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Carolinians commemorate Chief Aghurubw Day
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Posted on Sep 20 1999
In the late 1800’s, a village chief from the island of Satawal sailed around Micronesian islands in search of food to save his people from famine brought about by a destructive storm that hit Caroline islands. The village chief sailed away from his island, braving the unfriendly weather. He sailed back to the village bringing a supply of food and water, which was only enough for the villagers to get by at the moment.
In the succeeding voyage, Chief Aghurubw, along with Chief Ngushel of the Elato island who was navigating a separate boat, landed on Saipan (then called Seipel), where they eventually resettled and established the very first village.
When Chief Aghurubw died later, the village people decided to bury his remains in the isle located north of Saipan. That isle was then named Ghalaghal, which is translated as “over here.”
Ghalaghal is now known as Managaha, the site of the annual commemoration of Chief Aghurubw. A statue of the village chief stands in the heart of this tiny resort island.
Commonwealth residents and visitors joined the Carolinians last Saturday in celebrating the 29th annual commemoration of Chief Aghurubw in Managaha. The celebrators sang, prayed, and enjoyed island buffet during the whole day feast, led by the Chief Aghurubw Foundation, Inc. which was founded by the Ghatoliyol clan.
“We pay tribute to this man who is responsible for bringing the Carolinian people into the Marianas. He was an important part of our history,” said Lino Olopai, a member of the committee that organizes activities for the Carolinian Heritage Week.
Government officials led yesterday another ceremony at the Carolinian Utt in Garapan which keynoted the celebration of the Carolinian Heritage Week.
“This week, we have a line of scheduled activities to showcase our culture and heritage. Our elderly will visit schools to tell stories and demonstrate craft-making. We urge the public to support our activities,” Olopai said.
