Last Thursday’s screening at the University of Guam was a big success. Although Pete A. Tenorio was unable to join us in person, we managed to skype him in from Saipan… once again proving that my Apple macbook pro is a true miracle of modern technology.
The 200-person auditorium was packed. The event started with a chant by Pa’a Taotao Tano, followed by some profoundly insightful words from UoG President (and former Guam non-voting Delegate to the US House of Representatives) Robert Underwood. He talked about the word ’empire’ – about the empires that have come and gone from the Marianas – and about the film’s exploration of the history of these empires. The task, he told the audience, was to both understand the history – but also to ask, “What do we think about it?” Because ultimately it’s that critical reflection which is the most important thing to take away from the film. I felt truly blessed to have him there, both as an introductory speaker and as panelist, sitting in for his late uncle Carlos Taitano and doing an excellent job expressing what I know Carlos would have wanted to say. (I felt especially lucky when people later told me that Robert is in super high demand, and that he almost never stays for long at any given event!)
The day after the event, though, I woke up feeling deflated. After so many years making the film, and another year trying to bring the film to Guam, it felt weird and anti-climactic to have it be over so suddenly. Luckily I didn’t have too much time to wallow – Vivian Dames had plans for me to be on her public radio show “Beyond the Fence,” so I threw on some clothes and drove over to the KPRG studio. I was pretty appalled at how rudimentary their setup was; it’s amazing what they are able to produce with so few resources!
Dr. Dames interviewed me for an hour – about my personal history (including my Native American ancestry, something no one has ever asked me about before), and my experiences making the film. You can listen to the entire show here.
After the interview, I joined Hope Cristobal and Lino Olopai for lunch at Guam’s Mangilao golf resort. Hope had arranged to have Lino meet Frank Cruz, a Chamorro who has been studying navigation from one of Lino’s cousins, Manny Sikau. Frank was the president of TASI, and one of the leaders of the revival of Chamorro navigation – but amazingly, he had never met Lino. And the recent debacle over the ‘missing’ Yapese canoe had led to these two salty sailors exchanging harsh words via public letters in the local newspaper. Hope and I thought that by introducing Frank and Lino, we might be able to help them forge some mutual understanding.
The meeting went smoothly – the two salty sailors were very cordial and seemed to enjoy each other’s company. Neither Frank nor Lino spoke of the Yapese canoe incident. I peppered them with questions about navigation, and they both bemusedly obliged with stories and explanations about voyaging by the stars. I felt truly honored to be in the company of these two masters and their incredibly powerful knowledge – and I hope this brief introduction will be an opening to allow them to support each others’ ongoing efforts to continue to promote their traditional knowledge.