The religion of Ancient CHamorus was focused around the veneration of ancestors, who upon death became aniti or ancestral spirits that could provide protection and support for their living family.As part of their beliefs, Ancient CHamorus engaged in a series of rituals to ensure the successful transition for a dying family member into the afterlife.

Here is an excerpt from the account of Fray Juan Pobre, and what he witnessed while living on the island of Rota in 1602:

“What they ordinarily do with their dead, however, is to cut the hair and wrap the body in a new mat, which serves as a shroud. Two of the deceased female relatives arrive, who are among the oldest women of the village, and lay pieces of tree bark or of painted paper on top of the body. Then they begin singing and crying simultaneously, asking so-and-so—calling him by name—‘Why have you forsaken us? Why have you departed from our sight? Why have you deserted the women who loved you so? Why have you abandoned your lance and sling, your nets and fishing boat?’ …More than two hours are spent in this manner, repeating these and other things. Amidst many tears, his relatives then embrace him and carry him away. Afterwards, they return to his house where each one drinks from a mortar filled with ground rice or with grated coconut mixed with water. The dead are buried in front of the most prestigious relative’s house.”