We give a lot of attention to spirits on Guam, especially those that live in the jungle. The Nunu tree(or banyan tree) is the established home of spirits in the minds of many Chamorros. Whether due to fear or fascination, few islanders will disrespect the area of a nunu. The elders in particular will ask permission to pass whenever they come near to this tree.
As our attention turns to spirits around the Halloween season, here is a passage from Estorian Inalahan that describes the Chamorros respect for our ancestors.
Fray Juan[a missionary of the early 1600's] makes a remark about[Chamorros] not worshipping idols but rather “ancestral locations,” but does not elaborate further. Such a practice would conform to the surviving belief that the ancestral spirits reside in the jungle, in specific places most often associated with the banyan[or nunu] tree. Land was passed down through generations of clan members, and was therefore ancestral land. Like the surviving belief of asking permission to pass near the ancestors who reside in the banyan tree, ancient Chamorros probably asked permission to enter the ancestral lands of another clan (Cunningham, 1992: 100)
This is from page 42, Estorian Inalahan
Look for Judy’s next post on the Micronesian Island Fair this weekend of October 14-16th.
Si Sandy
