A voyage back in time

Cinta’s mother told her to expect rain within the next couple of days. With the Flame Tree Celebration scheduled on that weekend, it was not a welcome news. But she knew her mother was telling the truth.

The early pour on Saturday only confirmed that her mother hasn’t lost her touch, while her daughter is running against time to learn her skills.

“When the old wise man in our community (on Pangan) died, I felt lost,” she said.

She rushed to the Carolinian Utt last Friday to honor the voyage and visit of Makali’i. As a member of the Refalawasch community on Saipan, it was like honoring her forebears who also navigated the Pacific and taught her mother to discern the signs of nature.

Embracing the verve and tradition of the Makali’i is home to her and to some of the indigenous people who are hanging on to their cultural identity.

The voyage from Hawaii to Saipan is a yearly visit of who they are and where they came from. It is a present day sojourn in search of the past.

Like the master navigator of Makali’i, her ancestors relied on the stars and the sky for direction and action. In Lieweila, the documentary film she co-produced, she said after the reeves and the oceans were created, they were out there challenging the tides.

But studying and mastering the forces of nature were no match to coming face to face with invaders and modernity.

When she came back from college, “I barely recognized my home.”

As she sat among those who gathered at the Carolinian Utt, wanting to hear stories from the voyage like in older times, she felt a mixed emotion.

She felt proud of her beginnings after the Makali’i delegation arrived on Saipan and paid homage to the great navigators of Micronesia.

But she also felt sadness. While the traditional gathering at the Utt after a journey was being celebrated, people outside were oblivious and paid no attention.

For years, the skill on navigation was humbled by the rhetorics of governance. The next generation was no longer interested in challenging the seas. Canoes were considered out of style.

“In time we needed spam and government job in order to survive,” as she continued her story.

The affluence of the 80’s made people take fishing as a hobby. Others hired non-resident fishermen to fish for the money.

While the master navigator was seated together with CNMI officials, he appeared like a lost chieftain. Refusing to exchange the traditional clothing to modern day wardrobe, he stood out in his true cultural color and identity.

Meanwhile, Cinta was having soda and is well on her way to becoming a full-fledged lawyer.

“I can play the VCR and drink coke but not forgetting who am I,” as her story goes.