Fanhokkåyan #5: Chamorro Soul Wound
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Chamorro Soul Wound
by Kopbla
Chamorus are an endangered species, and actually have been for
centuries.
Under Spanish domination Chamorus faced
extinction primarily at the hands of
disease and war. Historical records and estimates put the depopulation
of Chamorus
at the end of the 17th century, and the beginning of the 18th century
at as much as 95%. The culture itself was given a traumatic shock, as
Catholicism was forced down the throats and into the homes and minds of
the Chamorus. But still, we survived and we persevered, assimilating and
adopting
what we needed to survive, refusing what we didn't need.
At the beginning of the 20th century a new threat made landfall on Guam with
the arrival of US control. But this time, the assault was hardly physical, but
operated on a more psychological level, attacking the natural feelings of unity
and community that Chamorus have felt since ever since. The 100+ years of
Americanization and US colonialism/ militarism on Guam have ravaged Chamoru identity to the point where many
Chamorus are convinced of the non-existence of Chamoru culture as well as Chamorus.
The American presence and control of Guam has brought benefits, undoubtedly.
Without the American takeover of Guam in 1898, Guam would propably not have the dubious
honor of being a tourist paradise and a military bastion. It probably
wouldn't be one of the most modernized and consumeristic islands in the Pacific
either. On the basis of short-term progress, the United States has helped
immensely by "giving" Guam a government, by assisting economically, and by
providing defense. Again, it cannot be denied that the US has done much for
Guam. But there are many other things that must not be denied as well.
On the most basic level, we must remember that colonialism is wrong, and a
colonial relationship is an inherently unfair one and unequal one, based on
exploitation. I reiterate again, that this relationship although wrong, is not
without its positive bonuses. The most effective forms of control and power, are
ones which produce as much as they prohibit. This is the premise that the matrix
of the "Matrix" films operates on. A system of control which only
prohibits, which only dominates can never be effective. The "free"
world of the matrix was then created, and it works because of the illusions it
uses, the myths it propagates that make the humans of the film believe they are
truly free, and truly in control.
While not nearly as dramatic, but nonetheless traumatic in its own way, on
Guam we find ourselves victims to a similar fate, whether we accept it or not.
The colonial "domination with benefits" relationship Guam has with the
United States is the hub of the illusions that govern our daily lives. And while
this itself is something which must be corrected, another dimension of the
problem that is hardly realized is the psychological and cultural damage that
has come from our colonization by the United States.
In the spring 1989 issues of Ethnies, Dr. Robert Underwood chronicles
the efforts of Chamorus on Guam in attempting to legitimize the teaching of Chamoru
in public schools. Underwood discusses this push and analyzes it based
on the philosophies and ideologies that are invoked in order to justify the
move. He mentions the "rhetoric of American cultural pluralism,
"and how under this multi-cultural umbrella having an ethnic identity and
still being an American is allowed. You can still speak your language, still
practice your culture, be proud of your heritage and continue to be a proud
American. This idea of Chamorus just becoming another thread in the beautiful
American multi-cultural, multi-colored tapestry, while holding some promise,
holds a far more serious danger.
Because of our unique history, America has clouded our consciousness for more
than a century. The colonization of Guam has left Chamoru ideas of value and
culture fairly skewed. If we think about our day to day operations and
interactions, how much does America occupy our lives? Far more than it probably
should. The position of America as our colonizer has given it a status far
greater than it deserves and it is not natural, but all part of a colonial
process. When we examine Guam's history, this
process becomes apparent and we can see it for what it is, just another form of
colonialism and control, conditioning our minds into thinking within certain
frameworks. Once this is known, the cracks in our own perceptions begin to show,
as well as the cracks in our colonial history and consciousness.
Take for example, an editorial published in the September 15th, 2001 Pacific
Daily News by Tony Sanchez, "So what do we do? We do what America and Guam
have always done. We pull together. We do our jobs better. We raise our children
better. We help our neighbor more. We argue less; we compromise more. We face
the stark reality of the world we live in with eyes wide open. We cannot afford
to be divisive. Not today." This dependency on the rhetoric, the
discourse of the US comes out in so many ways. In the above quote, we find that
nearly everything positive about life is hooked into our relationship with the
US. Why is it that a Chamoru alone can't raise their children right, or do
their jobs better? So much of our lives and culture has been hijacked by the colonial
appropriations. And often times it is so subtle we don't even realize what we've
said, what we've done or what we've believed.
The idea of "privatization" of GovGuam is one form in this which is
acted out, whereby the process of overvaluing of the US at the expense of
ourselves becomes apparent. It is not that privatization has no merit, or
is wrong, but what we need to look at, is the demeaning way we degrade ourselves
in asking for it, demanding it, or discussing it. The very public and vocal push
for privatization is no doubt a symptom of a colonial disease Chamorus on Guam
have been infected with for more than a century; chronic romantic dreams of
America. As Congressman Robert Underwood has put it many times, Guam and the
other US territories are the only places in the United States that ever call for
"federalization," or for "calling in the feds" to undermine
local power, authority and dignity.
The American dream in the form of our
conscious reality hangs over our
heads as this pristine ideal, that we must live up to, or that we must
emulate.
Our government, our culture, our way of life are seen as inferior to our
American role models. But this is one way in which colonialism works, by
creating Manichean, or black/white oppositions, and creating in the
colonized
the perception that while they belong to the inferior side of the
spectrum (the
black side), they must desire what is on the superior side, or the white
side. And this cultural inferiority complex has led many
Chamorus to downplay the importance of their own culture, forsake their
language, leave the island in search for a "better life" in the US.
This is all not to say that a Chamoru cannot have an American passport, or
have indoor plumbing, or go to movie theatres. Cultures change, they stay the
same, they preserve and they adapt, that is their natural flow (anyone who
believes in constantly evolving cultures or constantly static cultures, is only
describing the half of the equation which proves their point). In the past
couple centuries however, issues of purity in blood and culture have become
means by which Chamoru sentiments can be controlled or dispelled. But those feelings
were hardly given
a second thought on Guam prior to 1898, as Chamoru culture was seen as
something that went beyond blood, into feelings of community, unity, respect and
care for the island, the land or your family. Any percentage of blood guaranteed
you a spot in the family, so long as your mind was rooted in the community, the
family (this doesn't mean it was a utopia or paradise, but just that issues of
ethnicity weren't so complicated). From Loincloth Envy, by Michael Lujan Bevacqua:
...the
beauty of Chamoru culture as
This
wonderfully inclusive exclusive
Where
membership is not mired in tired issues of blood quantum quantities
But
has something more to do with commitment to culture
Devotion
to the island and its people
Respect for each other and the land language love life
that binds us together
The presence of America here, has greatly
disrupted that sense of identity, by usurping the core being of Chamorus, and
replacing their mental presence here, with a desire, a longing for the states,
or for the promise of the states. This would be fine if Guam was part of the
United States, or had achieved some serious level of equality with their Mother
Country. But a central issue here, which cannot be
forgotten or denied, is that Chamorus are not truly part of America, especially
if they remain on Guam. And the relinquishing of your identity, your offering of
it to America on a silver platter, means an acceptance of the inferior status
that we have been given. If Chamorus were granted their rights to
self-determination as well as self-government, then this shift wouldn't be
nearly as polemic, but because it comes with a heavy dose of colonialism it is
something we must constantly critique.
Chamorus have adopted much of America
into their culture and we must remember that this is natural for cultures to
adapt and to change, but when the identity of a culture comes into question,
that is when we must re-examine everything.
What is also important to note here, is the way in which the cultural
argument is used against Chamorus, used against any colonized people. Cultures
are naturally both fluid and static, constantly changing, but constantly
resisting change as well. For indigenous cultures however, and in particular
those under colonial control, the idea of cultural change becomes a hotly
contested issue, particularly for those who protect the interests of the
colonial power. For Chamorus, the dynamic has always depended on
obedience to America. So long as Chamorus remain loyal and silent and serve
American interests, they are externally and internally portrayed as a people
with a rich and wonderful culture, with a rich and wonderful history. But
the moment they begin to construct themselves, or see themselves as something
other than American, or separate from America, they become a bastard race, an
impure culture, they become non-existent. Their very Chamoruness comes into
question, the moment they think of themselves as Chamorus first, and American
second, or any other context in which the supposedly inferior side of the
equation is put as greater than the supposedly superior side. Another form of
control comes with ideas of culture as being static. Chamorros
themselves are
plagued with perceptions of their culture as being more pure, or more
Chamoru at some other point in their history, but never in the present.
Whether 400
years ago, or prior to World War II, the perception is that the "real"
Chamoru culture existed somewhere back there, and what we are stuck with
at
present is either tainted and hardly Chamoru or not Chamoru at all.
What this all alludes to is a dire need for us as a people to stop importing
ideologies or ideas about culture and about Chamoru, and begin take control of
our history, discourse and ideas once again. We are not an inferior people, nor
are we an immature people, we never have been. Those discourses are just ways of
controlling us. America and Americana can be so oppressive in such completely
undiscussed ways, we don't even know how to describe the oppression adequately.
Sometimes pieces simply don't fit, and all that's left is a feeling of intense
or lingering incompleteness. But on Guam, how do we discuss these things? How do
we discuss ideas of oppression when we are oppressed by a country which loudly
proclaims to all who will and won't listen that it is the champion of democracy?
How do we reconcile all these contradictions? There are no simple answers for such questions...
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