Tracing the roots of Pacific islands' indigenous language

By Michael Clement

Reading Dr. Robert Underwood’s July article suggesting an anthem for Micronesia reminded me of a question I had to answer for my master's exam in Micronesian studies: “Is Micronesia a culture area?” It was such a difficult question that the class had been given nine months to work on its answers.

I decided that it was not a culture area. My argument began with the difference between high islands and atolls and their impact on people's beliefs and ways of life.

Next, not all of the islands were settled at the same time. Not all of them were agricultural, nor did they all have ancestral skull cults and headhunting practices. These islands were not all settled by people from the same area of Papua New Guinea, the Sunda Shelf or the Lesser Sundas to the south. The result was substantial differences in language. The islands were affected differently by colonialism and the imposition of foreign languages.

When English emerged as the global business language around 30 years ago, followed by the advent of the internet and social media, local languages suffered.

The freely associated states' political relationship with the United States includes a provision that allows their citizens to enter and live in Guam. The result is seen in the new generation of Chuukese born in Guam. They speak English beautifully, have never been to their native island and are unable to speak their native language.

So what does this say about a common anthem for all islands in Micronesia? The only common factor among these islands is having been either under direct American rule or under American administration as United Nations trust territories after WWII.

Dr. Underwood assigned AI to draft a common anthem for all of the Micronesian islands. It produced a fairly accurate composition in English. I wonder if it can translate the anthem accurately into each of the Micronesian languages. But this would also require each island to give up their traditional anthem, rooted in their identity, in favor of one subregional hymn. I suggest they choose their native anthem. It's a matter of preserving diversity while embracing unity in Micronesia.

Among the Micronesian islands, Guam was the first to experience European religious colonialism approximately 350 years ago. The objective was to denature the natives. It is not yet well known that between c. 1300 and c. 1000, Guam was the first island of Micronesia to receive indigenous influences from the Lesser Sunda Islands, i.e., Sulawesi and the surrounding Wallacea.  

Beginning c. 100-200 CE, this area was heavily influenced by Hindu ideas from India.

Research shows that places and landforms in Guam were named by people from Sulawesi. Village names, such as Tumon, Agadna, Sinajana, Tutuhon, Maina, Adelup, Fu’una and Umata, were rooted in Hindu Sanskrit via Old Java and Kawi or the Malay language.

There are many more and even though Guam was the first to receive Hindu influence, such words spread throughout Micronesia.

The most exalted Sanskrit words are “anu” and “manu.” Anu is the father of the gods and keeper of the heavens. Manu can be interpreted as an eternal ancestor or god.

The term “manu” is encountered in Guam through the greeting “Hafa tata manu hao?” This combines the meaning of grandfather, or tata, with eternal ancestor, manu.

Then there is "pwe" and "pue." To the Wana people of Sulawesi, Pwe is the owner of the sky, symbolized by the bat. The Micronesian form of “pwe” is “pwo.”

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In Chuuk, "pue" refers to the clan of the bat. In Weriang's navigation school, of which Guam was a participant, "pwo" refers to the guardian spirit of the navigator.

The root of pwe or pwo goes back to Chinese Fu, which has a double meaning: bat and nighttime. These form the basis of the words “painge” and “pwengi,” both of which refer to the evening sky in Guam, as well as among the Toraja and Wana peoples of Sulawesi.

The Bugi people of Sulawesi speak of Sawerigading, the son of the great god Matua, who came to earth as a Matao to populate the earth and build a great boat called the Wellenrang, named after a tree on which all the birds of the world came to rest.

Apparently, both terms have been incorporated into the Micronesian language. "Saweri" is close to "sawai," the trading system of the Yapese. "Wellenrang" is close to "weriang," the school of navigators, centered in Lamotrek in Micronesia. 

Matao symbolizes god-like people in Sulawesi, Guam and Chuuk. It is also a family name in Guam and Chuuk. The term “oleh” appears in Sulawesi cultures as a chant and is one of the key Palauan words describing “singing.”

I have not mentioned all the word similarities between ancient Indonesian and Micronesian peoples, but I trust that those I have mentioned show ancient spiritual unity among all Micronesian islands. If there’s a need for a common anthem for the islands, it should be based on their common spirits and traditions as indicated by these words.

In 1955, a linguist calculated that the native Guam language was 20.4 percent Sulawesi, 12 percent Palauan and 8 percent Yapese. I always wondered what those common words were and how far back in time they existed. However, because the date of Hindu migration to Indonesia is now known, the date that Sanskrit words came to Micronesia can be estimated at 1000 to 1300 years ago.

Sixteen years ago, one question the candidates for governor of Guam were asked: “What would you do to unite Guam with the other islands of Micronesia?” I presume that Dr. Underwood’s suggestion for a common Micronesian anthem is a continuation of that theme.

But I respectfully suggest that words such as those presented here do speak to a shared indigenous history that unites the people of Micronesia. If the idea of such an anthem were to be entertained, I suggest that these common ancient words be considered.

Michael Clement is a research associate with the Richard Flores Taitano Micronesian Area Research Center. He is an ethnomusicologist and specializes in the pre-Spanish indigenous culture of Guam. Send feedback to mrclementsr@gmail.com.

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