Chief Aghurubw Day celebrated again on Managaha

MANAGAHA ISLAND—The 46th Annual Chief Aghurubw Day was again held in Managaha last Saturday, which is also one of the highlights of the Cultural Heritage Month hosted by the Carolinian Affairs Office.

Last year, the celebration marking the first Carolinian settlement on Saipan was cancelled because of Typhoon Soudelor.

Member of the Refaluwasch advisory council for the Carolinian Affairs Office and Cultural Heritage Month committee chair Gus Kaipat shared that the celebration of Chief Aghurubw Day is essential to the Carolinian culture and tradition.

“Today is Aghurubw Day, in which every year we come out to Managaha and celebrate our chief, Chief Aghurubw who was buried here and to try and continue getting our culture and tradition going,” he said. “It’s important because it is one of the ways to preserve our identity. One of the reasons why we are able to continue practicing navigation by looking at the stars and studying the waves is because of us getting together as one children of the seafaring society, the children of the last navigators to continue the tradition.”

Kaipat said that cultural identity is one of the main driving factors for celebrating Chief Aghurubw Day annually. “It’s hard to tell people who you are and where you come from. This is the best way to do this, to highlight and to be a part of celebration and invite everyone in the world to take part in the celebrations.”

Chief Aghurubw Foundation chair Pete de Leon Guerrero said that the nonprofit corporation is now open to Carolinians who are not of the Ghatoliyool Clan (Chief Aghurubw’s clan) and also to Chamorros who are willing to join. “Recently they started to open up the nonprofit corporation to all the Carolinians and amongst our Chamorro friends and families that want to join. The mission is not only to enhance the culture of the Chamorro and the Carolinian people, but in some ways to help promote the culture and language of the local indigenous people, Carolinian and Chamorro as well.”

The foundation’s mission is mainly to preserve culture and tradition of the Carolinians and Chamorros, while promoting the usefulness of certain skills. “In recognizing the importance of preserving our culture and tradition, the mission is to further the education of our young people, not only academically, but also in trades so that they can best prepare themselves for the challenges that they could face in the future,” said Guerrero.

Guerrero shared that the foundation would be cooperating with other nonprofit organizations with the same goals.

“The Chief Aghurubw Foundation would be working closely with other nonprofit organizations that is established amongst the Carolinian community and other nonprofit organizations with the same purpose and intent.”

Guerrero also talked about the importance of cultural identity and how it can be taken advantage of, specifically in what is considered an island paradise to others. “It is very important to know about yourself, who you are, and your principles. This event symbolizes that and it is something that will be continued on unto the next generation. In addition to that as you know, the culture and tradition of the island is also something that our visitors would like to see. There are a lot of visitors that are from Japan, Korea, and China. Our culture and tradition is one of the unique things that promotes business to enhance and improve our economy.”

Chief Aghurubw Day is an annual celebration on Managaha, which is significant because it is the burial site of the late chief. A mass is conducted on the island followed by a feast and traditional Carolinian performances.