Recommended listening: Polynesian South Sea Music
Story
On a sunny day in the mountainous interior of Guam, a celebration is beginning. A young woman has just completed the gruelling process of dyeing her teeth black. After applying the mixture of betel nuts and gum, she has had to spend fourteen days fasting. Only foods that could pass through a funnel sustained her for this fortnight. But now that the two weeks have passed, the dye on her teeth is set and she can finally go back to eating normal food. To commemorate the occasion, her family has organised a feast in her honour. Finally, she can eat all manner of foods: bananas and breadfruit, red snapper and coconuts, pandanus fruit and arrowroot. And who else should join her at the head of the feast but the maga'håga, the leader of her clan?
Ancient Chamorro society on Guam was matrilineal. Clans were ruled by the maga'håga, the eldest daughter of the clan. She had a male counterpart, the maga'låhi, or the eldest son of the clan. Together they ruled over a council of elders who made all major decisions for their extended family. In addition to leading this council, the maga'håga had many duties. She decided where members of her clan would live, where new settlements would be built, and even who should marry whom. She was part of the ruling caste of the Chamorro, known as the matua, who lived aristocratically compared to other Chamorro. The maga'håga was owed the utmost respect and had the final say in many decisions involving her clan. On special occasions, she was awarded with gifts of the finest turtle shell, which she used to adorn herself during feasts.
Just over a thousand years ago, many changes were happening in Chamorro society. The Chamorro had already lived in Guam for thousands of years by that point. But in the late first millennium, they started quarrying large amounts of stone to build houses. Known today as latte houses, these houses were raised on pairs of sturdy stone pillars that kept them a few feet off the ground. The pillars helped them withstand earthquakes and storms. They also provided a shaded underspace where family members could gather for outdoor chores such as cooking or weaving. These latte homes were important focal points for family memory. When a clan member died, they were sometimes buried under their latte house, and their skull might even be kept inside the house for ancestor worship. Family was all-important to the Chamorro, and the maga'håga was the head of the family.
Chamorro women lived in a hot and humid climate where little clothes was necessary, but they came up with many creative ways to adorn themselves regardless. A simple leaf or, for the wealthiest women, a turtle shell sufficed to cover a woman's private parts. Early European writers noted that because the leaves might easily blow away on the breeze, women always carried a few spares around with them. Men and women both constantly chewed betel nuts, which stained their teeth black. It's thought that this helped prevent tooth decay, which is probably why some people carried out the intentional ritual like the one described above. Some people even incised patterns into their dyed teeth. Although the Chamorro are not known to have worn tattoos, they bedecked themselves in necklaces and hair ornaments made from the precious spondylus shell. Women like the maga'håga could even wear pieces of turtle shell suspended across their foreheads.
Another interesting fashion of Chamorro women was the practice of dyeing their hair blonde. Although their natural hair colour was black, some women bleached their hair a flaxen yellow colour. In order to do this, they poured a mixture of lime and oil onto their heads and washed it into their hair. They'd then spend long hours sunbathing for several days in order to slowly bleach their hair. If their scalp got too warm, they simple sprinkled sea water on top to cool themselves down. The lengths that Chamorro women went to in order to beautify themselves shows how important it was for them to distinguish themselves in this way. It's possible that these rituals like teeth and hair dyeing were also rites of passage for young women.
Women in Chamorro society had remarkable power. Marriage weighed heavily in their favour: It was much easier for a woman to initiate a divorce than a man, and men paid a much steeper price for divorce. Women who committed adultery were difficult to divorce, and a man's family would sometimes pressure him to stay in the marriage regardless. If a man committed adultery, though, and his wife wanted to divorce him, things would not go well for him. She had the right to kick him out of his house and take the children into her sole custody. Furthermore, she and her women friends would dress up in men's hats and take up spears, chasing him out of the house and ransacking his possessions. In these circumstances, a man would return to his family, who again would perhaps encourage him to make amends by bringing offerings of food and rare goods to his wife's family. Such was the power of Chamorro matriarchs like the maga'håga.
In this illustration, the maga'håga warmly embraces her granddaughter or great-niece. (The maga'håga did not need to have children if she didn't want to - her sister's daughters could inherit her title in that case.) The young woman is estatic to be able to eat real food again and is showing off her newly dyed teeth with a wide, happy grin. Jasmine flowers form a cheerful wreath atop her brightly bleached hair. Relatives and neighbours will be gathering from all around to celebrate this milestone in her life. The picture is set in Lost River Village, the site of the oldest dated latte house in the Marianas Islands. Something big is beginning here, even bigger than a young woman's completion of an arduous beauty ritual. Chamorro society's organisation into hierarchical clans is intricately linked to the development of the latte house villages. Women like the maga'håga in this illustration were coming into more power than ever before, and would wield it for many generations to come.
Ancient Chamorro society on Guam was matrilineal. Clans were ruled by the maga'håga, the eldest daughter of the clan. She had a male counterpart, the maga'låhi, or the eldest son of the clan. Together they ruled over a council of elders who made all major decisions for their extended family. In addition to leading this council, the maga'håga had many duties. She decided where members of her clan would live, where new settlements would be built, and even who should marry whom. She was part of the ruling caste of the Chamorro, known as the matua, who lived aristocratically compared to other Chamorro. The maga'håga was owed the utmost respect and had the final say in many decisions involving her clan. On special occasions, she was awarded with gifts of the finest turtle shell, which she used to adorn herself during feasts.
Just over a thousand years ago, many changes were happening in Chamorro society. The Chamorro had already lived in Guam for thousands of years by that point. But in the late first millennium, they started quarrying large amounts of stone to build houses. Known today as latte houses, these houses were raised on pairs of sturdy stone pillars that kept them a few feet off the ground. The pillars helped them withstand earthquakes and storms. They also provided a shaded underspace where family members could gather for outdoor chores such as cooking or weaving. These latte homes were important focal points for family memory. When a clan member died, they were sometimes buried under their latte house, and their skull might even be kept inside the house for ancestor worship. Family was all-important to the Chamorro, and the maga'håga was the head of the family.
Chamorro women lived in a hot and humid climate where little clothes was necessary, but they came up with many creative ways to adorn themselves regardless. A simple leaf or, for the wealthiest women, a turtle shell sufficed to cover a woman's private parts. Early European writers noted that because the leaves might easily blow away on the breeze, women always carried a few spares around with them. Men and women both constantly chewed betel nuts, which stained their teeth black. It's thought that this helped prevent tooth decay, which is probably why some people carried out the intentional ritual like the one described above. Some people even incised patterns into their dyed teeth. Although the Chamorro are not known to have worn tattoos, they bedecked themselves in necklaces and hair ornaments made from the precious spondylus shell. Women like the maga'håga could even wear pieces of turtle shell suspended across their foreheads.
Another interesting fashion of Chamorro women was the practice of dyeing their hair blonde. Although their natural hair colour was black, some women bleached their hair a flaxen yellow colour. In order to do this, they poured a mixture of lime and oil onto their heads and washed it into their hair. They'd then spend long hours sunbathing for several days in order to slowly bleach their hair. If their scalp got too warm, they simple sprinkled sea water on top to cool themselves down. The lengths that Chamorro women went to in order to beautify themselves shows how important it was for them to distinguish themselves in this way. It's possible that these rituals like teeth and hair dyeing were also rites of passage for young women.
Women in Chamorro society had remarkable power. Marriage weighed heavily in their favour: It was much easier for a woman to initiate a divorce than a man, and men paid a much steeper price for divorce. Women who committed adultery were difficult to divorce, and a man's family would sometimes pressure him to stay in the marriage regardless. If a man committed adultery, though, and his wife wanted to divorce him, things would not go well for him. She had the right to kick him out of his house and take the children into her sole custody. Furthermore, she and her women friends would dress up in men's hats and take up spears, chasing him out of the house and ransacking his possessions. In these circumstances, a man would return to his family, who again would perhaps encourage him to make amends by bringing offerings of food and rare goods to his wife's family. Such was the power of Chamorro matriarchs like the maga'håga.
In this illustration, the maga'håga warmly embraces her granddaughter or great-niece. (The maga'håga did not need to have children if she didn't want to - her sister's daughters could inherit her title in that case.) The young woman is estatic to be able to eat real food again and is showing off her newly dyed teeth with a wide, happy grin. Jasmine flowers form a cheerful wreath atop her brightly bleached hair. Relatives and neighbours will be gathering from all around to celebrate this milestone in her life. The picture is set in Lost River Village, the site of the oldest dated latte house in the Marianas Islands. Something big is beginning here, even bigger than a young woman's completion of an arduous beauty ritual. Chamorro society's organisation into hierarchical clans is intricately linked to the development of the latte house villages. Women like the maga'håga in this illustration were coming into more power than ever before, and would wield it for many generations to come.
Artist's Comments
Finally, another picture set in Oceania! This is only the third one set in the region in my entire series, which has been going on for four years now. That's not a lot! It is not a region I have found very easy to research from an archaeological standpoint. However, the latte houses provided a really useful starting point for me in learning more about Chamorro history and culture. I definitely enjoyed learning all about the history of Guam and the rest of the Marianas Islands, which I knew nothing about before.
This picture didn't really come out in a way that I'm satisfied with in terms of the colouring. However, I want to thank my friend Sacha for tips while drawing the picture (those darn feet!) and also some advice afterwards for ways I can improve next time in the colour values. I have been colouring in a very saturated style lately which isn't quite working for skin tones the way I'd like it. There's always room for improvement!
I hope you enjoyed learning about Guam and the maga'håga! I particularly liked learning about their beauty customs, so it was really fun to try drawing them here. Until next time! ~ March 2, 2022
This picture didn't really come out in a way that I'm satisfied with in terms of the colouring. However, I want to thank my friend Sacha for tips while drawing the picture (those darn feet!) and also some advice afterwards for ways I can improve next time in the colour values. I have been colouring in a very saturated style lately which isn't quite working for skin tones the way I'd like it. There's always room for improvement!
I hope you enjoyed learning about Guam and the maga'håga! I particularly liked learning about their beauty customs, so it was really fun to try drawing them here. Until next time! ~ March 2, 2022
Resources
Want to learn more about the maga'håga and other women of the Marianas? Here are some recommended resources.
"CHamoru Women's Legacy of Leadership" by Victoria-Lola Leon Guerrero
This article is one of the many excellent pieces on ancient Chamorro society on the website Guampedia. The website is a treasure trove of articles which I made extensive use of for this illustration. There are articles about ancient Chamorro concepts of beauty, jewellery, body modification, settlement patterns, kinship and land tenure, crime and punishment, politics, food, medicine, and so much more! I couldn't find any albums of Chamorro traditional music to recommend as the background listening on this page (or even any Micronesian music, hence the Polynesian music instead), but you can hear some examples of traditional Chamorro song here. You can see the full list of topics to read in their Ancient Guam category!
"A.D. 1000-1700, A Sea of Islands and Monuments" by Mike T. Carson
For an archaeological explanation of the changes that happened around 1000, look no further than this article! It's a very accessible read about the changes that came with latte architecture in Guam's archaeological record.
"A Comparison of an Inland Latte Period Community to Coastal Settlement Patterns Observed on Southern Guam" by Boyd Dixon and Laura Gilda
The site in this illustration is the one discussed in this article. The US Navy forbade the archaeologists from disclosing the exact location of Lost River Village, so I've just tried to create an approximate look based on their description.
"A History of Chamorro Nurse-Midwives in Guam and a 'Placental Politics' for Indigenous Feminism" by Christine Taitano DeLisle
This article looks at how midwives kept using traditional birth knowledge in the face of colonialism in Guam, both Spanish and American. Women have long played crucial roles in fighting colonialism in the Marianas.
"I Manmofo'na: The Latte Stone" on YouTube
If you'd like to learn more about the archaeology of latte houses, check out this documentary made for TV in 2014. In particular, the documentary explores the connections between latte stones and other architecture of Southeast Asia.
"CHamoru Women's Legacy of Leadership" by Victoria-Lola Leon Guerrero
This article is one of the many excellent pieces on ancient Chamorro society on the website Guampedia. The website is a treasure trove of articles which I made extensive use of for this illustration. There are articles about ancient Chamorro concepts of beauty, jewellery, body modification, settlement patterns, kinship and land tenure, crime and punishment, politics, food, medicine, and so much more! I couldn't find any albums of Chamorro traditional music to recommend as the background listening on this page (or even any Micronesian music, hence the Polynesian music instead), but you can hear some examples of traditional Chamorro song here. You can see the full list of topics to read in their Ancient Guam category!
"A.D. 1000-1700, A Sea of Islands and Monuments" by Mike T. Carson
For an archaeological explanation of the changes that happened around 1000, look no further than this article! It's a very accessible read about the changes that came with latte architecture in Guam's archaeological record.
"A Comparison of an Inland Latte Period Community to Coastal Settlement Patterns Observed on Southern Guam" by Boyd Dixon and Laura Gilda
The site in this illustration is the one discussed in this article. The US Navy forbade the archaeologists from disclosing the exact location of Lost River Village, so I've just tried to create an approximate look based on their description.
"A History of Chamorro Nurse-Midwives in Guam and a 'Placental Politics' for Indigenous Feminism" by Christine Taitano DeLisle
This article looks at how midwives kept using traditional birth knowledge in the face of colonialism in Guam, both Spanish and American. Women have long played crucial roles in fighting colonialism in the Marianas.
"I Manmofo'na: The Latte Stone" on YouTube
If you'd like to learn more about the archaeology of latte houses, check out this documentary made for TV in 2014. In particular, the documentary explores the connections between latte stones and other architecture of Southeast Asia.