Pineksai Project Success and Exciting New Resources
We’re excited to share that the culmination of our Pineksai project was a great success! Pineksai aims to integrate CHamoru language and culture revitalization into our sustainable gardening practices. Our website is now live, featuring an online garden tour, lunar calendar, community-submitted recipes, and garden guides—all in the CHamoru language, making it a unique resource for those interested in learning about Guåhan’s culture and agricultural heritage.
Our final event brought together community members deeply passionate about learning CHamoru and preserving traditional knowledge. Through immersive garden tours, participants explored 13 culturally significant plants, each with its own story and historical relevance. Our knowledgeable tour guides—Saina Hinengge and Saina Yo’ase’ from Maga’låhen Hurao-CHamoru Charter School, along with Mary Jane Leon Guerrero and our Research Team member and translator, Hila’an San Nicolas—shared not only their knowledge but also personal narratives of their deep connection to the land. They were supported by our Traditional Teacher, Ron Laguana, who enriched the experience with his profound understanding of the CHamoru language and local gardening techniques. One participant remarked that the tour was “Welcoming, informative, beautifully delivered and presented.” Another said that she learned a lot of new CHamoru words through the tour.
Mary Jane Leon Guerrero highlights the cultural significance of the Papåya tree in the CHamoru culture.
Saina Yo’ase’ and Saina Hinengge introduce our new Pineksai sign, where participants could scan the QR code to follow the tour on their phones.
Hila’an San Nicolas presents a Mendioka plant to tour participants.
At the end of each tour, participants visited a display table of featured produce. Ron Laguana explains its various uses through his deep knowledge of gardening and the CHamoru language.
Following their tour, participants enjoyed hands-on activities like transplanting butterfly pea and okra seedlings, which they took home to start their own backyard gardens. This activity empowers community members to cultivate their own food in sustainable ways. They also indulged in delicious food from Capitol Kitchen, including the Papaya Denanche’ recipe featured on our new Pineksai website!
Along with their seedling, each participant took home a Quick Gardening Guide. Guides gave basic directions on four essential gardening practices— watering, transplanting, seed saving, and sheet mulching. The guide, available in both English and CHamoru, was designed to be kept in their gardens for quick reference.
If you missed the tours, don’t worry — the experience is still available! You can visit the Guam Green Growth Community Garden in Hagåtña and take the tour at your own pace by scanning the QR codes on our new garden signs pictured below, or click here to explore our online garden tour from home—a fantastic resource for anyone looking to learn CHamoru.
This project is supported by Humanities Guåhan and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Special thanks to our sponsors Capitol Kitchen and the KUAM Care Force.
