Sirena is the tale of a girl who becomes transformed into a mermaid after swimming with the fish against the wishes or commands of her mother. In Guam, an island territory of the United States since 1898, mermaids are believed to come into being through conflicts between mothers and daughters and the intervention of a godmother. This seemingly simple mermaid origin story is richly textured with the tensions of Guam’s Spanish colonial history and the ancient and changing values of the indigenous people, the Chamorro.
Young Sirena is asked by her mother to complete her chores. She begins her tasks diligently but is soon distracted by the pleasure of taking a quick dip in the cool water. The day passes before she realizes that her chores are unfinished. In anger and frustration, Sirena’s mother declares that if Sirena loves the water so much, she might as well become a fish. Sirena’s godmother overhears and softens the curse so that only the lower half of the girl is transformed. The new mermaid swims out into the ocean, never to return to Guam.
Generations of Guam children have heard this tale at home and through Chamorro language and culture programs at school. To many islanders, it serves as a powerful parable, warning young people against disobedience. Other scholars argue that within the three female characters the text reflects key historic forces that have shaped Chamorro cultural identity.
The character of Sirena is at the crossroads between childhood and adult responsibilities. Some scholars argue that she is symbolically placed between a precolonial past and a future under new Spanish-Catholic rule. The earliest versions of the Sirena story are set during Spanish occupation, which began with the arrival of missionaries in 1668. Sirena’s last swim as a human girl is in the Minondo River in Agana city, the first Spanish colonial settlement on Guam. One scholar even suggests that Sirena’s story may have been created to warn Chamorro children against using the city’s freshwater source (Ramirez 1978). Young Sirena’s fateful swim may represent more than a daughter’s disobedience: it is in fact representative of an entire people’s resistance to colonial occupation.
Sirena’s mother represents an explicit authority figure in the narrative. Ancient Chamorro culture was matrilineal; women controlled the property, held significant leadership roles in and out of the home, and held the critical role of passing on cultural values. In some versions of the tale, additional scenes describe the mother trying to teach her daughter the important Chamorro concept of inafa’maolek, “making good for one another.” She counsels, “You must obey the ways of our island. Finish your work and then play. It is the law of our clan, the way we survive” (Cunningham 1997, 86; Flood 1996, 13).
The godmother is also a figure of rich cultural importance in the narrative. The godmother revises the curse to “keep the half that belongs to me.” This quickly uttered statement prevents Sirena’s full transformation into a fish. It also reflects the continuing importance of godparents in Chamorro-Catholic practices. While the mother is responsible for the physical birth and well-being of the child, the godmother has the responsibility for the child’s soul (Jorgensen 1988).
Contemporary versions of the story have emphasized new themes, including a resistance to gender socialization, a critique of the angry mother, and a symbolic effort to bring Sirena home. Many versions include scenes where Sirena is being taught girl-jobs by her mother, skills for future motherhood and housekeeping responsibilities. In one version Sirena speaks out and questions why she must stay indoors while her brothers’ jobs include fishing (Flood 1996, 15). In still other versions, the mother character is shown tearfully regretting her transformative curse. Before she swims away, Sirena offers a farewell speech to chastise her mother. Some scholars suggest this addition changes the moral force of the story, shifting away from the disobedience of children to a warning against poor parenting.
In 1986 a statue of Sirena was unveiled next to the bridge where the old Minondo River once flowed. At the commemoration event, the project historian noted that the statue was an effort “to bring Sirena back to Guam” (Monumentun Sirena). The statue and the continual retelling of the Sirena story may be a way to make peace with the colonial violence of the past and hold onto an innocence represented by the child who loved the water above all else. Sirena is a beloved and important icon in Guam as she embodies the mixed heritage and history of the island.
Andrea Sant
See also Taotaomona and Suruhanu; Water Buffalo, a Guamanian American Legend
Further Reading
Cunningham, Lawrence J. 1997. Ancient Chamorro Society. Honolulu: Bess Press.
Department of Chamorro Affairs. 2001. Hemplon Nåna Siha: A Collection of Chamorro Legends and Stories. Hagåtña: Department of Chamorro Affairs.
Flood, Bo. 1996. From the Mouth of the Monster Eel: Stories from Micronesia. Golden, CO: Fulcum.
Grey, Eve. 1951. Legends of Micronesia. Book 1. Honolulu: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands Department of Education.
Jorgensen, Marilyn. 1988. “The Legends of Sirena and Santa Marian Camalin: Guamanian Cultural Oppositions.” In Monsters with Iron Teeth: Perspectives on Contemporary Legend, edited by Gillian Bennett and Paul Smith. Vol. 3. Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Academic Press.
Monumentun Sirena: Unveiling Ceremony. December 11, 1983, 3:00 p.m., San Antonio Bridge Park, Agana, Guam [Program Booklet, University of Guam].
Nieves M. Flores Memorial Library Staff. 1971. Legends of Guam. Agana, GU: Guam Museum.
Ramirez, Anthony J. 1978. “I Tetehnan.” Unpublished manuscript. http://www.guampedia.com/sirena/.
Rogers, Robert. 1995. Destiny’s Landfall: A History of Guam. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.