Table of Contents 

Introduction

Chamoru Direction Terminology

Conclusion

Bibliography

Cover Art: Alonso Lopez 17th Century Map of Guam. Padre Lopez lived in the Marianas from 1673-1675. From the collection of the Richard Flores Taitano Micronesian Area Research Center. 

Vol. I Number 3 Micronesian Curriculum Materials Series
 
 

Introduction

In westernized Guam, the cardinal directions are lagu for north, haya for south, kattan for east, and luchan for west. If you examine the map of Guam, produced by the Chamorro Language Commission, that is what you will find in the map legend. Do not expect a knowledgeable Chamoru from Malesso' to agree. They say just the opposite, i.e. haya is north, lagu is south, luchan is east, and kattan is west. 

Joaquin Reyes from Malesso' told me that he made a lot of enemies when people came to Malesso' asking for directions. If they wanted to go to Inalahan, he would tell them to head luchan or to the east. But most Guam residents took luchan to mean west and drove towards Humatak. Thinking that Joaquin played a trick on them, some came back mad. 

Saipanese think that the Chamorus from Guam have forgotten the true meanings of the cardinal directions. They say that kattan is north, luchan is south, haya is east and lagu is west. 

What is the cause of this confusion? Alice Joseph and Veronica F. Murray (1951) claim that Chamorus unconsciously modify their culture in an attempt to imitate the culture of their colonizers. They state that this holds true for Spanish, German, Japanese, and American times. Robert R. Solenberger (1953-54) used this theory in an attempt to explain the confusion over Chamoru direction terminology. 

Chamoru Direction Terminology 

Traditionally Chamorus had direction terminology very different from Europeans. There were no fixed compass points of the compass or concepts for north, south, east, or west. Instead, Chamoru directions were seaward, inland, to the right of seaward, and to the left of seaward. 

seaward = lagu 

inland = haya

kattan - right of seaward 

luchan - left of seaward 
 

Kattan and luchan ran along the coast originally and lagu and haya were perpendicular to the coast. 

Using the Chamoru directions terms in the original sense, one first faced seaward. Automatically this placed Kattan on his or her right and Luchan on his or her left. 

The confusion came when Chamorus equated their direction terms from a specific location or village with European or Japanese direction terms. The foreign terms are fixed by the compass needle. The Chamoru terms were not fixed and were dependent upon a particular location. 

Over a period of time, most Chamorus accepted their direction words in terms of European logic. The old termís lagu, haya, Kattan, and luchan became the four points of the compass, north, south, east and west for the people of Hagatna (Figure 1). In late Spanish times and early American times most Chamorus in Guam lived in Hagatna. Consequently, seaward or lagu came to be north, inland or haya was south, Kattan became east and luchan, west. After World War II, many Chamorus moved from Hagatna. They thought as Europeans and used their Hagatna direction terminology, incorrectly, as points of the compass, north, south, east, and west. 

Significant numbers of Chamorus resettled Saipan in the 1870s. They peopled villages on the West Side of the island. Consequently, West was lagu (seaward) for them (Figure 2). Inland was haya or east. The right of seaward was north or kattan, and the left of seaward was south or luchan. Just like the Chamorus of Guam, they began to use these terms as fixed points of the compass in a European sense. 

Ianacio V. Benavente proposed the theory that the direction words became fixed in European terms based on the village where the most people lived. In Guam that was Hagatna and in Saipan it was Garapan. 

A few Chamorus in Malesso' remember the original meanings of the traditional Chamoru directions (Figure 3). Jesus C. Barcinas explained this to Robert R. Solenberger in the 1950s, just as Joaquin Reyes explained it to me in 1968. The original Chamoru direction nomenclature depends on the direction of the coastline, seaward, and
 
 

inland, and not on points of the compass needle. This is also explained by Rodrique L6vesque (1995, 388 - 390). 

Taking what we have learned, we can now apply this to the old village of Pagu on Guam's east coast (Figure 4) or to Hagat on Guam's West Coast (Figure 5). 

Of course, this exercise is futile, because the words were never intended to be used as fixed points of the compass. Consider a village on the southeast coast of Guam. For the inhabitants of that village lagu would be southeast and haya would be northwest. Kattan would become southwest, and luchan would become northeast. No Chamorus actually used the terms in this way. Chamorus have only applied these traditional direction terms to the European cardinal direction terms, north, south, east, and west. For example in Luta most people live in Songsong. This village runs NESW so lagu should be NW, but the
Lutanese agree with Saipanese and say it is west. 

Many other Pacific Islanders do not have this confusion, because they only had two direction terms. For example in Hawaii, inland is mauka and seaward is makai. Instead of abstract terms to the left and right of seaward, they simply named locations along the coast. For example, the Waikiki side and the Ewa side are used for east and west, respectively on Oahu. 

Knowing the original Chamoru definition of lagu as seaward gives a greater understanding of lagu as meaning foreign or from the sea rather than just from the north (in Guam) or from the west (in Saipan). Galagu (dog) is animal from overseas, not animal from the north (in Guam) or from the west (in Saipan). William Safford translated gilagu as a Spaniard or man from the north. Gilagu originally meant someone from overseas. Sanlagu, or a place overseas, is often used to denote the United States mainland. 

Most villages in the Marianas are on the West Coast. This may explain why luchan refers to the southwest monsoon or rainy season and why kattan refers to the northeast winds or dry season. 

Conclusion

The Chamorus of Malesso' have explained to us the original principles of Chamoru direction terminology. There were no fixed points of the compass. The terms were references towards the sea, or towards the land. These terms are as follows: 
 

seaward = Iagu

inland = haya

kattan = right of seaward 

luchan = left of seaward
 

In direction terminology should Chamoru speakers keep the status quo? 

Should the direction terminology for Guam or Saipan be accepted for the entire Mariana Islands? 

Should Chamoru speakers return to the original use of lagu, haya, kattan, and luchan? 

Should Chamoru speakers Chamoruize Spanish or English terms for the four cardinal directions? 

Should Chamoru speakers create new words for the four cardinal directions? 

Should Chamoru speakers watch for other cases where imitations of foreign cultures erode their language?