The most distinctive indigenous Chamorro instrument is a one-stringed bow called a “belembaotuyan.” This cousin of the Brazilian berimbau appears at Chamorro weddings or other celebrations. According to Guampedia’s introduction to the belembaotuyan, “the meaning of belembao in Chamorro means ‘swaying of the trees’ and tuyan means ‘stomach.’ Essentially, belembaotuyan means either a ‘one-stringed belly echo’ or ‘vibrations of the belly.'” We like both.
Yesterday we met a man who is arguably Guam’s favorite Chamorro musician, roots rocker J.D. Crutch. Let’s listen to one more song in this video as we appreciate the appreciation Guampedia expresses for this “Talofofo Boy”: “The musician ‘J.D. Crutch’ was a man who was both artist and outlaw, in a manner of speaking….His voice was a blend of Rod Stewart raunch and the nasal sound of the Chamorro techas who lead prayers at Guam rosaries and novenas.”
We start our week in the Mariana Islands in Guam, where we are the special guests at an intimate party in the backyard of a Chamorro family. “Careless Love” is an old jazz-blues standard, a traditional tune with lyrical variations aplenty that has been an active part of the repertoires of jazz and blues artists since the beginning of the 1900’s. Musicians have taken many liberties with the song’s lyrics, but the story always has to do with a broken relationship, destroyed by one partners’ carelessness, or lack of depth in love. W.C. Handy’s 1926 “Loveless Love” compares “loveless love” to artificial food: “Oh love oh love oh loveless love, Has set our heart on goal-less goals,, From milkless milk and silkless silk, We are growing used to soul-less souls.” The version we hear in this video blends traditional lyrics with a version in Chamorro, the main indigenous peoples’ language of Guam. Enjoy this Chamorro cover song performed at the Camacho family’s home. A translation: “Why are you like that baby to me. Please come closer to me and I’ll tell you how my heart is hurting. We’ve been together a long time. And now this is our situation. Baby please tell me what have I done wrong To make your heart also hurt.”
We are revising the AllAroundThisWorld.com site — the information you’re seeking may still be here, but a lot of links are broken and details may be out of date. We are currently using a new (better!) site — ExploreEverywhere.com — to tell you all about our class offerings, our “pen pal” program and how to become one of our teachers, and will eventually be moving all the goodies from here over to there. So, GO TO THE NEW SITE!
