Ancient Chamorros on the Island of Guam Term Paper

Ancient Chamorros on the Island of Guam - Term Paper Example Accordingly, the Chamorro resistance became increasingly strong with relation to the Spanish colonizers. Many Chamorro leaders, most notably Agualin, was able to effectively organize resistance due in no small part to his ability to orate and present rousing speeches to his supporters (Cunningham 12). The following is an interpretation for a similar such speech to rally Chamorro resistance to the Spanish colonizers on the island. â€Å"For too long we have sat idly by as our way of life, our religion, our women, our territory, and our culture have been under constant assault from this foreign occupier. As was the custom of our people, we originally welcomed this occupier with the open arms of friendship (Flood 8). As was the custom of our people, we were not quick to anger when the occupier insulted our women, insulted, our culture, took our lands, and worked to subvert our culture. However, in this, we have been wrong. I will be the first among you to tell you that I believe our cu lture is superior to that of the occupier; however, these overly friendly and welcoming aspects of our culture have only worked to subvert us. Rather than using our own best judgment as to where we should draw the line of humility and friendship, we have allowed ourselves to be overwhelmed by the occupier and his repression that is forced upon us at seemingly every turn. There are not enough words my people to tell you of all the harmful things that the occupier has done to our way of life. However, I want to draw your attention to some of the most important. The first of these harmful things is the way in which the occupier has pushed his religion upon us. For generations we have respected the teachings of our elders and sought to live by the rules that our religion has laid out for us. However, rather than choosing to leave us alone or even to proselytize to us regarding their beliefs, the occupier has forced many of us to convert to their own gods. Worse still, our children are b eing taken from the arms of their own parents and placed into schools that force them to adopt the beliefs of the occupier – all the while forgetting the beliefs that their ancestors have held for so many years. Of all of the things that the occupier has done to us, of all the ways they have wronged us, the ideological theft of our own flesh and blood is the worst (DeFronzo 17). These young children are our only hope for continued survival into the future. The occupier knows this that is why they are actively working to convert them to their own twisted and warped way of thinking. Their goal is to drive us into extinction. By taking our children, they are taking our culture; by taking our culture, they are ensuring that we will never pose a threat to their conquest ever again. In keeping with the willful disregard that the conqueror has placed on our culture, he is actively disrespecting the sanctify of family and the decision of elder tribe members as he randomly selects fro m our own women those which he will make his wife and/or concubine. What has become of us! What will become of us? Will we stand for this? Will we let the occupier continue to defile our very own women? My people, this must end – we must make it end or we must die in the process. If the theft of our children and our women mean nothing to you, then consider our culture. If the theft of our culture means nothing to you – then consider the theft of our land. Every day the occupier