Stories of taotaomona (also taotaomo’na), the people who came before, are often shared to warn, to counsel, and to teach key social mores in the island community of Guam. These lessons include showing respect for the traditions of the past and recognizing the dependence of people on each other and on the natural resources of the island. Individuals with a special knowledge of herbal medicine, called suruhana (female) and suruhanu (male and neutral), are still called upon to intercede and interpret the wishes of the taotaomona.
Scholars believe that prior to the arrival of foreign colonizers (Spanish, American, and Japanese), the indigenous Chamorro practiced a form of religion best classified as ancestor worship or ancestor veneration. Ancient Chamorros carefully preserved relics of dead family members and engaged in rituals of remembrance and supplication to keep in their ancestors’ good favor. These ancestor spirits, called ante, when cared for and appeased, were believed to contribute to the good health, prosperity, strength, and protection of their living kin. Individuals with a special gift to communicate with the ante on behalf of the living were called makahnas. With the arrival of colonizers, beginning with Jesuit Spanish Jesuit missionaries in 1668, these spiritual leaders, along with the rituals of ancestor veneration, were often violently persecuted. Echoes of these earlier beliefs, however, can still be found in today’s taotaomona stories and through the continuing practices of suruhanus.
Taotaomona are variously described in folklore. They are giant, magical beings. They are ugly, deformed, and foul smelling with long flowing hair or heads full of scabs. They are also beautiful lemon- or floral-scented women in white. They are helpful guardians and companions, revengeful ghosts of slain Chamorro warriors, and little elves who love a good prank. They live in the deep jungle, in caves, in banyan (nunu) trees, and near latte stones. They take twilight walks to bathe in the ocean, and they guard or haunt sacred sites. Some scholars identify three main categories of taotaomona within the oral and written stories: the ante or close family ancestors; the distant ancestors of ancient, great Chamorro chiefs; and the ghosts, apparitions, or malevolent spirits. Regardless of the kind of taotaomona, stories caution that the best way to interact with these beings is with respect.
To show respect upon encountering the taotaomona, one should request, “Guella yan guello na fapus yu” (Grandmother and grandfather, allow me to pass) (Cunningham 1992, 106). Failure to show proper respect to taotaomona can result in an illness that only a suruhana or suruhanu can cure. Unexplained marks, swellings, fevers, and other physical afflictions may be diagnosed by these indigenous medicine practitioners. When consulted, suruhanus often prescribe that the ill person retrace his or her path to the site where the taotaomona may have been offended and ask for forgiveness.
Some taotaomona are well known and associated with specific areas of Guam. These beings are the great chiefs of the past who still protect their territory and demand the respect of those who would journey through. Anufat is a hideous giant with long, jagged teeth and a bashed-in skull from which tufts of ferns or straw protrude. Stories warn that when walking through a cemetery one should always whistle to avoid attracting the attention of Anufat. Other legendary beings, identifed as taotaomona include Gamson known for his great and fearsome strength, and Gatos, who punishes those who urinate on his territory without asking permission. Penalties for this oversight can lead to painful genital sores or worse. Gatos is known for his large penis, used by his soldiers as a bridge over rivers.
The taotaomona called duhendes are playful and mischievous jungle elves that target children. Duhendes (also duendes) are sometimes associated with the spirits of unbaptized children. In the stories, these jungle spirits entice children away from their homes, shrink them so they cannot be seen by their family, transport them to the tops of tall trees, and steal their voices. Some duhende encounters are humorous, while others are scary enough to keep children from wandering unaccompanied into the trees.
Taotaomona are present in many well-established and beloved island stories. Guam’s famous trickster, Juan Malo, consults with his taotaomona. To make sure he isn’t an embarrassment by seeming weak to his ancestors, he speaks in a bold and aggressive manner: “Hey, Old Man! Old Coward! You, Old Taotaomona!” (Van Peenen 2008, 30). Juan Malo is one of the few examples of a person brave enough (or foolish enough) to address the ancestor spirits in this way. Written and oral traditions such as this one demonstrate another aspect of the taotaomona belief: they may serve as personal companions or guides. People lucky enough to have these taotaomona companions (ga’chong) may receive from them the gifts of strength, skill, and insight that others do not have. As once living beings, though, taotaomona are still only human. They are lustful, hungry, spiteful, and changeable just as much as they may be teachers, guides, and protectors. In one example, a bereaved husband cries out to his ante to help him restore his wife’s life. A taotaomona in the form of a white bird answers and uses a prick of his blood to resuscitate the wife. Upon seeing her, though, the taotaomona desires her for himself. When the husband is away gathering food, the taotaomona takes his chance. The husband returns, sees the infidelity, and kills his wife. According to this legend, the spilt blood of this woman gives birth to mosquitoes, explaining that when female mosquitoes suck blood they do so to become a human woman again.
Juan Malo
Juan Malo—aka Pedro Malas—is a trickster figure of the traditional folklore of Guam who undermines the authority of the Spanish colonizers of old. A story that illustrates Juan Malo’s folkloric function concerns the governor’s three pigs. Juan Malo appeared and acted like a simple Chamorro peasant boy—and a dim-witted one, at that—but he and his trusty carabao (water buffalo) sidekick were in fact more than clever enough to fool the governor into entrusting them with his favorite pet pigs, to feast upon their flesh, and to get clean away. Juan Malo thus subverts the authority of his powerful overlord, showing how the downtrodden, if clever and bold enough, can poke fun at and even profit from those who oppress them. In recent years, the tradition of Juan Malo sometimes has been evoked to focus criticism on U.S. policies toward Guam and its inhabitants.
C. Fee
Many of the recently recorded taotaomona narratives are first-person accounts, told as encounter testimonials. In these stories the witnesses have learned valuable, life-changing lessons or had experiences that affect them deeply enough to share with all who will listen.
Andrea Sant
See also Chamorro Sirena, a Guamanian American Tale
Further Reading
Cunningham, Lawrence. 1992. Ancient Chamorro Society. Honolulu: Bess Press.
Flood, Bo. 2001. Marianas Island Legends: Myth and Magic. Honolulu: Bess Press.
Hemplon Nåna Siha: A Collection of Chamorro Legends and Stories. 2001. Hagåtña: Department of Chamorro Affairs.
Rogers, Robert. 1995. Destiny’s Landfall: A History of Guam. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
Van Peenen, Mavis Warner. 2008. Chamorro Legends on the Island of Guam. Mangilao: Micronesian Area Research Center.