR CABRAS

Both the Chamorro and Spanish names of this island appear in this 1904 map

The island of Aguiguan - also known as Aguijan - is also called Goat Island, for the same reason as Cabras; the abundance of goats living there. Officially, it retains its Chamorro name.

Although our ancestors did not adopt the Spanish word cabra, they did adopt the Spanish words cabrito and cabrón, our kabrito and kabron.

A kabrito is a "baby goat, or kid."

Kabron literally means "male goat" but was often used as a demeaning name for a disliked man, and kabrona for a vexacious woman.

Depending on what Spanish-speaking country you go to, cabrón can be a highly insulting word and is best not said.

TIEMPON TERMITE

forestryimages.org

HOW DO YOU SAY "TERMITE" IN CHAMORRO?

ANSWER : TERMITE

(reason below)

What does June mean to you?

To me, it means termite season.

Every Corpus Christi, sometime in June, the termites come out of nowhere right when the sun sets.  For about half an hour, our life is made miserable as we turn off lights, run into our air-conditioned cars with the windows up, and swat termites that have flown into and under our shirts and blouses.

They seem to have their own village schedule.  This week, for 2 or 3 nights, it will be this part of Toto.  Next week, again for several nights, it'll be that part of Mangilao.  Just when you think termite season is over because tonight they did not come out in your neighborhood, you drive to the next village and get swarmed by termites.

FINO' CHAMORRO : TERMAIT

Why is there no authentic Chamorro word for termites?  Because we didn't have any on Guam until American times.  They snuck in, undocumented, hiding in uninspected, unfumigated, imported cargo, so I'm told.

CHAMORRO TERMITE MAGIC

thesimpledollar.com

When I was a kid, I thought grandma was the coolest magician because all she had to do was get the palanggåna (bucket, basin or tub), fill it with water, place it under the ceiling lights where the termites all buzzed, and instantly they dropped into the palanggåna and drowned.  It was as if they were magnetically pulled from the ceiling into grandma's palanggåna.

WHY CHAMORROS NEVER KILL THE GUALIIK

wettropics.gov.au

EI NA YINA-HO CHUMOCHO TERMAIT!

Termites are so månngengengenge'!

FISH TALK

After a religious function today, I talked with a lady from Santa Rita who grew up in Sumay before the war.  I asked her about "minis," a small fish that can be found only in the waters off Sumay.  She says some people like it because it has no bones, unlike mañåhak which can poke at us.  But others, she says, don't like minis because it resembles the guåliik (gecko).  Then we talk about avoiding salt in preparing minis, because salt is bad for our "high blood," also known as "blood pressure" to statesiders.