In 2020, we awarded $232,224.75 through our CARES Act Emergency Relief Grant Program to eligible cultural and humanities-based nonprofits, other nonprofits, and individual humanities scholars and cultural experts who present public humanities programs in Guåhan. This program is made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the federal 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

In 2019, Humanities Guåhan presented the fourth Eat Your Heritage food democracy tour, Fiestan Salu Salo: Celebrating the Flavors of Guam and the Philippines. The tour highlighted Guam's important historical relationship with the Philippines through an exploration of Filipino and CHamoru food traditions. Fiestan Salu Salo featured Canada-based Filipino chefs Jo Ong and Mylene Valdez for a week-long tour from September 30 to October 5, 2019. The tour included workshops with high school and college culinary students, a pastry workshop by Chef Mylene, a community talk about the shared histories of Guam and the Philippines with 3 Filipina chefs, a chef's talk on traditional Filipino gastronomy by Chef Jo, and a benefit dinner.

Humanities Guåhan supports the important work of nonprofit organizations that inspire our community to explore and preserve our shared heritage. In light of the serious challenges brought on by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that the work of these organizations continued. In 2019, we awarded five cultural and humanities-based organizations were awarded a total of $90,000 and four other nonprofits organizations were awarded a total of $80,000 through Humanities Guåhan’s SHARP (Sustaining the Humanities through the ARP Act) Emergency Relief Grant Program, made possible by funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021 through the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Learn more

Every year, the Federation of State Humanities Councils co-hosts the National Humanities Conference with the National Humanities Alliance. Humanities Guåhan and the 55 other state/territorial humanities councils throughout the U.S. belong to the FSHC, which provides leadership, advocacy and information to best advance civic and cultural programs across our diverse communities. In 2019, the conference was held in Honolulu from November 7-10 with the theme of Roots (indigenous knowledge and traditions, cultural identity and practices) and Routes (navigation and seafaring, new movement, including migration). Our organization, along with the Hawai'i Council for the Humanities, American Samoa Humanities Council and the Northern Marianas Humanities Council, served as conference co-hosts. Learn more

Kuentusi I Hanom seeks to privilege the voices and perspectives of Pacific Islanders about the deep cultural importance and meaning of water in their lives. These stories of water are from indigenous Chamorros and other Micronesians—those who trace their heritage to the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and the Marshall Islands. Kuentusi I Hanom is a collaborative pilot project between Humanities Guåhan and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service through funding from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center. Through Kuentusi I Hanom, participating Chamorros and Micronesians share their cultural knowledge in relation to the physical, spiritual, creative, economic and political aspects of water in video and audio recordings co-curated with Humanities Guåhan. Watch here

Humanities Guåhan presented the program as part of a larger National Endowment for the Humanities Initiative, The Humanities and the Legacy of Race and Ethnicity in the United States. The stories, chants, songs, poetry and personal narratives from the Speaking to Water/Kuentusi I Hanom digital collection served as the main "texts'' for facilitated discussions with CHamorus and other Micronesians about shared cultural pasts, differing colonial histories that have shaped current misperceptions and divisiveness, and the need to re-imagine relationships in more positive ways for the betterment of our island. These community conversation series continued into 2020 until in-person programming was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Led by Founding Artistic Director and Choreographer Rulan Tangen, Dancing Earth’s touring dance company for “Indigenous Dance: Re-story-ing Our Environment – Dancing Earth in Guam” was comprised of dancers Ciera Nalani Budge, Justin Giehm, Deollo Johnson, Anne Pesata, Lupita Salazar, and Esme Olivia Vaandrager. Dancing Earth presented Indigenous contemporary dance workshops and public performances, providing our island community an exciting opportunity to build capacity in efforts to preserve and promote Indigenous CHamoru culture, our unique island environment, and cross cultural sharing and exchange. Learn more

The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa worked with Humanities Guåhan to collect objects from Guåhan, which became part of the Te Papa’s Pacific cultures collection. The co-collecting project focused specifically on the culture of Guam’s indigenous CHamoru people, including works by master carvers, weavers, and blacksmiths with the first selection including works by Master Carver Jill Benavente, Master Blacksmith Francisco Lizama, and weavers James Bamba and Mark Benavente. Te Papa Pacific curators Sean Mallon and Nina Tonga travelled to Guåhan to work with Humanities Guåhan Executive Director Kimberlee Kihleng, Monaeka Flores, Coordinator for Marketing and Programs, and selected artists. Learn more

In 2015, in honor of the 100th anniversary of The Pulitzer Prizes, Humanities Guåhan received a grant from The Pulitzer Prize Campfires Initiative to develop and present Art + Journalism. The Campfires Initiative aims to ignite broad engagement with the journalistic, literary, and artistic values that the Prizes represent. Humanities Guåhan presented Art + Journalism - Manny Crisostomo, 40 Years of Images, an exhibit and complementary programs highlighting the career of the Guam’s sole Pulitzer Prize winner - multimedia photojournalist Manny Crisostomo. The exhibit opened on September 15 and ran through October 29, 2016 at an alternative exhibit space at the Agana Shopping Center. Learn more

In 2019, Humanities Guåhan presented “I Come From Here: Portraying Place, Community and History,” a series of creative writing and journalism workshops and readings featuring writer Inara Verzemnieks. While visiting Guam, Verzemnieks taught two public high school creative nonfiction workshops, two college-level feature writing workshops, and two master classes for journalists and other writers. She read from her work during a Presidential Lecture at the University of Guam and at an “Evening with the Author” event at the Hyatt Regency Guam. The aim of “I Come From Here: Portraying Place, Community and History” is to inspire members of Guam’s community to think deeply and creatively about their own complex connections to Guam. Learn more

Guam Humanities Council celebrated our 25th anniversary and transition to Humanities Guåhan to best reflect the humanities work we've carried out over the past ten years and to chart our future direction. This work highlights the importance of understanding and preserving indigenous cultures and histories, with a particular emphasis on the role of Chamorro cultural identity in maintaining Guam's unique way of life while also promoting greater awareness and appreciation of the rich historical, cultural, linguistic and religious diversity of all people that make up the Guåhan community. Learn more

As part of Museum on Main Street (MOMS), a key initiative of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) initiative in Guåhan, Humanities Guåhan developed and curated supplemental exhibitions with their own objects, stories and programs that celebrate Guåhan’s unique cultural heritage and inspire community pride. Our participation in the Smithsonian Institution MOMS program has allowed Humanities Guåhan to provide our underserved community access to Smithsonian-quality exhibits, educational resources, grant support and technical assistance. Learn more