The Guam Bus

A village-wide fishing party in Humåtak, Guam in possibly the late 1940s or early 1950s.

As a people, more and more we may complain that our young people do not know their roots. That they do not know their language or much about their culture.

If this is the case, the next question that must be asked is how much was taught to them? How much did we, as the generations before them, share?

How often did we speak Chamoru to them? How often did we tell them what we learned from our elders? How often did we do our part to connect generations of before and generations to come? Did we teach? Did we encourage? Did we inspire? Or did we tease and complain?

Our goal as the Guam Bus is to represent a bridge between our past and present, drawing on historical research and using creative media to teach Chamoru history, culture and language.

Si Yu’os Ma’åse to everyone who follows us, likes our posts and videos, attends Miget’s classes and especially those who buy our books, flash cards and bingo sets.

What does the dog say in Chamoru? “Haohao!” What does the dog say when it loves you in Chamoru? “Hu Guaiya Hao Hao” Gof kinute!

Even if you may not be fluent yet in Chamoru, there is a good chance you know the phrase
“Hu Guaiya Hao” or I Love You. The newest t-shirt design from the Guam Bus plays on this much “loved” (pun intended) phrase.
“Haohao” in Chamoru is the word for bark or the sound a dog makes. By incorporating ga’lagu siha and korason, Hu Guaiya Haohao is like saying I love you, but with some puppy dog cuteness or boonie dog fun.

This t-shirt is designed by Sumahi.

The shirts are now on sale on our website www.theguambus.com for $22 and come in unisex sizes S - 2XL. Get them in light blue or pink.

Pues adios, esta ki…

Tomorrow is the 16th and final meeting for Miget’s free weekly Zoom Chamoru classes for Fañomnåkan 2026. Class will consist of review quizzes for all levels from 9 am - 12:00 pm ChST. Even if you have missed all or most of Fañomnåkan 2026, you are welcome to join to test your Chamoru minalåte’.

For those missed this season’s Chamoru classes, let us know if you would be interested in us offering future free Chamoru classes. Miget is taking a break for the summer, but if enough people are interested, classes for Fanuchånan 2026 would most likely begin in August.

Follow the Guam Bus for updates and comment to let us know if you would want to join a future free weekly online Chamoru class.

Miget first started working as curator for the Guam Museum in 2021 and this year marks 5 years of him working and overseeing the collection of The Guam Museum. Miget does lots for the Guam Bus, but he does even more for the Guam Museum (which is what actually pays the family bills). We want to take a moment to celebrate Miget and the important work that he does for the museum, the people of Guam and the global Chamoru diasporic community.

Each year Miget helps curate exhibits for the museum, organizes talks and presentations, presents at dozens of schools and gives tours to hundreds. He has helped bring more Chamoru activities and programming to the Guam Museum each year from hosting Mes Chamoru trivia events to teaching the annual Prugråman Sinipok. Each year he collects oral history from Chamoru elders and working with the community, adds hundreds of artifacts to the museum’s collection.

One of the highlights during his time as curator has been the repatriation of thousands of artifacts, most importantly the Hornbostel Collection from the Bishop Museum. So much of this work happens with the help of others who work at the Guam Museum, Guam Cultural Repository and the Department of CHamoru Affairs, many of whom you can see in the images with this post.

Si Yu’os Ma’åse Miget put todu i bidadå-mu para i tano’-ta yan i taotao-ta. Gefpågo i che’cho’-mu lao guaguaha ha’ mås.

Learn about traditional Chamoru tools and Chamoru legends and history, all in one book.

The Adventures of Akli’e’ is the second bilingual Chamoru children’s book published by the Guam Bus. It was released in 2017 and is now in its third printing.

The books stars Akli’e’ as he learns about both Chamoru culture through blacksmith tools and also Chamoru history and legends. On this page Akli’e’ learns about the legend of the giant fish that tried to eat Guam but was stopped by the brave women of the island.

You can buy a copy of the Akli’e’ book at www.theguambus.com or pick one up at different stores around Guam such as The Local Store, Faith Book Store, Bonita Baby, New Memories, Tenda, It Takes a Village, or Rexall Drugstore and Puti’on Place. Or if you are in Hawai’i, check out Native Books and Da Shop in Kaimuki for Guam Bus products.

Tomorrow a the Guam Museum, a writing event with local writers to gain inspiration from the movements of scholars, activists, elders, artists and writers for self-government, self-determination and decolonization.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 3rd from 5:30-7:00 pm, the Guam Bus and the Guam Commission on Decolonization are hosting a writer focused event titled “Yanggen Ti Hita Tumuge’, Pues Håyi?” aimed at helping local writers work towards publishing and creating community through writing groups.

If you are a writer and have been looking for a chance to connect and work with other writers, please come join this free event.

The Guam Bus has had a great weekend selling at the Guam Museum and the Piti I Rikesan I Tasi Festival. Si Yu’os Ma’åse for all your support! In gef agradesi hamyo!