Land of our fathers

Throughout history, one thing remains constant: land. Land defines many things. The culture of a people can be deduced simply by a statement of where they are from; heritage and pride of heritage are easily attributed by finding out from where someone was raised; family is many times accurately specified by their locale; and ancestral lines are researched from where a group of indigenous people settled. We are more than our physical appearances, more than our personal qualities; we are a part of our land.

Article XII was a means our forefathers created so their lineage would forever have claim to what was rightfully theirs. It was the means to ensure greed would not empty the family pocketbooks of land from the generations to come. It was, to them and us, one of the most important ideals to secure our heritage and culture from decline. It has been said, “If these walls could talk there would be many historical accounts of how our forefathers lived.” I say to you now, if this land could talk there would be a great outcry from our ancestors in the direction our leaders are taking us now.

Times are indeed extremely difficult right now, and will continue getting worse before finally getting better. But this is no excuse to take acts of desperation; rather it is time to solidify one’s foundation in undertaking struggle effectively! We must confidently act, in measured anticipation, in order to successfully endure this crisis.

The Native Americans lost something dear to them when the European immigrants of the past landed, for the first time, on the soil we now know as America. They were forced to leave the lands their families were raised on and many times died trying to defend it. Hundreds of thousands of Native Americans were wiped out from existence, soaking their ancestral soil with the blood of war. If given the chance to again go through the acts of their past, they would again fight for what was theirs. They have great pride in their ancestry and great respect for the land of their lineage. This is what we should emulate; this is how we should live regarding our lands.

Today, Native Americans are subject to small protected zones of land. They reside in reservations; in many cases their tribes did not reside in the land they were given. Lands that are desolate of the natural resources that were plentiful in the regions they were forcefully pushed from; land where their ancestors are now buried, due to the massacres of days past. At least their leaders/chiefs didn’t sell out to make a quick buck and agree to sell their land to outsiders. They fought, died, bled, and struggled to keep the land that mothered them for generations. At least they respected their culture and heritage enough to die for what was right.

We, as indigenous NMI descendants, have a responsibility to our children and theirs, to ensure the land from which we came from will be theirs in the future. Anyone wanting to sell land to someone other than CNMI descendants is robbing future generations of what is rightfully theirs. It is truly sad to know there is some waiting to receive land through homestead and while they wait, officials are contemplating to repeal what our forefathers had the foresight to establish. I am a native Saipanese Chamorro. My family descended from the island of Saipan on both my maternal and paternal sides. My children are the direct descendants of the late master carver Tun Segundo Blas and Senate President Pete P. Reyes. Our families here in the continental United States are proud to be Chamorros and one day desire to return to our native home. Will we come home to a land owned by investors? It would be a sad and unforgivable thing. Do NOT repeal Article 12! There are ways to allow investors more lease time on land, which can benefit both the investor and the native resident of that land. But we ask, no, demand, that you not take away from us what is rightfully ours.