Update as of June 29, 2015

Minagof para todu:

It's been awhile since I last posted and I hope that this update will apprise everyone of what's happened in my life in the past year.

Through FACEBOOK, I've posted that I've just completed one year of my living here in San Diego, California.  June 23, 2015 makes it exactly one year since I landed at the San Diego airport from Guam to Tokyo to San Francisco and then the final leg which was San Diego.

I'm living with my youngest daughter AngelineThaddea with her significant other, Maurice, who is the father of her baby boy, Uchan Sherrod who is now seventeen months old.  Both Angeline and Maurice are in the U.S. Navy, stationed at, you guessed it, San Diego.  Don't ask me what they do for I haven't even ventured to go far into inquiring about their means of livelihood and their chosen professions.  All I'm concentrating on at the moment is loving and babysitting the fourth of my grandsons, Uchan Sherrod, who is very active, very much an inquisitive little boy and he tires me out every day but that's to be expected.

I have four other grandsons:  MatuaÅnghet, age 10, or is it eleven, son of my eldest SelinaMaria married to Vincent John Leon Guerrero Salas.  Her other son, Maga'låhi Christopher, is five and he comes in at number three in the line-up of offsprings on the grand scheme of things.  The second, Magåhet Judaiah, is also ten and is the son of my second daughter, Helen Dolores who is not married but her partner is Manuel "Nolie" De Guzman who just recently gave her her second son, Mamau Yo'ase' who comes in at number five.  Yep, five grandsons and I've yet to have a granddaughter but, who knows, the only son and heir to the family fortune is Charles Patrick who is yet still single, unattached and goodness knows what he's doing with his life right now.  He has become the heir apparent to my only known wealth which are house, property, and a Tacoma truck which, last I heard, he has sold and is now an owner of a compact car.  And this rounds up my progenitors and what they've given me.

I'm not going to make this a long update so I'll save space for the next posting.  Till then, you'll be hearing from me.

si peter r. onedera

THEATRICAL WORKS OF PETER R. ONEDERA

1.      I Lihenden I Matan Hånom (full-length drama) The Legend of the Springs produced by Saint Anthony School on Feb. 22-25, 1996 and performed at the Saint Anthony School Gymnasium.  A legendary story of twin brothers, one taken by the duhendes and the other who died of grief and his tears created the springs.

2.      Tetehnan (one-act comedy-drama) What’s Left  produced by the Guam Humanities Council on Aug. 1996 at the University of Guam Field House as part of the Stories of the Pacific Festival.  A story of two elderly women who contemplate life’s challenges as matriarchs and leaders within their own community.  The play was performed again in 2012 at the 11^th Festival of the Pacific Arts held in Honiara, Solomon Islands as Guam’s theatrical entry by the Literary Arts Delegation.  The play was performed at the University of Guam Field House as a send-off of Guam’s entire FESTPAC delegation.

3.      I Taotao Latte (full-length narration, music, songs and chants) The People of the Latte  produced by the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency as Guam’s performing arts genre of its delegation to the 7^th Festival of the Pacific Arts in Apia, Western Samoa in November 1996.  The play was presented at the Tiyan Theater as a send-off of Guam’s entire FESTPAC delegation.  The script details the story of the creation, life of the pre-latte Chamoru, the latte period and the early influence of the Spaniards.

4.      Magofatan (full-length musical) The Beloved produced by Chief Gådao Academy on Dec. 17-19, 1996 at the Asan Community Center as a Christmas production.  The story is an adaptation of the ancient Chamorus early depiction and portrayal of the birth of the Christ Child and its impact upon the clans of the northern, southern, eastern and western regions of Guam.

5.      Ai Hagå-hu (full-length drama-tragedy) Oh, My Daughter produced by the University Theater on March 6-8 and 12-15, 1997 at the University of Guam’s Fine Arts Theater.  The play is based on the true accounts of an elderly CHamoru woman that the playwright met at one of the Servicio Para I Manåmko’ Centers (SPIMA) while conducting a village place name project in 1995.  The play evolved into an emotional and thought provoking saga that theater goers consider to be an exposé about a subject that many refuse to talk about – the issue of comfort women during one of Guam’s darkest periods in history.  To this day, many elderly CHamorus refuse to talk about their World War II experiences.

6.      Saina Destilådu (full-length drama) Elderly in Exile produced by the Guam Humanities Council as a dinner theater that was performed at the Hyatt Regency Guam for only one night on July 11, 1997.  The play tells the story of an elderly couple who struggle to cope with the erosion of CHamoru traditional family values and abandonment from their loved ones.  The play was again resurrected and produced by Ginen I Hila’ I Maga’taotao Siha Association on April 19-21, 2013 and again as an encore performance on Friday, April 26, 2013 at the JRP Theater in Maite.

7.      I Lihenden I Ke’ko’ yan I Hilitai (full-length musical) The Legend of the Rail and the Monitor Lizard produced by Mames Kurason on March 19-22, 1998 at the Tamuning Elementary School.  The play is about the legendary relationship of Guam’s national bird, the ko’ko’ and the monitor lizard, hilitai, and it explains how the bird got its spots and how the monitor lizard’s tongue was split in two.

8.      Aplacha’ (one-act drama) Garbage produced by the CHamoru Language Classes of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Guam’s Humanistic Studies Division on May 1998.  The play was performed at the college’s Lecture Hall as part of five one-act plays entitled Lima’ Håcha-åkto na Egge’ siha and it tells of the musings of the duhendes or the legendary little people and the appearance of a human child as they speak forlornly of the destruction of the island’s pristine surroundings and the slow destruction of the island’s natural environment.

9.      Chalappon (one-act drama) Scattered produced by the CHamoru Language Classes of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Guam’s Humanistic Studies Division on May 1998.  The play was performed at the college’s Lecture Hall as one of five one-act plays entitled Lima Håcha-åkto na Egge’ siha.  Three young men at a backyard barbecue discuss their 25^th class reunion at George Washington High School and the whereabouts of former classmates as well as their lot in life.

10.  Na’mamahlao (one-act drama) Shameful produced by the CHamoru Language Classes of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Guam’s Humanistic Studies Division on May 1998.  The play was performed at the college’s Lecture Hall as one of five one-act plays entitled Lima Håcha-åkto na Egge’ siha.   A mentally retarded youngster shows his disability on the steps of his house as neighborhood bullies degrade him and his sister and brother defend him.  They soon discuss their single mother’s challenge of raising the three with an absent father from their lives whom they think is ashamed of their brother.

11.  Nånalao (one-act drama) Really produced by the CHamoru Language Classes of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Guam’s Humanistic Studies Division on May 1998.  The play was performed at the college’s Lecture Hall as one of five one-act plays entitled Lima Håcha-åkto na Egge’ siha.   Teenage smoking at a village school bus stop and their casual social bantering is the focus of this play.

12.  Pikaru (one-act comedy-drama) Sly produced by the CHamoru Language Classes of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Guam’s Humanistic Studies Division on May 1998.  The play was performed at the college’s Lecture Hall as one of five one-act plays entitled Lima Håcha-åkto na Egge’ siha.  This satire depicts a talk show setting with a man who becomes a subject of scrutiny by a female host who brings on to the scene, two women one of whom is his wife with a small child and the other, his mistress who has become pregnant because of his infidelity.

13.  I CHichirika yan I Sali (one-act light hearted children’s production) The Rufous-fronted  Fantail and the Micronesian Starling produced by B. P. Carbullido Elementary School Deed Program on May 18, 1999.  The play was presented on the school’s cafeteria in an evening PTA program that featured the acting skills of school children from the after-school program.  It is based on a popular children’s legend of two birds.

14.  Guinaha (one-act play) Material Possession printed by the University of Guam Press in 1999 in Storyboard 6:  A Journal of Pacific Imagery.  The play was submitted and printed in bilingual form of CHamoru and English.  The play became a read aloud by a group of university students at a presentation given by the playwright as part of the annual College of Arts and Sciences Research Conference during the University of Guam’s annual Charter Day held in March 1999.  It tells the story of teenagers and their status as coming from affluent families who are into designer fads and fashions and how they try to intimidate a brother and sister and their friends at a popular shopping mall.  The play was later featured in a performance of five one-act plays entitled Lina’la’-måmi (Our Lives) produced by the Youth for Youth Organization on June 21-22, 2000 at the Hyatt Regency Ballroom in Tumon Bay, Guam.

15.  SPICE Kids Shine in ’99 (one-act play) produced by the Agana Heights Elementary School Summer Program that featured drama, island arts, cooking, island songs, CHamoru language, publishing skills and cultural dance on July 7, 1999.  School children performed a variety of talent showcasing all of the programs learned into one huge dramatic presentation that the playwright initiated, wrote, introduced and presented to the community-at-large.

16.  Nasarinu (full-length drama) Leprosy produced by the CHamoru Language Classes at the University of Guam’s College of Arts and Sciences Humanistic Studies Division at the college Lecture Hall on Nov. 19-21, 1999.  It is not widely known that leprosy did exist on Guam and these patients afflicted by this disease were taken against their will to Culion Island in the Philippines.  It is in their memory that the play came about which was initially just a story until the playwright met up with Hawaiian storyteller Makia Malo, who, himself, during childhood, was afflicted with Hansen’s disease and was exiled to Kalaupapa, the leper colony in the Hawaiian Island of Molokai.  Kalaupapa was made famous in the movie that featured the life of Father Damien now a saint in the Catholic Church.

17.  Tinailayi (full-length drama) Cause for Harm produced by Sanctuary, Inc. at the Tiyan Theater on January 28 & 29, 2000.  The drug use of ICE is an epidemic and a menace on the island and it has been on the forefront of destroying families most especially with a tremendous impact on children.  The play featured a man who once was a responsible family man who worked hard at his job, came home and was a good husband to his wife and a good father to his children.  Through some involvement with people who use and sell the drug ICE, the man soon becomes an addict who resorts to stealing from his family, co-workers and others.  He soon loses his job and finally becomes a sought after criminal with the police and other law enforcement officers.  He soon meets a violent end in a car chase that ends in an accident.  The play was again resurrected by Sanctuary, Inc. on July 2005 at the Guam Reef Hotel’s Pandanus Pavilion.  The drug ICE is still very much a problem, today, in 2013.

18.  CHinahlao Dinimålas (full-length drama-tragedy) Receiving Tragedy produced by the CHamoru Language Classes at the University of Guam’s College of Arts and Sciences, Humanistic Studies Division at the Tiyan Theater on May 22-24, 2000.  The play is a CHamoru version of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet where local custom of infidelity is widely accepted and this story wreaks havoc on the Te’ok and CHeggai families, a form of also-known-as-names that identify family lineages.

19.  Mañotteru (one-act play) Teenage Boys produced by the Youth for Youth Organization is one of five one-act plays performed under the title Lina’la’-måmi (Our Lives) at the Hyatt Regency Ballroom in Tumon on June 21-22, 2000.  The play takes place on the front yard of a teenage boy’s house along with three of his friends who spend time discussing sex, drinking beer, and smoking cigarettes while making fun of a fifth friend who chooses not to drink, smoke, or have sex.  Alcohol and tobacco are legal drugs but individuals must now be over age 21 in order to purchase and consume them.

20.  Iridao (one-act play) Pregnancy Before Marriage produced by the Youth for Youth Organization is one of five one-act plays performed under the title Lina’la’-måmi (Our Lives) at the Hyatt Regency Ballroom in Tumon on June 21-22, 2000.  Teenagers who engage in sexual activity without the knowledge or commitment to respect and protect one another are at great risk of becoming teen parents, before they become adults.  This exposé examines this common occurrence among Guam’s teenage population.

21.  Binenuyi (one-act play) Poisoned produced by the Youth for Youth Organization is one of five one-act plays performed under the title Lina’la’-måmi (Our Lives) at the Hyatt Regency Ballroom in Tumon on June 21-22, 2000.  Anguish tears at the soul of a mother who watches her son lying in a coma on a hospital bed.  Her son was at a party where he inhaled a substance that is dangerous and led to a head rush, a feeling of euphoria and eventually a coma.  His friends who were with him at the party and were involved, too, soon join him at his bedside and they confessed that inhalants is a normal, everyday social high among their peer.

22.  Triniste (one-act play) Sadness produced by the Youth for Youth Organization is one of five one-act plays performed under the title Lina’la’-måmi (Our Lives) at the Hyatt Regency Ballroom in Tumon on June 21-22, 2000.  Teenage suicide is at the core of this play as depression plays a role in and among teenage girls faced with many difficult challenges.  Discussions center around such topics as mental illness, alcohol, drugs, problems within the family, divorce, recent loss of a loved one, divorce, difficulty in eating and sleeping, and depression.

23.  Asasata (full-length musical) Bee produced by Project Hagåtña on September 8-10, 2000 at the Southern High School Fine Arts Theater.  The play was also brought to Saipan and performed there under the sponsorship of the Commonwealth Council for Arts and Culture at the Diamond Hotel on November 10-11, 2000.  The play is a light hearted stab at satire of local politics that is centered upon the role of the queen bee in her colony of other bees that she rules with an iron hand much like that of a ruling monarch, head of state, a president or governor and her subjects within the bee hive are either Republicans or Democrats.  Local personalities in government, civic, commerce and industry are playfully stung by her comments and directives that encourage laughter and camaraderie.  Humor on both islands ran rampant by this fun-loving theatrical comic relief.

24.  I Lihenden Duhendes (full-length musical) The Legend of the Little People produced by the University of Guam Endowment Foundation on April 5-8, 2001 at the University of Guam Field House.  This musical was a feature of Guam’s legendary little people that are often mentioned in folklore, storytelling, and mythical renditions of Guam’s taotaomo’na.  Told through narration but with dialogue, musical scores, choreography and magic, the audience is taken on a duhendes joyful ride under the sea, into the jungle, up in the mountains, on inland rivers,  and in hidden nooks and crannies throughout Guam’s physical terrain.

25.  Geri Girl (one-act comedy play) The Teenage Life of Geraldine Chance Gutierrez produced by the Campaign to Elect Geraldine Chance Gutierrez as the Governor of Guam at her birthday celebration held at the Sheraton Hotel in Tamuning in September 2002. 

26.  Manmå’pos (one-act play) They are Gone presented as a Thanksgiving production of the Stories and Songs Festival sponsored by the CHamoru Language Classes at the University of Guam on November 2002.  The play depicts two male fruitbats hanging upside down on their roost high up in a tree.  They lament their loss of habitat and their dwindling numbers brought on by the devastation created by the brown tree snake and how they’ve now become endangered species.  This play became the impetus of a puppet act presented by the playwright in the storytelling portion of the 11^th Festival of the Arts held in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

27.  I Mangga’chong (one act radio play) The Friends produced by Public Radio for Guam KPRG 89.3 FM as part of the Prugråman I Halaihai (Through the Grapevine Program) aired during a show in 2003 and continuing for a month long period.  The radio script written and presented in CHamoru featured a man who was stricken with cancer and the effects it had on his immediate family of caregivers but, most especially, among friends.

28.  Sala’ (one act play) Too Far Gone presented as a workshop feature on the use of CHamoru language in a theatrical genre at the 2003 Research Conference of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Guam, Humanities and Social Sciences Building.  The play is entirely in the CHamoru language and is about two geckos clinging on the wall of a living room.  Both reflect upon the different types of homes where geckos were once in abundance especially in tin roofed, tin-sided homes, with wooden walls and ceilings as compared to the modern concrete homes of today.

29.  Manmayute’ (full-length drama) Abandoned produced by the Pacific Islands Bilingual Bicultural Association, Guam Chapter on April 21-23, 2004 at the Guam Reef Hotel’s Pandanus Pavilion.  Based on a true story told to the playwright in a storytelling assignment at his CHamoru Language classes at the University of Guam, five siblings ranging in age 2 to 15 were brought to the mainland by their mother, who without explanation, led them on an unplanned, unexplained trip, their first ever in their young lives, that began with wonderful times at amusement parks from California to Texas and eventually ended in an unknown place called Massachusetts.   One morning the children woke up to find that their mother had abandoned them during the night and for one nightmarish year, the children had to fend for themselves through the care of their only sister who was fourteen year old.   From filth, lack of electricity and gas, intense hunger and illness, the children learned how to survive by stealing food from apartments below and above their quarters and remaining quiet from the near daily knocks of a landlord who came just to see about rental payments, and a brother who resorted to hanging out with the city’s homeless just to grab a share of food left in garbage cans and bringing it home to feed his siblings.

30.  Oran Minagof (one-act comedy play) Happy Hour is a soliloquy depicting Tan Maria Aquiningoc, a fictional character of an older woman who happens to drop by a downtown bar while waiting for the mass transit bus to pick her up.  She had come from a supermarket where she bought provisions for a dinner that she will cook in order to celebrate that evening with her husband as it is their 40^th Wedding Anniversary.  Acted upon by the playwright in a voluptuous dress, a purse, two brown paper bags of groceries and armed with her wit, this play is the most requested performance that was first introduced by the Guam Humanities Council on August 2004 at the Guam Hilton Hotel and then followed by the Guam Women’s Club, Inalåhan’s Gef Pa’go during their annual storytelling festival, a University of Guam class taught by Dr. Anne P. Hattori, the SPIMA centers, the Pacific Islands Bilingual Bicultural Association, Ginen I Hila’ I Maga’taotao Siha Association, the Rotary Club and other civic organizations.

31.  I Liyang Fenna na Sinisedi (full-length drama) The Fenna Cave Massacre produced by the George Washington Senior High School Class of 1971 on November 3-6, 2004 at the Guam Reef Hotel’s Pandanus Pavilion.  Based on interviews with survivors of Fenna Cave, the play shares accounts of forced labor, atrocities, beatings, rapes, starvation, and the grenade massacres of victims in small caves scattered throughout Fenna, now a naval ammunitions storage area located near the village of Santa Rita.

32.  Hefen Kepuha (one man soliloquy) Chief Kepuha presented at the 2005 College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Research Conference at the University of Guam, Humanities and Social Sciences Building.  The soliloquy is one of four presented entirely in CHamoru by a student from the CM102 Elementary CHamoru II Class of the playwright.  Kepuha is one of four individuals in CHamoru history who experienced tremendous adversities as a stalwart leader in the CHamoru community.  Because of the adversity connected to this chief who has been said to have sold out the CHamorus for the granting of land to the Spaniard religious leaders that eventually built the Catholic Church on Guam, the playwright presents what was possibly going through his thoughts on the day that he rendered this decision.

33.  Påle’ Jesus Baza Duenas (one man soliloquy) Father Jesus Baza Duenas presented at the 2005 College of Arts and Social Sciences Research Conference at the University of Guam, Humanities and Social Sciences Building.  The soliloquy is one of four presented entirely in CHamoru by a student from the CM102 Elementary CHamoru II Class of the playwright.  Duenas is one of four individuals in CHamoru history who experienced tremendous adversities as a stalwart leader in the CHamoru community.  Because of the adversity connected to this Catholic Chamoru priest, George Tweed, the lone naval officer stranded on Guam made derogatory comments about his ministry when the book Robinson Crusoe U.S. Navy was released.  The playwright presents what was possibly going through his thoughts on the day that he was tortured and beaten by the Japanese soldiers before he was martyred at their hands in Tå’i, Mangilao, on the site where an all boys school that bears his name, now stands.

34.  Ricardo Jerome Bordallo (one man soliloquy) Ricardo Jerome Bordallo presented at the 2005 College of Arts and Social Sciences Research Conference at the University of Guam, Humanities and Social Sciences Building.  The soliloquy is one of four presented entirely in CHamoru by a student from the CM102 Elementary Chamoru II Class of the playwright.  Bordallo is one of four individuals in CHamoru history who experienced tremendous adversities as governor of the island of Guam and a stalwart leader in the CHamoru community.  Because of the adversity connected to his belief in the “chenchule’” tradition of the CHamoru, he was indicted and eventually found guilty of charges by the federal government.  Destined to leave the island to spend incarceration at a federal prison, Bordallo commits suicide by tying himself to the foot of the statue of Chief Kepuha at the traffic circle in the capital of Hagåtña.  The playwright presents what was possibly his thoughts as he contemplated the decision to end his life.

35.  Angel Leon Guerrero Santos (one man soliloquy) Ånghet Leon Guerrero Santos presented at the 2005 College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Research Conference, at the University of Guam, Humanities and Social Sciences Building.  The soliloquy is one of four presented entirely in CHamoru by a student from the CM102 Elementary Chamoru II Class of the playwright.  Santos is one of four individuals in CHamoru history who was controversial as he has been designated the leader that helped push the enactment of the long dormant CHamoru Land Trust Act and helped usher in the modern day consciousness of CHamoru pride and identity.   Because of the adversities connected to this man, the playwright presents what was possibly his thoughts as he sat in a jail cell that many people believe was politically motivated as his crime was deemed a misdemeanor but he was sentenced to spend six months in a federal prison for dangerous criminals.

36.  I Amko’ Ni’ Ma Abusu (full length soap opera) The Abused Elderly produced by educational television KGTF-TV later known as PBS Guam as a soap opera that was presented entirely in the CHamoru language by all the cast members comprised of students from the University of Guam’s CHamoru Language Class.  This 2006 production is about an elderly man who is emotionally, mentally and physically abused by his family,  another social problem facing the island today.  The half-hour production has run continuously on PBS Guam since its inception.

37.  I Kaosa Put Tåno’ (full length soap opera) The Lawsuit About Land produced by educational television KGTF-TV later known as PBS Guam as a soap opera that was presented entirely in the CHamoru language in 2006 by an-all-female cast comprised of students from the University of Guam’s CHamoru Language Class.  Based on a true story brought to the attention of the playwright by an attorney, an elderly CHamoru woman is sued by one of her daughters for an inheritance of land that was yet to be given by her mother.  Shot entirely in the chambers of Judge Anita Sukola at the Superior Court of Guam, court proceedings were enacted with professional demeanor and decorum.  The court case was an emotional one that also shows the sign of times when disrespect and dishonor run rampant among many of today’s CHamoru generation.  The half-hour production ran a few times since its inception but was pulled from the air waves due to technical audio problems.  

38.  Karåhu (one-act play) Baloney presented as a dramatic enactment panel on socio-economic situations presented at the annual Social Workers Conference in January 2007.  The enactment is a depiction of a group of people lining up to receive their food stamps at the Department of Public Health and Social Services in Mangilao.  This was before the newly developed and in-place Quest Card where food stamp booklets determined the household allotments and the amount of benefit.  Innuendos, shame, garish attires and apparels, social misfits and housewives make up the gamut of a motley cast of characters.

39.  Inengngilo’ I Lina’la’ (situational scenarios) A Slice of Life produced by Ginen I Hila’ I Maga’taotao Siha Association on May 9-11, 2008 at the University of Guam Fine Arts Theater.  Eighteen vignettes comprise this production that depict many types of situations that occur on a day-to-day basis.  Once two or more people meet in any given social encounters, conversations center around immediate happenings that often elicit humor and laughter be they at any given time of day and no matter the venue.  Doctor’s offices, government agencies, long lines at banks, at the Laundromat, at a party, in the work place, at church, at the park, on the side of the road and even on one’s neighbor’s porch do situational scenarios take place.

40.  I Kembetsasion gi i Selfon (one-act play) A Cellphone Conversation produced by Guam’s Storytelling Delegation to the 10^th Festival of the Pacific Arts in Pago Pago, American Samoa on June 6-8, 2008 at the University of Guam Fine Arts Theater.  This one-act play was a part of the repertoire of ESTERA SI RAI or Once Upon a Time, an Evening of Music, Stories, and Sharing that would comprise the delegation’s presentation at FESTPAC.  Depictions of  people engaging in cellphone conversation run the gamut of good news, bad news, gossip, irritable incidents, errands, unfinished business, dear Johns, arguments, and any subject under the sun or moon, depending on the time of day, is aptly portrayed in this one-act play.

41.  Liheng Abusu  (one-act play) Abuse Shelter written upon the request of Catholic Social Services as a potential event under the title of CHINATSAGA (Hardship), one of four one-act performances.  This play is about an abused wife seeking the services of an abuse shelter.  She has brought her children with her and is in fear of their lives.  The abusive husband makes an appearance and is extremely dangerous to the shelter provider, the woman and her children, and law enforcement officers.

42.  Manaigima’ (one-act play) Homeless written upon the request of Catholic Social Services as a potential event under the title of CHINATSAGA (Hardship), one of four one-act performances.  This play is about the plight of homelessness that involves CHamorus, a CHamoru-Filipinu, a Chuukese and a Caucasian in the streets of Hagåtña.  They try to eke out a day-to-day game of survival and support among themselves.

43.  Dinanña’ Familia (one-act play) Family Reunion written upon the request of Catholic Social Services as a potential event under the title of CHINATSAGA (Hardship), one of four one-act performances.  The play is about a family reunion gathering at an adult day care center with elderly members in attendance.  The message of the play evolves around the holiday theme of togetherness, camaraderie among the elderly, and the meaning of Christmas.

44.  Nengkanno’ (one-act play) Food written upon the request of Catholic Social Services as a potential event under the title of CHINATSAGA (Hardship), one of four one-act performances.  The play is in a classroom situation of fourth graders at an elementary school.  A food drive is the topic of the lesson for the day and children learn about the need to help those less fortunate than themselves as prompted by a letter of appeal from U.S. Postal Letter Carriers.

45.  Kandålu (full-length drama) Locked Up based upon an imaginary uprising in Guam’s Department of Corrections Facility where inmates protest the irregular treatment, unfairness, and disparities of policies as handed out by the management.  Pending production opportunity.

46.  I Irensiha (full-length drama) The Inheritance based upon the story of three brothers whose widowed father had just passed away at Guam Memorial Hospital.  Two brothers converge upon the house of their father and search for hidden documents that will show what inheritance such as property, assets, material possessions and other tangible items is intended for whom.  They gang up on the third brother who was the provider of care for their father but was also the lone sibling who supported their educational endeavors while sacrificing his own future.   Written entirely in CHamoru, pending production opportunity.

47.  Mofo’na na Lihende (full-length musical drama) The First Legend based upon the story of Creation as depicted by the ancient CHamorus involving the explosion of the rock at Fu’a and spewed forth mankind.  Told in chants and dialogues, the play is written entirely in CHamoru.  The essence of the play was used in the translation of “I TINITUHON:  Puntan Yan Fu’una” that was written for the Guampedia, sponsored by the Guam Humanities Council and with support from the Guam Preservation Trust.

48.  The Red Armband (full-length drama) based upon the infamous first-ever public demonstration of the Class of 1971’s protest over the firing of Mr. Theodore S. Nelson as principal of George Washington Senior High School.  This is the only play written by the playwright with an English title and it is a take on the red armbands worn by the senior class during the time of the demonstration.  The playwright was a senior at the time and was involved in the demonstration.

49.  I Haggan yan I Kene’hu (one-act play) The Tortoise and the Hare based upon one of Aesop Fable’s classic tale of the tortoise and the hare with a CHamoru twist.  Morals of the indigenous people are captured in this adaptation.

50.  I Panglao yan I Chichuko’  (one-act play) The Crab and the Reef Heron based on a CHamoru children’s tale with both animals bringing to life wisdom and perspective of land and sea.  Tables are turned in this exchange of wit and wills.

51.   I Lihenden Åcho’ Palåye (one-act musical play) The Legend of the Palåye Rock based on a little known legend that is centered along the shores in the village of Agat.  Palåye is a poisonous fruit and its bark from its tree is used to poison fish in the sea.  With a little bit of song in the Kåntan CHamorita style, this play delights the audience with its tale of the signs of good or bad times to go fishing.

52.  I Patgon Ni’ Maså’pet (full-length drama tragedy) The Child Who Suffered based on a fictional account of bullying in the public middle school.  A young boy tries to endure taunts, beatings, and atrocious treatment of him in the most trying time of his life as his own personal home life is also one of torment and grief.  The tragic end brings to light, a topic that many can relate to as it also involves the subject of teen suicide.

53.  Gupot (full-length comedy drama) The Party based on the CHamorus ingenious ways of celebrating an occasion of any sort be it a wedding, birthday, bridal shower, bachelor’s barbecue, class reunions, political meetings and even a Tupperware party.  Through narration, characters enact the nuances and steps to take from planning, execution and the most dreaded part of all in a party, the clean-up and breakdown of the canopies and everything else that went into the making of the party.

54.  I Gayu, I CHa’ka, I Ga’lågu yan I Katu (full-length children’s play) The Rooster, the Rat, the Dog and the Cat based upon delightful animal characters that are befitting of a puppet theater but can be dramatically presented with costumes and sounds.  Each animal is craftily featured in an ingenious colorful background that places him or her amid household, housewares, indoor, outdoor, evening and day time settings.

55.  Ti Man Osge si Sirena (full-length drama) The Disobedient Sirena based on the CHamoru classic tale of Guam’s mermaid and the circumstances leading up to the curse placed by her mother and the intervention of her godmother.  Some lyrics are intertwined in the play with the playwright’s own version of who, what, when, where, and why Sirena came about.

56.  Put i Taotaomo’na (full-length drama) About the People of the First Land based on the beliefs and assertions associated with the taotaomo’na, the famed spirits of the indigenous community that can either wreak havoc on the lives of innocent or he/she/they can also work magic among believers and non-believers alike.  Many modern-day versions give the impression that the taotaomo’na is evil but this is not necessarily so says the playwright.  Nevertheless, tales of the taotaomo’na run deep in the conscience of the CHamoru people

57.  Enutet (one-act play) Disabled based on one individual’s account of life as a disabled person, in this case, one who is physically confined to a wheelchair and can command mobility but lives life as normally as he can.  Reflections of life in a wheelchair comes with a price and the play shares with the audience many of these challenges and obstacles that are faced by those who are disabled.

58.  I Pilan Yanggen Sumåhi (one-act play) When the Moon Becomes Full based on the lunar calendar of the ancient CHamoru, this play told by the character who is the moon himself, shares his impact on the lives of the people as he wields the power to command both the harvest of the land and the sea and how many generations of fisherfolk and farmers depend on his appearance in the night sky from season to season.

59.  Gi I Tiempon GANG siha gi iya Guåhan (full-length drama) In the Time of Gangs on Guam based on the period in Guam’s youth of the late 60’s and early 70’s when village rivalry was rampant through the birth of gangs known as the Sinajana Banditos, Tamuning Stingers, Toto Nomads, to name a few.  Gang rivalry and belonging to one was a rite of passage and the inner circles of politics sometimes command allegiance that become tested in confrontations and altercations in many youth events on island.  Five male leaders take the lead role in this play that tests their wills and their strengths as leaders of their gangs. 

60.  I Atot yan I CHamoru (full-length drama) The Filipino and the CHamoru based on a fictional tale of an unlikely friendship between two young boys, one a Filipinu who is fresh off the boat and a CHamoru who faces prejudice by many of his friends and family members who have a tremendous disdain against the influx of Filipinu immigrants into Guam’s social fabric. 

61.  CHÅT (one-act play) Based on the name that this play implies, to be a CHåt comes with many descriptions but it boils down to one thing:  it is shameful to be a CHåt because it comes with the distinction of being uncultured, uneducation, and unwealthy in the eyes of those who feel affluent and worldly.  Characters parade around in attire and accessories and speaking the language known as CHåt, English the CHamoru way.

62.  Kostumbren Balutan (one-act play) Wrapping Food based on a subject that many know all too well as there are now distinctions of a king or queen who has become notorious for this behavior that is often seen at a social event of any sort and food plays a major part.  To wrap food without an invitation by the party host or homeowner is short of taboo but many individuals help themselves without regard to guests and honorees, the CHamoru words for tåffo’ and taimamahlao are used together in this context to describe such an individual.

63.  I Lihenden I Guihan Ni’ Ha Kåkanno’ Guåhan (full-length musical drama with songs, dances, chants and narration) The Legend of the Fish that Ate Guam based on a local legend is re-told through this adaptation that brings characters from folklore into prominence.  The play involves children, teens, adults and elderly from the social fabrics of the community. 

64.  Tåtte gi I Kankan (full-length comedy) Back During the Can Can Era based on the dudos mañottera of yesteryears when fashion was in full swing with the wearing of the can can that provided full attention to the skirts of young ladies and flirting was a favorite pastime.  Some of the anecdotes are reminiscent of nostalgia at its very best.

65.  Frihonådas yan Babarihas (situational scenarios) Jokes and Nonsense based on a continuation of a previous presentation of INENGNGILO’ I LINA’LA’, this collection of jokes and nonsense gave the impetus for a Ginen I Hila’ I Maga’taotao Siha Association evening of the same title at one of the local nightclubs where the subject matter was geared for adult audiences.  Skits and portrayals of personalities, jokes, idiosyncracies and no-holds barred language runs the gamut of this presentation.

66.  I Finatto Tåtte (one-act play) The Return Home based on a story of a man who initially moved to the states for a better life and has decided to come back to Guam after three decades in California.  His dramatic adjustment is akin to relearning everything there is to know about himself and his culture.

67.  I Guinifen Amerikånu (one-act play, full-length drama) The American Dream based on one’s perception and expectation of the two story concrete house, the white picket fence, living with modern conveniences, and computer generated communications of today told in two voices, one by today’s generation and one older person who transitioned from tin-roofed, tin-sided houses of pre-Typhoon Karen. 

68.  Sendålu (one-act play) Soldier based on an interview with a Vietnam veteran who returned home to search for his true love who wrote him a Dear John while he was serving in Vietnam.  He discovers many changes that greatly unnerves him but the truth of his romance remains vivid in his mind to this day.

69.  Estorian Fafa’ña’gue Siha (full-length drama)  Ghost Stories based on personal accounts of individuals who have experienced the unexplained happenings and ghosts that are just as rampant in the CHamoru culture as in any other.  Spine tingling stories make for a moment of questions about the supernatural or the unnatural depending on how one decides to make of it.

70.  Heroin na Åmot Binenu (one-act play) The Drug Heroin based on the turbulent years when heroin addiction and crimes associated with it often brought homicides to many homes.  This is the story of a youngster who never knew his father because he was just an infant when his father was gunned down in a car chase that caused his demise on the back road to Anderson.

71.  Hinesguan (one-act drama) Jealousy based on the emotions that this personality quirk can invoke against ones spouse, friend, sibling, co-worker, girlfriend, boyfriend, colleague and classmate.   Jealousy can often make or break one’s relationship and the individuals who dare to speak have been down that road before.

72.  Si Sånta Maria gi I Lina’la’ (one-act drama) The Blessed Virgin Mary in Our Lives based on the religious belief of the mother of Jesus Christ who is known in many cultures with different distinctions such as Our Lady of Medjugorie, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of the Rosary, Our Lady of Lourdes, and Our Lady of Camarin.  Told from the viewpoint of techas who profess the time-honored traditions of the recitation of the holy rosary and its many mysteries.

73.  I Espiritu Ni’ Ti Maolek (one-act play) The Evil Spirits based on one’s interpretation of the ancient spirits of the makåhna, kakåhna, aniti and the taotaomo’na.  These characters are woven into folklore that runs deep with every passing generation and stories abound about their powers and their hold on the local populace.  Many other beliefs are associated with these beings that have been known to follow families and individuals to other places in the world.

74.  I Anten I Saddok, I Tasi, I Halom Tåno’ yan I Uriya (full-length drama) The Deities of the River, the Ocean, the Jungle and the Land based on a loosely-given title penned by the playwright as he pieces together what makes the island so rich in tradition and customs that span through generations upon generations of CHamoru.  From unspoken rituals to uncommon mythical notions, the island of Guam has come a long way since ancient times to the present and the power of ancient Gods still make it a formidable place as it is the mother country of all CHamoru in the Marianas chain.

75.  I Kestumbren Minamåhlao (full-length drama) Shame based on the life of a young CHamoru man who commits homicide and his immediate family as well as distant ones including godparents feel the shame of his deed that many associated with him do not know how to deal with.  It is the first time this has ever happened in his family and in the tiny village where he comes from.  This shame has carried on through generations and the young man is spending the rest of his life in prison away from everyone.  However, it is his family who continues to face the people who is the victim of his action.

Welcome

Håfa Adai:

Welcome to my page.  First off, I must thank a very good friend of mine, Dr. Matilda Naputi Rivera for helping me create this as I wasn't sure how to go about doing one.  It is my first time ever at a webpage and I hope that I'll be letting you all know what's up and what's happening in my life.  There are many things I am currently involved in and I hope to shed light on many of them as they are all done to foster a few things:  to help the community, to let people know of what's coming up, and that all of these things I am doing are in God's name and in his son, Jesus Christ.  Don't worry.  This is not going to be anything religious and I won't impose my religious beliefs on you.  Far from it.  This will be the only time I will be referring to Divine Providence.  I engage in prayerful devotion and I thank HIM for life and for the many blessings that I have but often forget them until much contemplation and reflection.

Please fill free to write me your thoughts and your own opinions, too, whether it's negative, positive, just to vent or to render another side to things.  I welcome it and it will only serve to educate me more.

Again, thank you for checking out this blogspot.

si peter r. onedera