Honoring our forefathers’ wisdom

As I wrestle with my thoughts one evening at sunset, I took a glimpse at the heritage carved by our forefathers of life they had endured through the centuries. They forged and left behind the time-honored tradition of “Our Ways”. I am sure that they expect us to convey them to our children so that our cultural traditions are strengthened in perpetuity.

History is replete with oral or written explanations of how they had cultivated the soil on the hills of these islands to plant staple food, fruits and vegetables. Time to attend to the family garden is divided so that they can fish the lagoon and open waters to provide sustenance for indigenous families throughout the Northern Marianas Community.

Over the last four centuries, they have kept their humble ways as the arrogant and more equipped conquerors landed on our shores in search of exotic treasures. Some even had the audacity to inflict strange changes that run against the grain of our cultural traditions. But even with the imposition of master-slave insults right here at home, our forefathers have kept their humble demeanor if only to ensure that indigenous siblings live to see brighter tomorrows.

I am not suggesting that we return to antiquity. But I am saying that we preserve—through thoughtful dispositions—what our forefathers have left behind in both land and sea resources for the indigenous people of these islands. For some, land and sea resources are just another commodity for exploitation and subsequent depletion. For us, it’s our livelihood and we must protect them in the interest of posterity.

The sea beyond our lagoons is similar to a banking institution filled with undetermined wealth in the trillions of dollars. These too must be guarded on all corners so that what is harvested accrues to enhancing the livelihood of our children. It is only right that we do this in the future provision of a decent livelihood for our people.

What we have in both land and sea is our wealth. The muffled wisdom of our forefathers is around us in spirit everywhere! I could hear it in the howling of the trade winds at a distance, rain rushing down the mountain side into the lagoon or out in the open waters where white doves sing to the beautiful landscape along the shore. They have kept their humility intact to protect what is rightfully the property of posterity.

As they have done over centuries, we too must firmly and steadfastly join hands in traditional unity and harmony to protect what is ours in the interest of our children’s rightful enjoyment. We must instill in our children the proud sense of Belonging and Ownership. It is the right thing to do as they unravel their rich heritage in preparation to carry the torch of leadership to the next generation.

No matter what technology would have brought to communities the world over, planting staple food in our soil and protecting all that belong to us in the lagoon and open waters would ensure that even when famine hits, there’s sustenance we could dig out of the soil or pull out of the lagoon or open waters to feed our children. It may sound a bit too far fetched, but holding and preserving what’s ours and posterity is the timeless wisdom we’ve received from our forefathers since time begun.