Self Guamination
In 1668 silence sailed from Spain
and invaded the shores of Guam
The Spanish hushed the Chamorro culture with rifles
and the sounds of extinction were deafening
They justified genocide with bibles
Burnt down huts, destroyed villages,
and called it…Catholicism
they forced us to our knees to praise a foreign GOD
as if chanting to our ancestors was anything less,, than spiritual
The Spanish brought disease, soldiers, and missionaries to our island
colonization was their mission
silence was an order
and fighting back, meant us clinging to our culture
They stripped us of our true identity
and banned our language,
snatching our native tongues out of our mouths
and forcing Spanish down our throats
until we choked on their clumsy syllables
changing hatsa, hugua, tulu
to uno, dos, tres,
colonizing us was carried out in 3 simple steps:
ONE: destroy the native language so the savages couldn’t communicate
TWO: confiscate land in the name of GOD while resisters were executed
THREE: inter-marry, rape, and procreate until indigenous bloodlines were diluted
but they did not realize WE were warriors.
Standing six feet tall, strapped with natural body armor and
with chests so wide, one Chamorro chief exhaled the breath of his entire village
Chiseled abs cut so deep they reached their spines
make no mistake our bloodlines had backbone weaved into a double helix
machinery and technology were irrelevant
hands like the sea, simultaneously gentle and deadly we fed our people by harvesting
the ocean sustainably
what was once a beach that provided all our necessities’
became a port for Spanish military
we calmed unnecessary currents with tactics that were as unpredictable as an undertow
because we were able to see genocide glide with the tide
weather high or low
it just goes to show that our people stayed true to themselves
with hearts like a coral reef we set a barrier around our way of life
we were
and still are
one of the oldest civilizations in the pacific
I tao tao tano “the people of the land”
..the indigenous
are being swept out to sea like a plea in a bottle
from our shores to yours
we carried this message over 5,803 miles of deep blue
because although we speak true
this attempt to teach you may get lost in migration
Not by choice, but by force
And of course, we’ve won many battles
But mortal wounds left immortal scars on our true identity
reminders that our oral history is the remedy to break free from this tyranny
It is the foundation of strength we have to keep the Chamoru culture living and breathing
for too long, we have watched the past form rain clouds over us
Reigning silence as the new king
but we were never given a chance to sit on that thrown,
which sits on the land that we rightfully own
and once again our voices red, white, and blue away when americans stormed our beaches
we were rich in heritage but treated like peasants
because in a capitalist system, Cash Rules Everything Around Me
CREAM! Get the money, native language killed ya’ll
but with the strength we inherit from our ancestors
We will engage in this war to preserve our past
Using our vocal chords as slings and our vocal tones as stones
they are thrown, not to break bones, but to break the silence of our people
to all of you this is just a poem,
but to us, it’s the chance to bring justice to our home
we carried this message in our hearts
to a nation that still considers us 2nd class citizens
we enlist more soldiers per capita
to fight and die for the freedoms we are not privileged to
the freedom of the speech,
the freedom to speak AND be heard
With these words, we proclaim that though our oppressors may try to arrest our development,
Let it be known, that Guahan has waived its right to remain silent!