Gef Pa’go is a center for safeguarding and promoting Chamorro culture in Guam. When 50 years have passed since the second arrival of the Recoletos to the island, this cultural center in whose creation the Recollect missionaries collaborated has just received an important endorsement for their work.
Inalåhan (before 2021, Inarajan) is a village of almost 2,300 inhabitants located on the southeastern coast of Guam, a US territory in the Pacific where the Augustinian Recollects have served the People of God for almost 150 years in two stages. The Augustinian Recollects had a lot to do with the choral effort to preserve and promote Guamanian culture.
Guam and the Harvest: A Common History
The first three Recollect missionaries arrived in Guam from Manila in 1769, the next year three more from Mexico joined. At the end of the century XVIII the Recollects served some 6,000 parishioners from four missionary centers: Agaña, Agat, Merizo, and Umátac.
Their service lasted until 1899 when Captain Richard P. Leary, the new governor began the long period of the island as a military base of the United States, and the hegemony of the Spanish Crown ended.
From this first stage, the figure of frater Aniceto Ibáñez (1828-1892), Recollect, stands out and he spent more than 30 years on the island and was fluent in Chamorro and Carolina. Due to his enormous concern for education, he composed and printed a Primer-Syllabary, a Grammar, and a Dictionary of the Chamorro language.
The three books were presented at the great Philippine Exposition in Madrid in 1887. The University of Guam and Micronesian cultural institutions continue studying them. He also published several bilingual religious works, in Chamorro and Spanish. Without a doubt, it was the first milestone in the conservation and promotion of local culture.
In the 20th century: the Gef Pa’go Center
Fifty years ago now, in 1974, the Augustinian Recollects returned to Guam at the request of Bishop Felixberto Camacho Flores who, looking for clergy, contacted with this Order, which he responded positively and entrusted the ministry to the Vicariate of the Philippines from the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine.
The Augustinian Recollects thus added another 25 years of service in Guam to the People of God, until 1989. The Augustinian Recollect Thomas Joseph Devine (Boyle, Roscommon, Ireland, 1943) today resides in Oxnard, California, United States, and was one of the members of that community who returned to the Pacific island:
“I arrived on August 28, 1974, in Guam together with the Recollect religious Pedro Erce, Andrés Álava, Julio Espinosa and Anthony Gillespie. The first year I was in Agaña, serving in the Cathedral, and after 10 months I was sent south, to Inalåhan.
In Agaña I taught at Our Lady of Guam High School, one of the Mercedarias. Out of the 35 students in one of the classrooms, almost all of them were originally from the place, and only five spoke Chamorro. It was a completely American atmosphere, it was very similar to any neighborhood in Los Angeles. Until 1962, no one could reside or visit the island without permission from the Navy.
Even today there are more than 20,000 soldiers while the total population does not reach 170,000 inhabitants. And from 1967 Pan Am opened regular flights with Tokyo, thus beginning tourism on the island.
When I arrived at the Parish of San José in Inalåhan I observed that the Chamorro language was spoken. And a series of factors made us think about the need to attract tourism that was in the initial phase in Guam.
Specifically, on November 1, 1975, a 6.1 magnitude earthquake caused damage to materials and a small tsunami; and with worse consequences, around 80% of buildings on the island were damaged by Typhoon Pamela on May 21, 1976, with winds of almost 120 km/h for 18 hours and 856 mm. of rain, which made that month the wettest month in Guam’s history.
It was also necessary to repair the parish church. It was not that old, from the 30s of the 20th century, but the façade cracked without falling and had to be remodeled completely. We put in an Italian-style floor and stained glass windows with Augustinian motifs. Friar Julio Espinosa installed an organ that we inaugurated for the tercentenary of the Parish in 1980. Since then every year there have been special concerts that were greatly attended by the public.
The Church at that time had an important place in the life of the community. We looked at the impact of the Micronesian Cultural Center in Hawaii and thought that something similar could exist in Guam that would serve several objectives: protect and promote local culture and identity; offer new opportunities for families; attract more tourism and visitors; and offer the youngest the memory and experience of their own culture.
I studied Ortega y Gasset when I was young in Spain and was aware of the importance of popular culture in maintaining identity, something I thought could be applied to the situation in Guam after those catastrophes.
Inalåhan is where this Guamanian tradition had been best preserved. So, I began to interview the people in charge of the local Tourist Office, and the municipal government, and many people who individually became interested in joining.
In one of the meetings the name of Gef Pa’go, Old Village in Chamorro, which in turn is reminiscent of the Castilian term “pago”: “Determined district of lands or inheritances, especially vineyards or olive groves; small town or village; place in which a person was born or is rooted; place, town, region.” Before they had considered other names such as “Lanchon Antigo” (Old Ranch) which, although was finally discarded, it can still be found in some references on the Internet.
Guam has special cultural characteristics. Some of their customs are unique and curious, such as the traditional ways to obtain sea salt, oil for lamps, spirits, and cane sugar; or it is rich and showy traditional dances and dances…
Gef Pa’go comes to show the life of a village at the end of the 19th century with all the elements necessary for the ordinary life of the family and society, as well as the different traditional work occupations. Up to a hundred people were involved in the project, many of them elders who, with their presence and talent, allowed many traditions to be recovered. Some young people collaborated during the summer in the construction of the complex. A developmental program of the United States Government financed a good part of the tasks.”
Lewis Award
The Lewis Music Prize was recently awarded, worth 500,000 dollars, to this conservative effort of Guamanian dance and music. It’s about a private program to promote performing arts among young people that grants resources for social promotion through music.
This is a national recognition of the great impact of the resources that have been attracted and will promote awareness and pride in the heritage of Chamorro through the performing arts. The program is applied from the high School and selected students will represent Guam in the major folklore events and festivals.
After the pandemic and Typhoon Mawar (May 2023), this financing will fall right on grassroots programs for local youth through cultural promotion, something very important and impactful for a local community the size of Guam.
Gef Pa’go
Music, dance, crafts, and traditional cuisine are what await visitors to the Gef Pa’go Cultural Village, an effort to preserve local culture and transmit the traditions to new generations that are managed by the Inalahan Foundation
Among the things you can see, touch, or even learn to do are the strings of hand-woven tree bark, hats, and bowls of natural fibers, sweets of coconut…
Not only tourists come to the place but also schoolchildren from all over the island who can thus better understanding their history, reconnecting with their ancestors, and drink from the true Chamorro spirit.
Next to the entrance, the visitor is greeted by a statue of Chief Gadao who, according to legend challenged a rival boss to a championship of strength. The two went up to a canoe and began paddling furiously in opposite directions until they split in half.
Guamanian cuisine is also very special: barbecue, kadon pika (stew spicy chicken and vegetables), red rice or kelaguen (combination similar to ceviche lemon, onion, hot pepper, salt, grated coconut combined with seafood, squid, octopus, beef, chicken).
And the preparation of coconut candy is especially successful at Gef Pa’go. The sugar is heated and melted, the coconut is added, and once it is cooked to the consistency suitable is formed into balls or rectangles. It’s a nice little candy for pampering yourself.
