Choose LocationCNMI - TanapagGuam - InarajanHawai'i - Ha'enaHawai'i - KawaihaeHawai'i - Nu'uanuPalau - AiraiYap - Ulithi

Managaha (Ghalaghal) Island Choose LocationCNMI - TanapagGuam - InarajanHawai'i - Ha'enaHawai'i - KawaihaeHawai'i - Nu'uanuPalau - AiraiYap - Ulithi Managaha Island. Managaha island sits off Tanapag on the edge of the lagoon that forms Tanapag Harbor. A flat coral islet, Managaha plays two important roles to the people of Saipan. The first has to do with a historical navigator who brought Carolinians to this island. He is important to all the Carolinians on Saipan. For them, Managaha—known as Ghalaghal in Carolinian—was a very, very sacred and taboo place. “There is an important navigator buried on Managaha," Ben says, "and his name is Aghurubw. During the German time, even before that—even back into ancient times, the Carolinians were already sailing throughout the central Pacific areas, and they would come to barter, to trade for cigarettes or for clothing, or other goods. But this navigator came with several canoes to settle on Saipan. "Originally they thought Aghurubw was from Satawal, because that’s where he left to come to Saipan. But other scholars hinted that he is probably from the Chuuk side, Puluwat, other islands in those areas." Monument to Aghurubw on Managaha. "Aghurubw brought a large number of Carolinians to settle in Saipan. At that time, the Spaniards had taken all of the Chamorros from Saipan down to Guam, and when he arrived here there wasn’t anybody here. There were houses but no people were found on the islands, so he called it Seipel, ‘empty journey.’ "And when he died, because of his stature in the community, he was buried on Managaha. My recollection of the way they buried him is that they dug not the conventional type of grave where you have a rectangular shape. They dug a hole and they buried him standing up, and the rationale behind that is so that people don’t walk on his grave. If you have only the head and the shoulders, it’s a very small area, and very unlikely that you will step on him because of the area that is covered."   "The small tombstone is really depicting only that he is buried on the island, but his body is not in that area. It is really a secret. Nobody knows where he was buried. We only know that he was buried somewhere there. But because of that secret, and the traditional custom of not stepping on his grave, that dictates that he is buried secretly and only a few people know where. And those people who buried him must be dead by this time. "The Refalemei clan seems to be very active with Aghurubw, and so I would deduce that the Refalemei clan is the same clan with Aghurubw. His clan and my clan are different clans. We do not recognize him as a chief from this village because he’s not a chief from this village. He’s from other areas. So normally, people from Tanapag don’t go down and celebrate Aghurubw. The Refalemei clan would get together and invite people and even Governors and Congress people would go down and celebrate, but we normally don’t." The tombstone only suggests that somewhere on the island, Aghurubw is buried. Approaching Managaha from the lagoon. For the Tanapag people, Managaha was the best place for carrying out the Carolinian custom of fiighiiló. “What belonged to a person who died, you take it and have to put it in the casket before you close it,” Rosa Castro explains. “But leftover possessions, the second day after you bury the person you can take all of what belonged to that person and put it in bags. And we get together all the family members and we ride the boat, we carry those to Managaha, where they burn it.”   “Fiighiiló is the burning of the leftover possessions, the actual burning,” Ben explains. Fiighii means "burn" and ló means "away." Ben says, "We’d burn clothing, materials, and properties of the deceased." “When a person died,” Pete reiterates, “all his belongings were put into the casket, but whatever new things that they cannot put inside the casket, they took and burned that. It’s a special ceremony, held in an isolated place, a secret place. You have to go away from the mainland, and get away from the people.” “And Tanapag is the mainland,” Ben adds, “because there’s a lot of people here, you go down there and you burn it away from other family members. Only your family will go there and help out with disposing of the deceased’s property." Where the boats landed on Managaha when Ben attended a fiighiiló.   The path up to the site where the burning took place. “I attended once," Ben recounts. "I could not recall the person who died at that time, but my adopted father owns a boat and everybody in the village would ask, ‘can we use your boat to take down this property of the deceased.’ And now I know that the coffin is not big enough and sometimes the deceased would have a lot of clothing or materials and it cannot fit into the coffin. The fiighiiló is the one that is the left over that we would go down and take it to Managaha and burn this property.” "Some like me, we don’t go to Managaha," Rosa says, "because we don’t have a boat, we just take it down to Lower Base, next to Dillingham, and we burn there. My niece’s clothes, we burned. We threw in everything we took and we burned it. Some, they just burn outside the house when it’s four days after the burial. That is the custom. It’s a Carolinian custom. It’s not Chamorro, only Carolinian." Ben points out the general area where the burning took place. The picnic area shows that the island is now very much managed as a park for tourists and residents. “This was done during daytime,” Pete says. “There was designated a date and time. But usually they would go early in the morning. They would burn everything." While fiighiiló refers to the burning of the belongings, this act is part of a larger blessing ritual, fighrourou. The ritual portion is conducted by women only. “In my younger days I was already practical in operating outboard motors," Ben recalls, "because we had one or two of them. We had a couple of boats. My father would own boats and they would ask if I would drag them down to Managaha to do this ritual, and my father could not say no. That is a custom, and my mother Isabelle is Carolinian, so my father would not say no to a Carolinian custom. "So we would go down there and they would just bring up the possession and they pile them up, they get wood and of course they bring food for us and water, and a lot of times, they’ll ask us to go get coconuts for drinking. And they would burn it as they sat down there, and they talked stories." Ben with his boat at Managaha. The high-rise hotels of Garapan are visible on the opposite shore. Managaha from Tanapag. “The burning is really not an elaborate thing. They just bring from the boat the property or the clothing of this person. They’ll make a fireplace and we’ll go and collect firewood and the older guys would make the design for the fire to be burned, usually not very big. And then they’ll burn. They make sure that everything is burned. Not a piece of cloth is left behind. We would continue to bring wood and continue to burn until it’s all ashes. Sometimes it took two hours. "It was not a solemn event really, just telling stories, just talking about the departed one, what he did good, maybe he’s a good fisherman; what he did right, what he did wrong and the whole deal. It is just a reminiscing. Some ask, ‘Does anybody know his knowledge?’ and others will say, ‘Yes, his son understands this and his daughter did that,’ and that means he handed down his knowledge." "I don’t know if it’s a ritual but some older ladies would take some of the ashes and spread them out in the ocean. That was unique in my day. Both men and women came out to do this, mostly immediate family. It was not elaborate, as I remember, but it was just a ritual that I appreciate very much. "And that’s what we have lost today. I haven’t heard that in a long time." We will hear more about traditions passed down from the elders. But first, we turn our attention to the sea.

	Managaha island sits off Tanapag on the edge of the lagoon that forms Tanapag Harbor. A flat coral islet, Managaha plays two important roles to the people of Saipan. The first has to do with a historical navigator who brought Carolinians to this island. He is important to all the Carolinians on Saipan. For them, Managaha—known as Ghalaghal in Carolinian—was a very, very sacred and taboo place.

“There is an important navigator buried on Managaha," Ben says, "and his name is Aghurubw. During the German time, even before that—even back into ancient times, the Carolinians were already sailing throughout the central Pacific areas, and they would come to barter, to trade for cigarettes or for clothing, or other goods. But this navigator came with several canoes to settle on Saipan. "Originally they thought Aghurubw was from Satawal, because that’s where he left to come to Saipan. But other scholars hinted that he is probably from the Chuuk side, Puluwat, other islands in those areas."	Monument to Aghurubw on Managaha.
	"Aghurubw brought a large number of Carolinians to settle in Saipan. At that time, the Spaniards had taken all of the Chamorros from Saipan down to Guam, and when he arrived here there wasn’t anybody here. There were houses but no people were found on the islands, so he called it Seipel, ‘empty journey.’ "And when he died, because of his stature in the community, he was buried on Managaha. My recollection of the way they buried him is that they dug not the conventional type of grave where you have a rectangular shape. They dug a hole and they buried him standing up, and the rationale behind that is so that people don’t walk on his grave. If you have only the head and the shoulders, it’s a very small area, and very unlikely that you will step on him because of the area that is covered."
"The small tombstone is really depicting only that he is buried on the island, but his body is not in that area. It is really a secret. Nobody knows where he was buried. We only know that he was buried somewhere there. But because of that secret, and the traditional custom of not stepping on his grave, that dictates that he is buried secretly and only a few people know where. And those people who buried him must be dead by this time. "The Refalemei clan seems to be very active with Aghurubw, and so I would deduce that the Refalemei clan is the same clan with Aghurubw. His clan and my clan are different clans. We do not recognize him as a chief from this village because he’s not a chief from this village. He’s from other areas. So normally, people from Tanapag don’t go down and celebrate Aghurubw. The Refalemei clan would get together and invite people and even Governors and Congress people would go down and celebrate, but we normally don’t."	The tombstone only suggests that somewhere on the island, Aghurubw is buried.

Approaching Managaha from the lagoon.

	For the Tanapag people, Managaha was the best place for carrying out the Carolinian custom of fiighiiló. “What belonged to a person who died, you take it and have to put it in the casket before you close it,” Rosa Castro explains. “But leftover possessions, the second day after you bury the person you can take all of what belonged to that person and put it in bags. And we get together all the family members and we ride the boat, we carry those to Managaha, where they burn it.”

“Fiighiiló is the burning of the leftover Managaha (Ghalaghal) Island Choose LocationCNMI - TanapagGuam - InarajanHawai'i - Ha'enaHawai'i - KawaihaeHawai'i - Nu'uanuPalau - AiraiYap - Ulithi Managaha Island. Managaha island sits off Tanapag on the edge of the lagoon that forms Tanapag Harbor. A flat coral islet, Managaha plays two important roles to the people of Saipan. The first has to do with a historical navigator who brought Carolinians to this island. He is important to all the Carolinians on Saipan. For them, Managaha—known as Ghalaghal in Carolinian—was a very, very sacred and taboo place. “There is an important navigator buried on Managaha," Ben says, "and his name is Aghurubw. During the German time, even before that—even back into ancient times, the Carolinians were already sailing throughout the central Pacific areas, and they would come to barter, to trade for cigarettes or for clothing, or other goods. But this navigator came with several canoes to settle on Saipan. "Originally they thought Aghurubw was from Satawal, because that’s where he left to come to Saipan. But other scholars hinted that he is probably from the Chuuk side, Puluwat, other islands in those areas." Monument to Aghurubw on Managaha. "Aghurubw brought a large number of Carolinians to settle in Saipan. At that time, the Spaniards had taken all of the Chamorros from Saipan down to Guam, and when he arrived here there wasn’t anybody here. There were houses but no people were found on the islands, so he called it Seipel, ‘empty journey.’ "And when he died, because of his stature in the community, he was buried on Managaha. My recollection of the way they buried him is that they dug not the conventional type of grave where you have a rectangular shape. They dug a hole and they buried him standing up, and the rationale behind that is so that people don’t walk on his grave. If you have only the head and the shoulders, it’s a very small area, and very unlikely that you will step on him because of the area that is covered."   "The small tombstone is really depicting only that he is buried on the island, but his body is not in that area. It is really a secret. Nobody knows where he was buried. We only know that he was buried somewhere there. But because of that secret, and the traditional custom of not stepping on his grave, that dictates that he is buried secretly and only a few people know where. And those people who buried him must be dead by this time. "The Refalemei clan seems to be very active with Aghurubw, and so I would deduce that the Refalemei clan is the same clan with Aghurubw. His clan and my clan are different clans. We do not recognize him as a chief from this village because he’s not a chief from this village. He’s from other areas. So normally, people from Tanapag don’t go down and celebrate Aghurubw. The Refalemei clan would get together and invite people and even Governors and Congress people would go down and celebrate, but we normally don’t." The tombstone only suggests that somewhere on the island, Aghurubw is buried. Approaching Managaha from the lagoon. For the Tanapag people, Managaha was the best place for carrying out the Carolinian custom of fiighiiló. “What belonged to a person who died, you take it and have to put it in the casket before you close it,” Rosa Castro explains. “But leftover possessions, the second day after you bury the person you can take all of what belonged to that person and put it in bags. And we get together all the family members and we ride the boat, we carry those to Managaha, where they burn it.”   “Fiighiiló is the burning of the leftover possessions, the actual burning,” Ben explains. Fiighii means "burn" and ló means "away." Ben says, "We’d burn clothing, materials, and properties of the deceased." “When a person died,” Pete reiterates, “all his belongings were put into the casket, but whatever new things that they cannot put inside the casket, they took and burned that. It’s a special ceremony, held in an isolated place, a secret place. You have to go away from the mainland, and get away from the people.” “And Tanapag is the mainland,” Ben adds, “because there’s a lot of people here, you go down there and you burn it away from other family members. Only your family will go there and help out with disposing of the deceased’s property." Where the boats landed on Managaha when Ben attended a fiighiiló.   The path up to the site where the burning took place. “I attended once," Ben recounts. "I could not recall the person who died at that time, but my adopted father owns a boat and everybody in the village would ask, ‘can we use your boat to take down this property of the deceased.’ And now I know that the coffin is not big enough and sometimes the deceased would have a lot of clothing or materials and it cannot fit into the coffin. The fiighiiló is the one that is the left over that we would go down and take it to Managaha and burn this property.” "Some like me, we don’t go to Managaha," Rosa says, "because we don’t have a boat, we just take it down to Lower Base, next to Dillingham, and we burn there. My niece’s clothes, we burned. We threw in everything we took and we burned it. Some, they just burn outside the house when it’s four days after the burial. That is the custom. It’s a Carolinian custom. It’s not Chamorro, only Carolinian." Ben points out the general area where the burning took place. The picnic area shows that the island is now very much managed as a park for tourists and residents. “This was done during daytime,” Pete says. “There was designated a date and time. But usually they would go early in the morning. They would burn everything." While fiighiiló refers to the burning of the belongings, this act is part of a larger blessing ritual, fighrourou. The ritual portion is conducted by women only. “In my younger days I was already practical in operating outboard motors," Ben recalls, "because we had one or two of them. We had a couple of boats. My father would own boats and they would ask if I would drag them down to Managaha to do this ritual, and my father could not say no. That is a custom, and my mother Isabelle is Carolinian, so my father would not say no to a Carolinian custom. "So we would go down there and they would just bring up the possession and they pile them up, they get wood and of course they bring food for us and water, and a lot of times, they’ll ask us to go get coconuts for drinking. And they would burn it as they sat down there, and they talked stories." Ben with his boat at Managaha. The high-rise hotels of Garapan are visible on the opposite shore. Managaha from Tanapag. “The burning is really not an elaborate thing. They just bring from the boat the property or the clothing of this person. They’ll make a fireplace and we’ll go and collect firewood and the older guys would make the design for the fire to be burned, usually not very big. And then they’ll burn. They make sure that everything is burned. Not a piece of cloth is left behind. We would continue to bring wood and continue to burn until it’s all ashes. Sometimes it took two hours. "It was not a solemn event really, just telling stories, just talking about the departed one, what he did good, maybe he’s a good fisherman; what he did right, what he did wrong and the whole deal. It is just a reminiscing. Some ask, ‘Does anybody know his knowledge?’ and others will say, ‘Yes, his son understands this and his daughter did that,’ and that means he handed down his knowledge." "I don’t know if it’s a ritual but some older ladies would take some of the ashes and spread them out in the ocean. That was unique in my day. Both men and women came out to do this, mostly immediate family. It was not elaborate, as I remember, but it was just a ritual that I appreciate very much. "And that’s what we have lost today. I haven’t heard that in a long time." We will hear more about traditions passed down from the elders. But first, we turn our attention to the sea. possessions, the actual burning,” Ben explains. Fiighii means "burn" and ló means "away." Ben says, "We’d burn clothing, materials, and properties of the deceased." “When a person died,” Pete reiterates, “all his belongings were put into the casket, but whatever new things that they cannot put inside the casket, they took and burned that. It’s a special ceremony, held in an isolated place, a secret place. You have to go away from the mainland, and get away from the people.” “And Tanapag is the mainland,” Ben adds, “because there’s a lot of people here, you go down there and you burn it away from other family members. Only your family will go there and help out with disposing of the deceased’s property."	Where the boats landed on Managaha when Ben attended a fiighiiló.
The path up to the site where the burning took place. Managaha (Ghalaghal) Island Choose LocationCNMI - TanapagGuam - InarajanHawai'i - Ha'enaHawai'i - KawaihaeHawai'i - Nu'uanuPalau - AiraiYap - Ulithi Managaha Island. Managaha island sits off Tanapag on the edge of the lagoon that forms Tanapag Harbor. A flat coral islet, Managaha plays two important roles to the people of Saipan. The first has to do with a historical navigator who brought Carolinians to this island. He is important to all the Carolinians on Saipan. For them, Managaha—known as Ghalaghal in Carolinian—was a very, very sacred and taboo place. “There is an important navigator buried on Managaha," Ben says, "and his name is Aghurubw. During the German time, even before that—even back into ancient times, the Carolinians were already sailing throughout the central Pacific areas, and they would come to barter, to trade for cigarettes or for clothing, or other goods. But this navigator came with several canoes to settle on Saipan. "Originally they thought Aghurubw was from Satawal, because that’s where he left to come to Saipan. But other scholars hinted that he is probably from the Chuuk side, Puluwat, other islands in those areas." Monument to Aghurubw on Managaha. "Aghurubw brought a large number of Carolinians to settle in Saipan. At that time, the Spaniards had taken all of the Chamorros from Saipan down to Guam, and when he arrived here there wasn’t anybody here. There were houses but no people were found on the islands, so he called it Seipel, ‘empty journey.’ "And when he died, because of his stature in the community, he was buried on Managaha. My recollection of the way they buried him is that they dug not the conventional type of grave where you have a rectangular shape. They dug a hole and they buried him standing up, and the rationale behind that is so that people don’t walk on his grave. If you have only the head and the shoulders, it’s a very small area, and very unlikely that you will step on him because of the area that is covered."   "The small tombstone is really depicting only that he is buried on the island, but his body is not in that area. It is really a secret. Nobody knows where he was buried. We only know that he was buried somewhere there. But because of that secret, and the traditional custom of not stepping on his grave, that dictates that he is buried secretly and only a few people know where. And those people who buried him must be dead by this time. "The Refalemei clan seems to be very active with Aghurubw, and so I would deduce that the Refalemei clan is the same clan with Aghurubw. His clan and my clan are different clans. We do not recognize him as a chief from this village because he’s not a chief from this village. He’s from other areas. So normally, people from Tanapag don’t go down and celebrate Aghurubw. The Refalemei clan would get together and invite people and even Governors and Congress people would go down and celebrate, but we normally don’t." The tombstone only suggests that somewhere on the island, Aghurubw is buried. Approaching Managaha from the lagoon. For the Tanapag people, Managaha was the best place for carrying out the Carolinian custom of fiighiiló. “What belonged to a person who died, you take it and have to put it in the casket before you close it,” Rosa Castro explains. “But leftover possessions, the second day after you bury the person you can take all of what belonged to that person and put it in bags. And we get together all the family members and we ride the boat, we carry those to Managaha, where they burn it.”   “Fiighiiló is the burning of the leftover possessions, the actual burning,” Ben explains. Fiighii means "burn" and ló means "away." Ben says, "We’d burn clothing, materials, and properties of the deceased." “When a person died,” Pete reiterates, “all his belongings were put into the casket, but whatever new things that they cannot put inside the casket, they took and burned that. It’s a special ceremony, held in an isolated place, a secret place. You have to go away from the mainland, and get away from the people.” “And Tanapag is the mainland,” Ben adds, “because there’s a lot of people here, you go down there and you burn it away from other family members. Only your family will go there and help out with disposing of the deceased’s property." Where the boats landed on Managaha when Ben attended a fiighiiló.   The path up to the site where the burning took place. “I attended once," Ben recounts. "I could not recall the person who died at that time, but my adopted father owns a boat and everybody in the village would ask, ‘can we use your boat to take down this property of the deceased.’ And now I know that the coffin is not big enough and sometimes the deceased would have a lot of clothing or materials and it cannot fit into the coffin. The fiighiiló is the one that is the left over that we would go down and take it to Managaha and burn this property.” "Some like me, we don’t go to Managaha," Rosa says, "because we don’t have a boat, we just take it down to Lower Base, next to Dillingham, and we burn there. My niece’s clothes, we burned. We threw in everything we took and we burned it. Some, they just burn outside the house when it’s four days after the burial. That is the custom. It’s a Carolinian custom. It’s not Chamorro, only Carolinian." Ben points out the general area where the burning took place. The picnic area shows that the island is now very much managed as a park for tourists and residents. “This was done during daytime,” Pete says. “There was designated a date and time. But usually they would go early in the morning. They would burn everything." While fiighiiló refers to the burning of the belongings, this act is part of a larger blessing ritual, fighrourou. The ritual portion is conducted by women only. “In my younger days I was already practical in operating outboard motors," Ben recalls, "because we had one or two of them. We had a couple of boats. My father would own boats and they would ask if I would drag them down to Managaha to do this ritual, and my father could not say no. That is a custom, and my mother Isabelle is Carolinian, so my father would not say no to a Carolinian custom. "So we would go down there and they would just bring up the possession and they pile them up, they get wood and of course they bring food for us and water, and a lot of times, they’ll ask us to go get coconuts for drinking. And they would burn it as they sat down there, and they talked stories." Ben with his boat at Managaha. The high-rise hotels of Garapan are visible on the opposite shore. Managaha from Tanapag. “The burning is really not an elaborate thing. They just bring from the boat the property or the clothing of this person. They’ll make a fireplace and we’ll go and collect firewood and the older guys would make the design for the fire to be burned, usually not very big. And then they’ll burn. They make sure that everything is burned. Not a piece of cloth is left behind. We would continue to bring wood and continue to burn until it’s all ashes. Sometimes it took two hours. "It was not a solemn event really, just telling stories, just talking about the departed one, what he did good, maybe he’s a good fisherman; what he did right, what he did wrong and the whole deal. It is just a reminiscing. Some ask, ‘Does anybody know his knowledge?’ and others will say, ‘Yes, his son understands this and his daughter did that,’ and that means he handed down his knowledge." "I don’t know if it’s a ritual but some older ladies would take some of the ashes and spread them out in the ocean. That was unique in my day. Both men and women came out to do this, mostly immediate family. It was not elaborate, as I remember, but it was just a ritual that I appreciate very much. "And that’s what we have lost today. I haven’t heard that in a long time." We will hear more about traditions passed down from the elders. But first, we turn our attention to the sea.	“I attended once," Ben recounts. "I could not recall the person who died at that time, but my adopted father owns a boat and everybody in the village would ask, ‘can we use your boat to take down this property of the deceased.’ And now I know that the coffin is not big enough and sometimes the deceased would have a lot of clothing or materials and it cannot fit into the coffin. The fiighiiló is the one that is the left over that we would go down and take it to Managaha and burn this property.” "Some like me, we don’t go to Managaha," Rosa says, "because we don’t have a boat, we just take it down to Lower Base, next to Dillingham, and we burn there. My niece’s clothes, we burned. We threw in everything we took and we burned it. Some, they just burn outside the house when it’s four days after the burial. That is the custom. It’s a Carolinian custom. It’s not Chamorro, only Carolinian."

Ben points out the general area where the burning took place. The picnic area shows that the island is now very much managed as a park for tourists and residents.

	“This was done during daytime,” Pete says. “There was designated a date and time. But usually they would go early in the morning. They would burn everything." While fiighiiló refers to the burning of the belongings, this act is part of a larger blessing ritual, fighrourou. The ritual portion is conducted by women only.

“In my younger days I was already practical in operating outboard motors," Ben recalls, "because we had one or two of them. We had a couple of boats. My father would own boats and they would ask if I would drag them down to Managaha to do this ritual, and my father could not say no. That is a custom, and my mother Isabelle is Carolinian, so my father would not say no to a Carolinian custom. "So we would go down there and they would just bring up the possession and they pile them up, they get wood and of course they bring food for us and water, and a lot of times, they’ll ask us to go get coconuts for drinking. And they would burn it as they sat down there, and they talked stories."	Ben with his boat at Managaha. The high-rise hotels of Garapan are visible on the opposite shore.
Managaha from Tanapag.	“The burning is really not an elaborate thing. They just bring from the boat the property or the clothing of this person. They’ll make a fireplace and we’ll go and collect firewood and the older guys would make the design for the fire to be burned, usually not very big. And then they’ll burn. They make sure that everything is burned. Not a piece of cloth is left behind. We would continue to bring wood and continue to burn until it’s all ashes. Sometimes it took two hours. "It was not a solemn event really, just telling stories, just talking about the departed one, what he did good, maybe he’s a good fisherman; what he did right, what he did wrong and the whole deal. It is just a reminiscing. Some ask, ‘Does anybody know his knowledge?’ and others will say, ‘Yes, his son understands this and his daughter did that,’ and that means he handed down his knowledge."

	"I don’t know if it’s a ritual but some older ladies would take some of the ashes and spread them out in the ocean. That was unique in my day. Both men and women came out to do this, mostly immediate family. It was not elaborate, as I remember, but it was just a ritual that I appreciate very much. "And that’s what we have lost today. I haven’t heard that in a long time."

	We will hear more about traditions passed down from the elders. But first, we turn our attention to the sea.

Working in the Air Force is about being in the middle of supersonic jets, state-of-the-art technology and best of the people. You are where the action is. Air Force provides you with the most modern facilities, gives you an unparalleled way of life and creates an environment, where the best in you comes out.

Whether you are a graduate or you have finished your schooling or you have passed your class tenth, Air Force has an exciting career opportunity . If  you  wanna achieve some accadamic qualification it  is the right  place. It is  not  only  my bread  and butter it  also  take  care  of  my childrens education. Even after  my retirement it  keeps me safe in terms  of medical facilities and other concessional matters. One  has to serve  in the  armed forces then  you  will be a better person. what  you  can do for the country that  you can do  here.

I feel so  lucky to  say  that  i have  worked in the indian air force both  in war  and peace  condition. It  is  atremendous experience. I  seen the  whole India. I had the opportunity to see many  places in india and  had the opportunity to mix  with  diffrent culture of  my  country. What  I am today  is because of my military experience. It  makes you a better  person.

Life  in Air  Force

1. The Air Force Administrative College at Coimbatore is one of the oldest training Institutions for officers in the IAF. The college started as the Initial Training Wing at Pune in 1943 and was shifted to its present location at Redfields, Coimbatore on 11 Jul 1946 exactly a year after Wg Cdr S Mukherjee, OBE (the first Indian Chief of Air Staff, RIAF) surveyed the site. The site for the college was donated by Cavalier GK Devarajulu, a prominent businessman of Coimbatore.
2. The college was initially setup to impart service training to Flight Cadets of the general Duties (Pilot) Branch. In 1949, the college also undertook training of Flight Cadets of Administration, Accounts, Equipment, Education and Meteorology Branches. Gradually the Junior Commander’s Course also shifted to this college from Jalahalli. In 1957, the college was named as Air Force Administrative College.
3. Today, AFAC has grown into a large multi-tier training institution that imparts training to all branch officers of the IAF. The primary task of this College is to conduct In–Service Courses for officers of IAF. Consequent to a deep-rooted review of training pattern in IAF in 2006, AFAC is tasked to conduct generic courses for officers of all branches and professional courses for officers of Accounts, Administration, Education and Meteorology branches. Officers of the sister services and of a few friendly foreign countries also benefit from some of the courses. Since the introduction of restructured pattern of training in 2006, 3165 officers from IAF and 10 officers of friendly foreign countries have successfully completed training at this College.
4. The faculty of meteorology at this college is affiliated to Bharathiar University, Coimbatore for awarding Post Graduate Diploma, M Phil and Ph D programmes in meteorology.

The Air Force Administrative College (AFAC), located at Coimbatore, is one of the oldest training establishments of the Indian Air Force. It has been set up exclusively for conducting training programs for in-service officers of the Air Force, Navy and Army as well as officers of friendly foreign countries.
The college provides training and support to equip the officer trainees with the requisite skills for their work in the Air Force as well as to imbibe the service code of conduct.

LIfe in Air Force

Seven stages of my life

1 My School days( Pre primary)
Right from the begning I am always alone . I am the only son for my parents but I have two sisters and my younger sister got married when I was in 5 th standard. Means I was 10 years old . I had very few frinds during my childhood. My elder sister son Babu was just only a month senior to me but we are good company. I grew up with my neighbor hood boys. Football always my favourite game and we play football most of the time and mostly many times we play seasonal games .like paaparam mkothu during Onam days . Then kuttiyum kolum, between august to October January February and until may last we play kasinandi. Then we have kuppikaya kali kili mass when we all grown up two games stayed with us one is football and the other is bad mintomn and shuttle cock.
I grew up in a pure village where churches and temples are many and a big textile company Alagappa textiles . founded by dr algappa chettiar.

2 My High school days
This is the best time in my life . I was just an above average student . Always did the home works and tried my level best to pass my SSLC exam . But I could not get much marks . But I was very happy in the company of my frinds . We did many thrilled things we had big fun during the time when we did a carol singing during christams time . It was a time when I found I had some musical talent.






3 My life in Alagappanagar Poly technics





4 Air force life 1974—1989
Training period in belguam
I GTS Sambra


17 Wing Air Force







Three Base repair depot




I met Elizabeth and first time I fell in love







255 signal unit Bikaner





Air Force Admin college coimbatore
2. I consider myself one of the best Indian Air Force seargeant in the Air force. But I had some musical talent which I used the best in Air force





5 Life as a civilian like an Ex servicemen (1989-1996)




6. When I was finishing my training in ophthalmology, and was trying to decide what to do next, I walked into a bookshop next to the El station in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago. I saw a dusty book on the shelf called something like The Answer to Life’s Questions. “Perfect,” I thought. “That’s exactly what I need.” I opened it up and the page read, “Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life you will regret the things you did not do more than the things you did.” That was the deciding moment for me. That night I bought a plane ticket to the Pacific. That quote continues to run through my life.


7 I am returning home

Taste Of Marianas International Food festival

skip to main | skip to sidebar Marianas Festival of food

Saturday, May 26, 2007

Taste of the Marianas

Toni ght is the last night of one of Saipan's greatest annual events -- the Taste of the Marianas Food Festival that runs each Saturday night during the month of May. For the folks in Japan who have recently been visiting my blog, here is the description from the Marianas Visitor's Authority.

The smell of scrumptious and delectable food is in the air at The 9th Annual Taste of the Marianas International Food Festival and Beer Garden. One of Saipan’s most popular of events will take place on May 5, 12, 19 & 26, 2007 at the American Memorial Park. This event is complete with live entertainment, food, beverages and numerous competitions in the tropical Saipan weather making this outdoor evening event a favorite of visitors in the region who swarm for a "Taste of the Marianas".

There is no fee to join in on the fun and festivities, but you will need to purchase tokens for food and beverages. Saipan’s very best restaurants and hotels participate in this event making it a delectable culinary and cultural experience extravaganza not to be missed.

Locals show the Hafa Adai spirit to visitors of our tropical island of Saipan, sharing in the culture and enjoying all that the festival has to offer. So come and enjoy!!

Our family has been every Saturday night this month. It's great for the kids, and it always strikes me that we (and all the other parents) just let them run around and have a good time -- something you wouldn't do in a larger place.

Young Dancers
(Photo courtesy of Dave Hodges - visit his site for more great shots of Saipan)



Photo opportunity with the Carolinian dancers
(Photo courtesy of David Hodges)



The main stage



Artwork at the Taste of the Marianas


The ubiquitous roasting pig

The  first  year  of  Taste  O f Marianas was  in the  year  of 1999. Almost  all the  hotels  participated  in that including Taste Of  India Restaurant.  It  was  lot of  fun on every  Saturday  of  May where  you  can  get  all  kinds  of  food  music  and  dance. It  is  truly  an  international food  festival . It  is  also good  to see all 5  star hotels  participate in this  big  event  every  year.

It is also  good  to  see  Taste  Of India participate in this  big event  every  year  and  attract  many  people to  try  Indian  food and  also many  Americans , Japanese  and locals  want this  unique restaurant to survive in this  part  of  the  island and one  day hopefully  the  business will return and  all  will enjoy once   again and  will feel the happiest  moments  of being  in here the beautiful island

HOW DID I ENDED UP IN SAIPAN

How did you end up in Saipan?

We all have it: the story we tell when someone asks, “How did you end up in Saipan?” I have a short version that goes something like this. “I always wanted to work internationally.  Also I  was  told saipan is  USA and it is easy  to get into  this  island than  to many  other  part of  America as this place is running  a self goverment and its  labor and immigration is controlled  by the local Govet. Soon  an  ooportunity came  to  me when Mr  sunny  Kallingal one of distant  relative asked me  if I  can join him in opening a business in Saipan . That is the  story I am happened to be here in  saipan.

I’ve always wanted to work internationally. I grew up in a  catholic  family and it  is always  in my  mind that serving others is a magnificiant  job and  it  makes your life  worth on this  planet and also God likes if  you  can serve people in what ever  capacity  you  have. One was that the highest station for a human being was a life of service to others. The second was that it was a praiseworthy act to leave one’s homeland to serve in a place where one is really needed. The possibility of living internationally was something I grew up with. It was actually something I aspired to.

In the month  of  December 1996, as I was working as sales manager of chakolas silk house Mr  Sunny came to me and offred me the chance. It  was a time  I did not  even have   a  pass port. I  immediately  discussed with my  wife  and  children and  I  was told that I can even bring  my family  soon to saipan and i  was  also a bit  of  struglloing  that  time cause I  built  my own house and  we had a some financial obligations  at  that  time . Then  I  thought this is giving me the chance to fullfill my  dreams aand  why  not  give  it a try . soon things  chanaged pass port  is obtained  in a week time and in Dcember 27 1996  I boarded the plane  to Madrass and  from their  by  singapore air lines and continental  i  reached  saipan.

In fact  Tears welled up in my eyes as the plane left the ground in Cochin . I knew it was big move. I was scared of the unknown. I didn’t known if I’d be coming back. “What am I doing?” I thought to myself.

My  job as Manager of Taste  of  India was phenominal  and   I was incredibly busy, doing all kind of complex matters , and getting the kind of experience that people only dream about in their first jobs. It was also a year of discovery – a  new  experience in a foreign  world  I made some of the closest friends of my life there. I  will tell them about  later.

In a very quick  time  I had fallen in love with the Pacific and started to explore other possibilities – and finally  I  landed in  Hyatt.

I enjoyed my work here  in Hyatt , and during those five years I had with Hyatt saipan , It was fun. Many  things  to  share may be  later But  this is  my  story  how   I ended up   in saipan

Traditional chamorro dance

From ancient times to the present

Native dance of the Chamorro people was only vaguely described by early visitors to the Mariana Islands. The Jesuit annual report for 1669 to 1670 provides a rare description of a women’s dance. A group of twelve or thirteen women swayed their bodies in place, moving their hands in a pleasing rhythm. In their right hands they flourished some half-moons and in their left hands they held little boxes of shells and bells to keep rhythm. They accompanied their dance with singing in three-part harmony, including falsetto, led by a man in tenor voice. Their songs told of their history and “antiquities” (perhaps geneologies).

Slapping rhythms and the combination of movements was described as very pleasing. The mention of half-moons and bells is not explained; and therefore it is not known if these were of recent importation since western contact or were locally produced.

The description of dance costume and ornamentation is equally vague. The women wore fragrant flowers on their foreheads (perhaps garlands) and sometimes strings of red shells (possibly Spondylus) on which turtle shell or other trinkets were hung. They also girded their waists with these same highly-valued shells, and hung from them “small, well-formed coconuts” on strings made from tree roots. These skirts were more like a birdcage that revealed the body rather than covering it.

The next historical description of native dance was made by French explorer Louis Claude de Freycinet in 1819, specifically because he requested to see native dance. He was told that the dance was performed on great feast days, where men and women alternated in a circle. The person being honored stood in the center while they sang praises about him or her.

By the time of Freycinet’s visit it is apparent that indigenous dance was being overshadowed by Spanish influences. He described a celebration organized by the Spanish governor based on the “dances of Montezuma” imported from Mexico. The dancers wore colorful, richly trimmed silk and satin costumes that were brought out only for this type of performance. He also described how the people of Hagåtña informally entertained them by having their children dance around a sombrero, the boy chasing the girl who coquettishly allowed him to kiss her cheek at the end.

Oral histories of elders who lived in the early 1900s only recall the dances introduced during the Spanish Colonial Period, such as the Spanish Waltz, called the batsu, and the so’tis, with timing and footwork like the European Polka.

The bailan ha’iguas, or “coconut shell dance” is believed to have originated in the Philippines, which involves striking half coconut shells held in each hand in a variety of rhythmic patterns between dancers, with footwork and movements to a lively ¾ beat. The same rhythm and musical beat is accompanied by thin arms-length sticks held in each hand, struck together in intricate patterns in another dance called the bailan pailitu, or “stick dance”.

The music and songs used for such dances are distinctly Spanish or Mexican in style, although they have Chamorro lyrics that range in themes from farming to fishing to courtship and are often flirtatious or with romantic inuendos.

Spanish influences dwindled as the American Naval Period, which began in 1899, progressed. Chamorros embraced Big Band music introduced by the navy bands which provided entertainment in the Plaza de España in Hagåtña every Friday night; and they danced ballroom waltzes, ragtime and flapper dance styles as they became popular in the United States. Cha cha, tango, rock n’ roll, and jitterbug became popular after World War II. By then, the Spanish Period dances became known as “traditional dance.”

Revival of Chamorro dance

Francisco “Frank” B. Rabon was awarded the title of “Master of Chamorro Dance” by the governor of Guam in the early 1990s for his lifetime work of reviving the concept of native Chamorro dance. He was never exposed to indigenous forms of dance until he went to college in the United States. There, he gravitated towards the Hawaiian islanders, and learned their dances.

Tourism from Japan flourished beginning in the early 1970s, and when he returned to Guam in 1983 he continued to dance with Polynesian groups who performed in the hotels that had begun to line Tumon Bay. In 1984 he was introduced to former Legislative Speaker Carlos Taitano, who had traveled extensively in the Pacific after being educated in the United States. He enlisted Rabon’s help in choreographing Guam’s presentation for the Festival of Pacific Arts that was held in Tahiti in 1985.

This exposure to the idea of a Chamorro indigenous identity inspired Rabon to experiment with forms of Chamorro dance that drew on historical documents and dances from other Pacific islands. His training in Polynesian dance heavily influenced his dance movements and he continued to use the Hawaiian gourd instrument to keep rhythm.

Through his Taotao Tano’ dance group (meaning “people of the land”) he introduced dances that depicted activities of ancient Chamorro life to re-create ancient Chamorro dance. As he has repeated many times, he is not trying to authenticate dances as being carried down from ancient times. Rather, his goal is to create an indigenous Chamorro identity that can give Chamorros of today a sense of pride in their heritage. Rabon’s dance creations have provided a basis for Chamorro dance that is being passed to successive generations by his original students.

The signature dance of the ancient Chamorro era is called the Bailan Uritao, or “Young Man’s Dance,” based on historical descriptions of the warrior-training practices of the uritao – young unmarried men who lived in the men’s house or Guma’ Uritao prior to marriage. The lively jumps, shouts, and crashing together of long sticks called tunas requires precision and agility and shows the prowess of a warrior. The rhythm and pattern of the sticks hitting together actually depicts the building of a latte house, finally ending with all sticks held upwards forming the pointed roof of the house.

This usually leads to the next signature dance, the Bailan Lina’la’, or dance of life, which starts with the women dancers coming through the arched roof formed by the uritao sticks. This dance depicts the women’s dance first described in the Jesuit reports. For modesty’s sake, Rabon created a natural, coconut leaf skirt and a top for the women rather than the revealing skirt described in historical documents. The men adopted the sadi’, or Micronesian-style thu.

Rabon and his successive students, as well as others indirectly influenced by his work, have choreographed many other dances and written many other songs for dances. He and his followers have developed dances around three historical periods: Ancient Period, Spanish Colonial Period, and Contemporary Period. The Festival of Pacific Arts has been a significant influence on the development of Ancient Period dance in particular.

Hawaiians expressed concern about the “borrowing” of movements, sounds, and especially the use of the Ipu Heke gourd. Rabon and other organizers of various dance competitions have encouraged choreographers to look to their own historical influences and especially to the regional Micronesian styles to create dances that more closely reflect the Chamorro heritage.

The number of dance groups has proliferated to the extent that native Chamorro dance in all its historical presentations is now valued and sought out by the tourism industry. Several public schools have dance groups that filter into after-school, community dance groups. In 1999 Rabon organized a coalition of the existing dance groups, called “Pa’a Taotaotano,” meaning “the way of life of the people of the land.”

Members of this coalition represent many schools and communities all over the island. The dance group leaders, called Maestros, have dedicated countless volunteer hours to build their membership, group pride, and to choreograph dances that earn them recognition and awards at the annual Dinana’ Minagof Dance Festivals each year.

Gef Pa’go Chamorro Cultural Village in Inalahan hosts their Dinana’ Minagof Festival every year during the second week of February. Pa’a Taotaotano hosts their Dinana’ Minagof Dance Competitions every June in the Tamuning/Tumon area.

It  is  something  very unusual to  see the cultural  dance  of this island which  you  cant  see  in any part  of the  world. This  dances  are passed to  the  younger generations  from their ancestors  and  it  is  still alive  here. There  are  various  forms  of this  dance . One  will wonder  how they  do  this kind  of  dance as the  dancers  move  their  body  with  the  music and  with  good  timing everyone  perform  exactly the  same and  not  even  one make  mistake or  go  out  of  step. I  will be  adding more vedios  of  this  so  that  one can  see their  talant.