FOR MEDIA RELEASE: The Guam Museum’s upcoming HITA talk

Ginen i Tiempon I Manaotaomo’na Esta På’go

Expressions of CHamoru Identity Across Time

The Guam Museum will host a powerful new HITA Talk on Saturday, May 16, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. in the museum’s indoor theater. The program will also be livestreamed on the Guam Museum’s social media platforms, expanding access to audiences across the Marianas and beyond.

This compelling panel will feature Baltazar Aguon, Edward Leon Guerrero, M.A., Dr. Kelly Marsh-Taitano, and Dr. Michael Lujan Bevacqua. Each speaker brings years of research and experience in sharing the histories, identities, and lived experiences of the people of the Marianas. Together, they will explore the theme: “Ginen i Tiempon I Manaotåomo’na Esta På’go: Expressions of CHamoru Identity Across Time,” offering distinct yet interconnected perspectives.

The talk will open with Baltazar Aguon, who will share the next chapter of his personal journey retracing ancestral footsteps through DNA testing. This process has reaffirmed his connection to the land and the CHamoru people, while deepening his sense of responsibility to both. From this has emerged a profound awakening and a clear sense of purpose: to help bring the Naton Mañaina home. Aguon will speak to his developing vision for their return and his ongoing efforts to advocate for their respectful reinterment.

Dr. Kelly Marsh-Taitano, a curator at the Guam Museum, developing the museum’s first Cultural Anthropology and History division, will explore the lives of I Manaotåomo’na, or “The People from Before,” through the lens of three villages. Her presentation considers what communities across Guåhan may have shared, as well as what might be distinct.

Edward Leon Guerrero, M.A., widely recognized for his popular and well-researched YouTube series PulanSpeaks, will discuss his work connecting contemporary CHamoru cultural symbols and artistic expressions to their historical roots, highlighting continuity across generations.

Dr. Michael Lujan Bevacqua, Chief Curator of the Guam Museum, will reflect on the museum’s early history following its establishment in 1932, examining how the experiences of CHamoru people within the museum have evolved over time, and how those early foundations helped shape the institution as it exists today.

Guam Museum’s HITA Talks are an important platform for engaging the public in meaningful dialogue about heritage, ideas, traditions, and art. They reflect the museum’s role as a space where knowledge is created, shared, and carried forward. This upcoming talk continues that tradition, offering audiences an opportunity to engage deeply with the past and present of CHamoru identity.