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IAO wants to open learning Chamorro to everyone
The Indigenous Office Affairs wants to preserve the Chamorro language by offering more upcoming programs this year to help the youth understand the Chamorro language, in hopes of reviving the almost extinct language.
“A lot of modern things that are starting to take over, versus when we were young, you know, we didn’t have iPhones, laptops, and stuff like that. We were so focused, traditional lifestyle,” said IAO director Roman Tudela.
He said you don’t have to be Chamorro to learn the language and his office will open the program to everyone willing to learn the language.
According to Tudela, there are many cases in which younger parents don’t speak to their children in Chamorro which leads to the Chamorro language to potentially be extinct. Tudela wants to reverse that by offering programs such as having elders who are fluent in the language teach younger children who want to and are interested in learning and understanding the Chamorro language.
Tudela hopes to have lessons at different youth centers in each village.
“I really want to thank the community for being very supportive of what we do, and participating in our events and supporting our journey,” said Tudela “As we go forward, I strongly suggest everyone who has been supporting us to reach out to their peers, other families on the other side to be a part of this journey that we’re going through. This is going to benefit everybody this is this is not just for me.”
Tudela also co-sponsors an online page called Ketungu Chamorro on www.mycnmi.com, where they teach basic Chamorro greetings, words, and phrases.
