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Sakman navigators to join Flame Tree Arts Festival
Master traditional navigators Tony Piailug and Sesario Sewralur and six other crewmembers are scheduled to arrive today to join the 2017 Flame Tree Arts Festival. Their expected time of arrival is at 5pm where a traditional Chamorro ceremony will take place at the Garapan Fishing Base.
Indigenous Affairs Office resident executive Roman M. Tudela Jr. and program manager Cris Ogo said the group is on board the Sakman Chamorro, which is organized by Guam-based non-profit group Traditions Affirming our Seafaring Ancestry.
The group left Guam at 8am on Sunday and they are hoping they would arrive at the expected time to begin the ceremony before the formal opening of the four-day Flame Tree Arts Festival.
Tudela said the event is part of their efforts to educate the youth of today about the traditional way of navigating the seas, the same way their Chamorro ancestors did in the past.
“This is a historical event. It is a rare time for our people to see a Sakman and get on board. There would be a time to explore the canoe after the Flame Tree Festival, but there’s no exact date yet,” said Tudela.
Ogo added the Sakman is one of six traditional canoes used by the Chamorro people. “It is the biggest. It is 33 feet with the sail as high as 50 feet. They used the trunk of nine bread fruit trees in making the exact replica of the Sakman.”
Ogo said the project of building the canoe started two years ago led by TASA with the help of Rota native Fermina Atalig Sablan. “This project would help us look back at our history. The history of the Chamorro culture and the traditional way of navigating the seas.”
Tudela said traditions like this must be kept alive. “We have three Chamorros who are part of the group. They wanted to learn traditional navigation. This tradition must be passed on and kept alive. We need to keep in touch with our roots.”
They added that Gov. Ralph DLG Torres and Department of Culture and Community Affairs Secretary Robert Hunter are supporting a project that would teach and revive the traditional Chamorro way of navigating the seas.
