What happened to two Chamoru lovers bodies after they leaped from Puntan Hugua Humaguiya (Two Lover's Point)?
This, to some may be the first time you hear this enchanting saga of the most popular legend of our paradise island, beautiful Guahan, we now all call "Guam".
To many, this has been the best kept secret legend, but to the few who have visited the until recently a very restricted area, I am sure you have not only enjoyed one of Guam?s most pristine and beautiful beach, but you have enjoyed what nature has ecologically blended in amongst the enchanting ruins of the ancient Chamoru village at "Urunao beach".
If you were one of those selected by the taotaomonas (ancestral spirits), I am sure you have seen nature's monument of this of beautiful legend.
The legend as I have been told by my elders: The remains of the two lovers were met with cultural resistance that resulted on the elders' decision for the bodies to be buried at sea.
The elders reasoned that the nature of the two lover's death was not natural and undeserving of an honorable burial in-between the latte pillar that supports their family's home, considered a sacred ground.
The bodies of the two lovers, whose hairs are tied together, were placed in a large canoe. After the usual, but low keyed ceremony and adornment, the canoe was set to sail for a one way sea voyage, intended to end at sea.
Soon after the canoe sailed out to high seas, a huge storm appeared at the horizon over the canoe carrying the bodies of the two lovers.
The storm's strong wind picked up huge waves that soon pounded the western reefs and shores of Guam.
The huge waves, the heavy rain, and the powerful wind sent the beach villagers into shelters high above their beach level thatched roof houses.
The almost typhoon strength storm lasted through the night. At Dawn, a small group of villagers echoed; "a curse has come to punish our people, our ancestor's spirit who controls I Manglo (the wind) , I napun tasi (the waves of the ocean) yan I ichan (the rain) will forever punish us
. Our ancestor's spirits are angry at us." The group echoed this because the canoe, well decorated with pandanus weaving, fresh and colorful flowers, and seashells was floating at a cove between Urunao bay and Haputo (sagan Hugua na madtie'nan- double reef).
The bodies of the two lovers were no where to be found. Within minutes, fear and panic spread through the northwestern villages of Guam, especially to the villages of Haputo and Urunao, the homes of the Matuas (high chiefs). The leaders of Urunao and Haputo - the chiefs, wise elders, and village's Macanas (spiritual and herb healing persons) were all summoned to the beach where the canoe remained afloat in the calm water of Urunao. everyone arriving at the seen were puzzled of the near perfect condition of the weaving, the freshness of the delicate flowers, and the well place position of the valuable seashells in the canoe.
Everyone concluded that for sure, everything would have been washed aboard or destroyed by the storm' high wind and the huge waves of the previous night. Among the Matuas, no one could give an interpretation of the mysterious appearance of the two lovers canoe being perfectly intact.
These questions loom: Is this a curse to our villagers? Are we going to be punished by our ancestral spirits? Where are the bodies of the two lovers? No one seemed to be able to give the correct appraisal of the mystic of the two lover?s boat. Then, a young boy of about five years old, never before seen at any of the two villages, emerged from a near by cave calling "mila'a magi!" (come here!), "mila'a magi!" (come here!).
Everyone that was on the beach by the canoe ran to the cave thinking that the little boy needed help. As the group of people reached the mouth of the cave fronted by a beautiful natural pool of seawater balanced perfectly with aquarium size colorful fishes, the little boy cried out again, this time saying "hugua umaiguiya!" (two lovers!), "hugua umaiguiya!' (two lovers!). Another little child, a girl of about four years old, appeared from behind the rocks with the brightest smile on her face. She too cried out: "hugua umaiguiya!" (two lovers!), "hugua umaiguiya!" (two lovers!).
At that point, everyone was already mesmerized by the appearance of two long almost marbleized rocks laying in the center of the cave, surrounded with white golden sands. These nature's sculpted rocks were identical replicas of the covered and adorned bodies of the two lovers who were set out to high seas the previous afternoon.
Everyone were so mesmerized by this strange phenomena that they ended spending the whole day inside the cool cave as they search their mindsfor an answer. Is this mystery a "miracle" or a "curse"? The question was further complicated by the strange disappearance of the two young children who called their attention to the beachfront cave.
The unbelievably fantastic view of the Pacific Ocean from within the cave made everyone there to, without a doubt, readily agree with the old and wise Macanas. As the sun starts to set over the horizon, it filled the sky with brilliant colors unlike to the everyday beauty of Guam's sunset.
For reasons unexplained, the two macanas, one from urunao and the other from Haputo, started to chant. Their serene-like chanting echoed through the entire northwestern villages of Guam: "This cave is the final resting place of the two lovers".
Our people sent out to sea the bodies of two of our children whose love for each other were inseparable. The spirits of our ancestors showed us last night through this day that the "taotao tano" (people of the land) and the "tano taotao" (land of the people:, I Tanota "Guahan" (our island of Guam) are one.
Let us give thanks to our ancestors for the lesson we received, in spirit. It taught us that we must not only love our children unconditionally, but we must give them no less than the love and respect we expect and demand from them. "Love and respect must be celebrated, let us give thanks to the "anten taotao-monas" (our ancestral spirits) for leaving this beautiful place para "hita, I taotaota pago" (us, the people of today) yan para I famaguonta I taotaotatt'e (and for our children, the people of the future). I nila'la u lala'e, u maada'he, yan u maglofamen (life must be lived, protected, enjoyed!) |
