SOE Alumni Association President, Dr. Matilda Naputi Rivera, and SOE Alumni Association Vice President, Lois Taitano Gumataotao, have written their cultural anthology titled
Our Native Daughters' Reflection of Guam and Its People based on their personal experiences and research on Guam’s rich history. Pictured L-R: Gumataotao and Rivera.
Here's the article Dr. Rivera wrote regarding the preservation of the Chamorro culture:
Preserving Guam’s Culture through Literature
In an effort to preserve ideas, thoughts, and personal reflections of the island’s Chamorro culture, Dr. Matilda Naputi Rivera and Lois Taitano Gumataotao formed the Korasón Organization to carry out cultural projects that they hold dear to their korasón, (Chamorro word for “heart”). With the support of the Guam Humanities Council, they were awarded a grant to complete their cultural anthology titled, Our Native Daughters’ Reflection of Guam and Its People.
They hope that you will enjoy their cultural anthology composed of poems they have written based on their personal experiences and research relative to the island’s history and its connection with the Guam community. A common identity we share with our Pacific Islanders is our rich oral society filled with plentiful stories, legends, and other important values shared throughout generations. This anthology will continue to preserve such stories. It is a resource one can read to learn more about Guam and its people, including its rich culture and the traditions that give us a better understanding, in creatively woven lines of poetry, ultimately resulting to meaningful connections fellow islanders share.
There are fifty seven cultural topics explored in the anthology, such as familia, fiesta, fishing, flores, funerals, Guahan, kelaguen, lancho, Latte stones, manamko, nana, tata, typhoons, weaving, and so much more.
Rivera, an ESL teacher/coordinator in the Guam Public School System and adjunct for the University of Guam, is the project director and co-author of the anthology. Gumataotao, who is also a GPSS ESL teacher/coordinator, serves as the traditional teacher and co-author for the project. The anthology project’s scholars include local authors Joaquin Nangauta Naputi and Marilyn Camacho Salas. Naputi, who is also an agriculturalist, has written books dating back to the 1970’s, including the Island of Guam Coloring Book and Island of Guam Cookbook. Salas has written books such as, Lepblo Para Tane’ Famagu’on I Isla: A Chamorro Interactive Book for Island Children and Chamorro Word Book.
The Korason Organization, in conjunction with the Guam Humanities Council, held a cultural exhibit on December 11, 2004 to showcase the anthology at the Hagåtña Public Library. Copies of the anthology were also provided to the Guam Humanities Council, Guam Public Library System, Micronesian Area Research Center, and the University of Guam’s RFK Library. The poems can also be viewed on Rivera’s PDN blog.
Rivera and Gumataotao hope that by reading their poems, you can grasp cultural identity from within yourself and be enlightened. They have reflected on their personal experiences, researched, and interviewed family and friends, to enable the people of Guam to better understand the island’s history, its cultural significance, and its social environments, through their eyes. Hence, the project’s title, Our Native Daughters’ Reflection of Guam and Its People. This anthology project is certainly a labor of love that they have committed themselves to, but it is well worth the time invested, especially knowing that it will serve as a cultural resource for generations to come.
SOE Alumni Association Secretary, Liwanag “Anag” Dominguez, celebrated her birthday with fellow alumni officers on July 29, 2008 at the Alize Restaurant located at the Guam Reef Hotel! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANAG!
UOG Alumni Association members recently nominated members for its new officers. Pictured sitting L-R: Frank Salas, nominee for President and Dr. Matilda Naputi Rivera, nominee for Vice President. Standing L-R: Peter Roy Martinez, UOG Director of Alumni Affairs; Amoretta Carlson, alumni member; James Underwood, nominee for Treasurer; Mae Mendiola, nominee for Secretary; Lois Taitano Gumataotao, alumni member; and Liwanag Dominguez, alumni member.
SOE Alumni Association Treasurer, Mae Mendiola, celebrated her birthday with fellow alumni officers, members, and friends on June 13, 2008 at the Islander Terrace Restaurant located at the Hilton Hotel! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAE!
SOE Alumni Association President, Dr. Matilda Naputi Rivera, and SOE Alumni Association Vice President, Lois Taitano Gumataotao, have written their cultural anthology titled Our Native Daughters' Reflection of Guam and Its People based on their personal experiences and research on Guam’s rich history. Pictured L-R: Gumataotao and Rivera.
