Guam’s ‘Estorian Inalahan’ out, tours planned

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2011 12:00AM BY ZITA TAITANO - Marianas Variety

HAGÅTÑA — For years, Dr. Judy Selk Flores had wanted to contribute back to the community, especially her home village. All that is now a reality with the publication of her book, “Estorian Inalahan.”

A book-launching ceremony was held recently at the Lujan House in Hagåtña for Flores’ book. Friends, family members and residents of Inalahan gathered to celebrate with her.

Flores said her book started with her master’s thesis, which she based on the arts and the culture of Guam back in 1995. She continued with the theme as she worked on her Ph.D. But getting everything together for the book wasn’t easy, especially when it came to cost.

“The Guam Preservation Trust helped me through those years with a very generous grant, but to get it published is just so expensive. This year I was able to get funding from the Spanish Program for Cultural Cooperation from the Spanish government which gives grants to document the Spanish era in the Pacific,” she said.

Although the book contains information about the history of Guam and the Chamorro people, Flores focused on Inalahan and the people.

“One of the things that fascinated me was the village of Pa’a which was wiped out,” she said.

In her studies, she discovered that the chief of Pa’a at the time was Choco, a man from China who, according to her book, was cast ashore and lived among the villagers for 20 years. Records indicate he lived in Inalahan when Padre Luis San Vitores arrived on Guam. Choco was reportedly known to be influential with the Chamorros in going against the Spanish.

She also learned another important piece of information about Pa’a village.

“What I found through talking with archaeologists is that the ancient village of Pa’a is where my house is now and that was really exciting,” she said.

The site is along the beach. There is a lot nearby set aside for an archaeological field school.

Stories

Other items featured are stories she heard while growing up in the village including Pale Jesus Baza Duenas who was tortured and beheaded by the Japanese for hiding George Tweed, a sailor who kept out of sight for nearly two years thanks to several Chamorros like Pale Duenas. Tweed managed to escape just before the liberation of the island occurred.

The book also contains stories of families including the Flores, Leon Guerrero and San Nicolas families.

In the meantime, Flores admits she isn’t done with her projects just yet.

“From this book, I’m working on opening a museum in one of the historic houses in Inalahan. We want to develop San Jose Street as a tourist spot. They already have the paintings there from last summer,” she said, referring to murals on the historic homes in the main street of the village.

Additionally, Flores will also be working with tour agents to bring tourists down south to walk around some of the historic homes.

“Estorian Inalahan” is on sale for $39 at Framed Etc. Call 477-7873 for more information. The store is located in Anigua on the ground floor of the New Marina Hotel just off Marine Corps Drive.

Holiday cleanup shows Pagat some love

Holiday cleanup shows Pagat some love

By Amritha Alladi • Pacific Daily News • February 15, 2010

They could have been at home enjoying breakfast in bed with their sweethearts.

Instead, they came bearing trash bags to show some love for their island.
The Guam Boonie Stompers Association and We Are Guåhan arranged a hike and cleanup of the trail to Pagat Caves yesterday.

According to the two groups, the hike was more than just an opportunity to inform the public on how the area will be affected as a result of the military buildup. It also was a demonstration of the different groups of people who care about their island.

"One of the things I do know is growing up here, every weekend there are a lot of formal hikes organized and which are led, and usually a very specific demographic goes on those," said Desiree Ventura of We Are Guåhan.

"With me and my friends and family, I know that sometimes we just roll down in groups of ones or twos or threes and we don't really get to see the other groups of people who enjoy it," she said. "So there's a big misconception about who's using it, and I thought this was a great opportunity to show that we all value it, and we can all take care of it and work together."

The Pagat caves once were a source of fresh water to ancient Chamorro villages and are now one of the few places on island where residents and tourists may view ancient pottery, lusongs and latte stones dating back over 3,500 years, according to the two organizations.

But access to the caves may soon be limited if the Defense Department places a firing range on part of it -- one of the options outlined in the department's draft Environmental Impact Statement on the military buildup.

That's one of the reasons 45-year-old Roy Geary of Tamuning was out cleaning the trail on his way down to the caves yesterday. He hadn't visited them before but had always wanted to, he said.

"This is kind of like payment for the hike," said Geary, as he stacked wood strewn across the trail into a pickup truck.

Sonny Cruz, 41, of Sinajana said it was his first trip to the caves as well. He hadn't been to the Pagat caves before and wanted to explore them with his kids while he still had a chance.

In response to those who may have said it's too late to be cleaning up the trail now -- just as access is on the cusp of being restricted -- Cruz said he feels the cleanup hike actually demonstrates local residents' desire to keep their natural sites clean and that they do care about it.

"I guess they want to do this to try and clean it up and show that we're trying to take care of this area so that they can keep doing their boonie stomps," he said.
Plus, according to Dave Lotz, a hiker with the Guam Boonie Stompers, this isn't the first time his group has orchestrated a beautification project like this.

"The Guam Boonie Stompers has had an interest in the Pagat Cave area for some time and has been doing regular cleanups on the island," he said.

"We've cleaned up the area, trying to concentrate on the trash in the cave area and also in (the) Chamorro village, but with increased usage and with illegal dumping, we feel we need to make a major community effort to cleaning up the area that goes through one of our major cultural assets on the island," Lotz said. "(It's) certainly received increased attention with the possibility that this could be closed due to the military buildup, and we just want to show that there's community support for this, which is what we're seeing right now on a Sunday morning."

In the meantime, the Guam Preservation Trust is trying to get Pagat on a list of the the country's Most Endangered Historic Properties, a designation program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which could possibly prevent the Defense Department from constructing the firing range there.

Pagat land to be nominated in national list

Pagat land to be nominated in national list

By Brett Kelman • Pacific Daily News • January 12, 2010

An effort to get a portion of the Pagat area listed among the most endangered historical places in America intends to disrupt the military's plan to use the area for a proposed firing range, said Joe Quinata of the Guam Preservation Trust.

Quinata is one of among those working to get the Pagat area listed in America's 11 Most Endangered Places, an annual project that has drawn the spotlight to threatened national treasures since 1988.

Every year, the National Trust for Historical Preservation, a private nonprofit corporation, publishes a list of noteworthy landmarks that may be damaged, destroyed, neglected or forgotten.

The Pagat land currently falls under the Chamorro Land Trust. It was unclear yesterday what impact the endangered historical places designation would have on the Land Trust property.

"We believe that if at least the nation is aware of what is happening here on Guam, and this program is powerful enough to make that happen, we could make changes," Quinata said. "If it doesn't change (the military's) plans, at least you have all these (watchdogs) that are monitoring the Pagat area."

Application paperwork for the project is finished and filed, Quinata said, but the Guam Preservation Trust still has until Friday to collect photographs from the public. The selected places will be named May 19.

The remains of the ancient Pagat village may be affected by the coming military buildup because the Department of Defense plans to build a firing range nearby. Quinata said he fears that military activity might destroy or trample the artifacts that remain. Although Pagat village is no more, local history is layered into the area, he said.

Grinding stones called "lusongs" and latte stone pillars are easy to find in the jungle in the area. Beneath the soil, 3,500-year-old artifacts tell a story of how ancient Chamorros lived and survived. Pagat Cave, which was once a source of fresh water for the village, is now popular hiking destination and tourist attraction.

If the buildup moves forward as planned, public access to the area will be restricted.

The public has until Feb. 17 to submit comments about the buildup plan, including Pagat Cave. Quinata said the same information provided in the application to the national trust will be submitted as a comment to the buildup.

The list

If Pagat is chosen for the list of most endangered places, it will be an unusual -- but not unprecedented -- pick.

According to the national trust's Web site, most of the places selected are historical structures that are still standing, but are threatened by urban development or poor maintenance. Schools, stadiums, hotels and bridges that are historic, but not ancient, dominate the list.

The natural places that make the list are generally quite grand, like a 12,000 foot mountain that is threatened by uranium mining, or California's under-funded park system.

The most recently selected place that closely compares to the Pagat village is Pinon Canyon, Colo., which was selected in 2007.

The canyon was threatened by expansion by the U.S. Army facility that would have condemned private lands, damaged the historic Santa Fe Trail -- an American highway that predates automobiles -- and destroyed some undisturbed prehistoric archeological sites.

Since Pinon Canyon was selected by the National Trust for Historical Preservation, Congress and the Army have moved funding to other projects and started expanding a different facility in Louisiana, according to the national trust's Web site and the Denver Post.

Quinata said the Pagat site carries value unlike any other.

"We will be one of a kind and that's what we are looking for," Quinata said.