What's for Lunch?

We will be trying some of the unique local food during our field trip. The culture in Guam is very close to its cultural cuisine, much like any other culture. I hope you like seafood, because that is what most of the meals are revoloved around because of the exquisite fishing they have access to. Rice is also eaten with almost every single meal. Here is what is on the menu, some of their favorite traditional foods:
Titiyas(Tortillas), Suni(Taro), fruit bat soup, Kadon Octopus (octopus stewed in coconut milk with onions and sweet peppers), Eskabeche (fresh fish marinated in vinegar and soy sauce) and Shrimp Kelaguen (minced shrimp mixed with lemon, onions, peppers and shredded coconut).

Here are some fresh made treats too!
Lemai(Breadfruit)treats such as Ahu (grated coconut boiled in sugar water) or Lumpia (vegetable egg roll dipped in garlic sauce) to eat on the spot and homemade Sweet Tuba (a drink made from the first sap of the young coconut tree)

introduction

Ok class, ready to go on an exciting tropical field trip!? Today, we are going to be visiting Guam, an American Province that is very significant to our American History. What exactly IS a province you ask? well, a Province is an administrative district or division of a country. that means, Guam is a "territorial unit" of the United States. Guam is not the only area dependent on the U.S. There are many more as well. Provinces are often ignored and not thought of as a part of the U.S. being that it is not considered a state.
HOWEVER, today we are going to learn about the important history of Guam that is, in a sense, part of U.S. history. I am also planning on teaching you a bit about Guam's unique landscape, climate, culture, customs, and differences from the U.S. I hope your ready for a tropical adventure, don't forget your camera!

Don't Forget!

Camera, Sunscreen, Backpack and an Island Map....oh, and don't forget to bring the most important thing...YOU!

So, where IS Guam?

Guam Is located in the South Pacific Ocean. It is southeast of China and Japan, and directly east of the Philippines. It is actually about 3/4 of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines. If you want ot get technical, its geological coordinates are 13 28 N, 144 47 E. Guam, the largest and southernmost island of the Mariana archipelago, is the westernmost possession of the United States, and has been since 1898.

What is the weather like? And what about the Terrain?

Guam has a tropical marine environment, the weather is generally warm and humid; not like our unpredictable Oregon weather! However, an average of 3 tropical storms and one typhoon will pass within 180 nautical miles of Guam each year! This is a scary thing living on a remote island, but the people have taken precautions by building all their houses out of concrete. A wooden house would be unheard of, Can you imagine?!
The terrain has a volcanic origin, just like all islands, and it is surrounded by coral reefs. Guam straddles the edge of the Philippine Plate with the Pacific Plate thrusting below it -- an area called the subduction zone. The Mariana islands are volcanic products of the magma released at this subduction zone. The melting of rock produces magma containing alot of water at the subduction zone. When this magma reaches the surface, the water expands very rapidly, which is why island-arc volcanoes are so explosive. According to National Geographic, it is the water and sulfur that give these volcanoes their bang.
There is also a relatively flat coralline plateau that is the main source for much of the freshwater consumed by the islanders. Some of th Guam coastlines have been described as similar to that of the Oregon Coast; steep rocky cliffs, with a magnificent ocean below it.
[Click on the map of the volcano chain if you want to see it a bit bigger]

Some basic history you should know before understand the culture...

Here is a picture of a few American Soldiers at the Battle of Guam during World War II



With Guam being an American Province, it should be included in American History. It is often overlooked, but it has remarkable history that dates as far back as 2000 B.C.! That is a LONG time ago, which gives time for a LOT of things to happen. The first Guam discovery was made by sea-faring people from Indonesia. The people who stayed and resided in Guam became known as Chammaro, or pre-contact, "ancient" people. Chammaro culture and customs are still celebrated and embraced today. Many Chammaro people even believe in spirits of ancient Chammaro people. Portugal's Ferdinand Megellan was the first navigator from the outside world to reach Guam in 1521. Guam was later claimed by Spain in 1565, but taken control of by the U.S. in 1898 during the Spanish American war.
The most recent and significant history of Guam was its attack from Japan in World War II, on December 8, 1941. Japan forces were in Japan for approximately thirty-one months.This was a time of deep sadness for the peaceful Island People. During this period, the people of Guam were forced in to unagreed labor, family separation, incarceration, execution, concentration camps and prostitution. Approximately a thousand people died during the Japanese occupation according to Congressional Testimony in 2004. The United States returned and fought the Battle of Guam on July 21, 1944 to recapture the island from the Japanese military. To this day, Guam remains the only U.S. soil, with a sizeable population (in the thousands), to have ever been occupied by a foreign military power except for the British during the war of 1812. The U.S. also captured and occupied the Northern Marianas. After the war, the Guam Organic Act of 1950, which basicaly say that Guam as an unincorporated organized territory of the United States, provided for the structure of the island's civilian government, and granted the people United States citizenship.

Latte Stone

Here is a picture of the Latte Stone ( pronounced Lat-tee Stone) today. This may look just like two stacked rocks, but to the Chammoro people, it is much much more.
This stone was built by the ancient chammoro people centuries and centuries ago. Latte stones were built all different sizes, the smallest being only a few feet tall, and the tallest standing on today is 16 feet high! the bases were build in a square-like, cylinder shape, with a large stone cap on top. Ancient Chammoran people would built these latte stones in rows of 2-8 to support important structures in the village. The first latte were probably constructed during the 9th century AD; however, when the Mariana Islands were discovered by Europeans in the 16th century latte were no longer being made. Latte are found on the islands of Guam, Rota, Saipan, Pagan, and Tinian. The history of Guam before European contact is often divided into the Latte and Pre-Latte periods. If you hear about these Latte periods, you will now know that it is based around these historical rock landmarks.