Once a song of hope for the native CHamorus of Guåhan under Japanese occupation in WWII, now, rewritten as a song of truth to tell some CHamorus’ experience past and present, to help navigate our future with dear Uncle Sam.
Uncle Sam, we are forever grateful for your liberation, but not for your reoccupation.
Cha’mu maleffa (Never forget).
Aloha mai kākou a håfa adai todus hamyo!
I began another social media cleanse last year, and within one month, inspiration flowed through me and my creative side reawakened. Spending less time in the intangible digital world reconnected me to our natural environment and my spiritual self. Instead of looking at how other people portrayed their lifestyles, I read world news and history books that enriched my life and heightened my awareness. Instead of making posts and writing captions, my open mind was able to create poetry, music, drawings, and paintings in order to express myself and all that I’ve learned in my life journey so far.
This song is a culmination of many life lessons I’ve learned from living and working in the Earth, Sea, and Sky themselves. While writing, it unfolded as Mother Nature giving advice to us human beings in this age of industrialization, militarization, desecration, and climate change.
I hope you can connect with this song and enjoy it.
Si Yu’us ma’åse yan mahalo nui
P.S. I made my lei po’o / mwarmwar
Hagan Guåhan Mariånas 