Oregon’s first-ever Marianas Festival brought the spirit of the islands to the Pacific Northwest. Over two days, the festival held cultural workshops, dance and musical performances, food and a car show on Aug. 23 and 24.
Aiming to celebrate the cultures of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Guam, together known as the Mariana Islands, the event brought together hundreds of attendees from throughout the Pacific Northwest. The festival commenced Friday with workshops hosted at Heritage High School in Vancouver including weaving, traditional jewelry carving, Chamorro dance and chant, Mwaar (flower crowns of Carolinian heritage) and more.
The following day, the fanfare began with a blow of a kulu’ (conch shell) to kick off the opening ceremony parade. Speakers encouraged a day of celebration, tradition and pride.
The weekend’s events were united by the theme “Man Apattáo gi Tano’, lao Man Chetton gi Tasi,” or “Divided by the Land, Connected by the Ocean.” It was organized in part by Bertina Grajo, a Chamorro woman living in Oregon. Over the years she’s invited others from the Mariana Islands who are also residing in the Pacific Northwest to her home. Through this, she created a strong network of friends and family and says it has been a way to stay connected with their shared culture and practices. Now, she sees the festival as a larger vehicle for that same community building among the longstanding pockets of Chamorro communities in Oregon and Washington, where many have migrated from Guam and the CNMI.
In January, Grajo founded the Marianas Alliance for Growth of Islanders, or MAGI, with the goal of celebrating and preserving the cultural heritage of the “Chamoru/Chamorro and Refaluwasch/Caroline population across the Mariana Islands,” according to the Marianas Festival website. Motivated by the cultural pride of those from the Mariana Islands in the diaspora, she brought together a group of organizers to host the first-of-its-kind festival.
Cultural practitioner Noel Quitugua is from the island of Saipan, and found his curiosity for cultural heritage through a childhood of collecting artifacts on the island. Quitugua first heard about the festival on Facebook, and after connecting with Grajo was invited to lead interactive workshops showcasing his findings and teaching how to use a kamyu (traditional coconut grater) and other traditional technologies. “I just want to share my passion of reconnecting the language, the craft, the performing arts for the Chamorro and Carolinians, and create unity,” Quitugua said.
Festival attendee Tomas Perez says as a Chamorro living off the islands it can be hard to find community and reasons to come together, so when he heard about the Marianas Festival he wanted to make it a priority to attend. Traveling from Seattle, Perez attended Quitugua’s Chamorro pottery workshop and the other festivities. Perez says he sees opportunities like this to share the language and practices as an essential way to preserve and revive Chamorro culture. “Everybody’s getting involved,” Perez said. “Every age group. There’s something for everybody to do. This is how you revive something that’s dying.”
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This article appears in August 28, 2024.