DSpace Collection:http://hasso.uog.edu:8080/jspui/handle/20.500.11751/2252023-06-21T03:22:12Z2023-06-21T03:22:12ZPAKAKA I PACHOT-MU! CHAMORU YU’!: A MESTISA RHETORIC ANALYSIS OF GUAM’S CHAMAOLE NARRATIVESLowe, Arielle Taitanohttp://hasso.uog.edu:8080/jspui/handle/20.500.11751/2292020-07-01T00:18:43Z2019-12-16T00:00:00ZTitle: PAKAKA I PACHOT-MU! CHAMORU YU’!: A MESTISA RHETORIC ANALYSIS OF GUAM’S CHAMAOLE NARRATIVES
Authors: Lowe, Arielle Taitano
Abstract: In my project, I investigate identity formations of a specific Mestisa/Mestisu
group from Guam, locally known as Chamaole. Chamaoles are defined locally as
individuals who are descendants of both native Chamorros and White Americans, and
have been identified as one or the other in various social contexts. This research analyzes
Chamaole individuals' encounters with identity ambiguity in Guam and the United States.
This research deconstructs the various identity formations described in the published
poetry of three Chamaole authors from Guam: Jessica Perez-Jackson's "Half Caste,"
excerpts from Lehua Taitano's A Bell Made of Stones, and Corey Santos' "Chamaoli."
Works by these poets primarily document cultural, ancestral, racial, linguistic, and
political ambiguities. In addition to conducting a literary analysis of their poems, multiple
interviews conducted with the poets over several weeks provide additional data. My
reflections on Chamaole identity are included in the study, documenting changes in my
understanding of Chamaole identity throughout the stages of the research process. This
study draws evidence from layered accounts of poetry, oral narratives, and
autobiographical commentary. Interpreting data from layered accounts, this study
analyzes strategies that Chamaoles use to navigate and overcome encounters with
prejudice and aggression. This study of Chamaole identity formations contributes to both
Chamorro Studies and Critical Mixed Race Studies scholarship. Because this project
focuses on Chamaole participants from Guam ages 20-40, future research may include
intergenerational studies, incorporation of participants from the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and additional Mestisa/Mestisu Chamorro groups.2019-12-16T00:00:00Z