“Chamorros Deserve to Know Their Language”: Creating Space for Chamorro Learners in Hawai’i

Nihi Ta Fan Finu Chamorro is a community-based language program in association with the Hafa Adai Club of Hawaii, under the guidance of Dr. Faye Untalan. What began as a call for Chamorro language instruction at the University of Hawaiʻi grew into a community-led effort to teach conversational Chamorro to children and young adults on Oʻahu.

Marianas Press spoke with Dr. Untalan and Trinisha Borja-Paxton about their motivations for teaching Chamorro while living away from the Marianas. For Dr. Untalan, the class is a service to the community” while Borja-Paxton sees teaching as a way to contribute to the perpetuation of Chamorro culture. Both emphasize that sustaining the language is a collective effort.

The class continues to seek a permanent classroom and welcomes students of all ages and proficiency levels who are interested in learning Chamorro. They meet on Sunday afternoons. To learn more, contact si.trinishabpaxton@gmail.com or follow Si Auntie Nish on Instagram.

MP Correspondent Marquina Hofschneider reports.