Guam Museum

Guam Museum The Guam Museum, a division of the Department of Chamorro Affairs, fosters an appreciation for Guam? DNA Building, Hagatna
2. Governors' Hall, Adelup
3.

The Guam Museum displays some of its collections at the following community venues:

1. Guam International Airport, Tamuning
4. 1st Lady's Exhibit, Government House

Guam Museum Foundation, Inc. invites the community to join us for “Silebra yan Sustieni Estoria-ta” on Saturday, October...
20/09/2026

Guam Museum Foundation, Inc. invites the community to join us for “Silebra yan Sustieni Estoria-ta” on Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Dusit Thani Guam Resort Ballroom.
 
This special anniversary celebration honors three significant milestones in Guam’s cultural history: 100 years of the Guam Museum, 20 years of the Guam Museum Foundation, and 10 years of the Guam Museum building. Tickets can be purchased for individuals or for groups at www.guammuseumfoundation.org
 
The evening will celebrate Guam’s rich cultural heritage and the people who have helped preserve, protect, and share the stories of our island. The theme, “Silebra yan Sustieni Estoria-ta,” reflects the Foundation’s commitment to ensuring that Guam’s stories continue to be remembered, preserved, and passed on to future generations.
 
Guests will enjoy an evening featuring I Hinanao-ta show, live music by Patrick Palomo, Ruby & Jesse and Second String Band, and a documentary presentation and dinner. The evening will begin with a social hour from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., followed by dinner and the formal anniversary program. Guests are encouraged to attend in Formal Cultural Attire/Island wear, celebrating the diverse cultures and traditions that have contributed to Guam’s story.
 
The Guam Museum Foundation extends its heartfelt appreciation to the organizations whose generous support is helping make Silebra yan Sustieni Estoria-ta possible: ARES Medical Group, Smithbridge, Core Tech, Ada’s Trust & Investment, Dusit Thani Guam Resort
 
Individual Tickets: $200 per person
Early Bird Table: $1,600 for a table of 10
Tickets and tables may be purchased online at www.guammuseumfoundation.org or in person at the Guam Museum, Tuesday through Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to noon and 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The final day to purchase tables and tickets is September 30, 2026. In-person sales will close at 4:00 p.m., while online sales will close at 10:00 p.m.

09/09/2026

The general feasts, called gupot, were held to celebrate a number of
occasions: a marriage or the birth of a son in the family of some chief, the conclusion
big fish, etc. Dancing and singing were part of all of these ceremonies.

Let us suppose that the occasion was one of the latter type. Before entering the port,
the fisherman would make a specific signal which, as soon as it was sighted, would attract the people of the village to the beach, carrying wreaths of flowers and young palm
leaves. The crowd would lead him home in a sort of triumph, and while congratulating
him on his success. Once there, he presented the marine monster to his wife, who hastened to her closest female relative, who in turn sent it to another woman, and so on, until the fish in question arrived at the house of a woman who, according to the established order, could no longer send it to anyone else. The fish was then cut up and distributed among the fisherman and the persons to whom it had been offered successively.

Inviolable rules were scrupulously adhered to for the circuit that the fish had to follow
before getting to its destination; to break such rules would have been to expose oneself to attract implacable enemies. Besides, it did not matter whether the fish, at the end of this long ride, was completely putrefied or not. – Levesque translation from the Freycinet expedition

Manaotaomo’na Moments are a series of videos created by Guam Museum Assistants and Interna under the guidance of Dr. Kelly Marsh-Taitano. This video was written by Nazaara Sharma and edited by Kay Quidachay.

28/08/2026

The Museum cares for more than 200,000 artifacts, each with something to tell us about the lives, knowledge, and ingenuity of i Manaotåomo’na.

Listen in and see how many of these artifacts you recognize—and what they can tell us about CHamoru ancestors!

Are there other artifacts in our collection you’d like to see featured? Let us know in the comments!

See you next week for another !

Video produced and edited by Kay Quidachay. Video footage by museum intern Nazaara Sharma. This series is coordinated by Dr. Kelly Marsh-Taitano in collaboration with our museum assistants.

Always wanted to try cultural music and dance or share our culture while traveling? This is your chance.The Guam Nationa...
25/08/2026

Always wanted to try cultural music and dance or share our culture while traveling? This is your chance.

The Guam National Indigenous Performing Arts Academy (NIPAA) is offering FREE Beginning Cultural Music & Dance Clinics, open to beginners and experienced participants ready to grow.

No experience, audition, or commitment required. Just come, learn, and grow with us.

✨ Learn CHamoru music and dance foundations
✨ Train with the NIPAA community
✨ Build skills and confidence
✨ Represent Guåhan locally and globally
✈️ Explore GVB promotional tour opportunities

We’re building a community of cultural ambassadors to share and represent our island at home and abroad.

Just passion needed.

Be part of the movement.
🌺 FREE | Ages 15+
📍 Guam Museum
📅 Mondays & Wednesdays
🕕 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
🗓️ August 24 – September 16

No pre-registration required just come by. Sign up on arrival. Minors (under 18) must bring a parent or guardian on the first day.

Bring a friend who’s always wanted to try!

CulturalDance

20/08/2026

Imagine standing in an ancestral village. The air is filled with the sounds of manhoben (children) playing, lalåhi (men) preparing canoes for the sea, and shell adzes carving wood to repair a house. Nearby, someone harvests rice using perhaps a sharpened shell from a palus (sunset clam) or a sainan do’gas, fashioned from the outer lip of a spider conch shell. Beside them, famalao’an (women) carefully pound the unhulled rice, loosening the husks without crushing the grain itself.
Although we do not yet know how far back in time activities like these first became part of life in Låguas yan Gåni (the Mariana Islands), we are now learning that the story of rice here began with some of the earliest i Manaotåomo’na (People of Before).

Microscopic traces of rice plants preserved on pottery and stone pounders, impressions of rice husks and spikelets in ancient ceramics, and charred rice grains recovered from ancestral burial sites demonstrate that some of the earliest people to voyage to Låguas yan Gåni brought rice with them when they crossed over a thousand miles of open ocean over 3,000 years ago. In fact, i Manaotåomo’na are the only Pacific Island people in Remote Oceania known to have cultivated rice in ancestral times.

The importance of rice was widespread, with remains of it having been found at ancestral sites on Guåhan, Luta, Tini’an, Sa’ipan, and even the far northern island of As Songsong (Asuncion). Just as telling, the CHamoru language preserves this deep history. Words such as få’i (growing rice), famå’ayan (rice field), and pugas (uncooked rice) have ancient Austronesian roots, reminding us that language, like archaeology, can carry memories across countless generations.

Although today it can be hard for many to imagine a meal without rice, rice in ancestral times was not simply another crop, nor was it eaten with every meal, or perhaps even every day.

Håfa Adai, The Guam Museum regrets to announce the cancellation of the I Hinanao-ta performances scheduled for August 20...
17/08/2026

Håfa Adai, The Guam Museum regrets to announce the cancellation of the I Hinanao-ta performances scheduled for August 20, 21 and 22.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and understand the disappointment this news may bring to our guests, supporters, performers, and community.

Ticket holders will be contacted regarding refunds.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support of the Guam Museum and The Guam Museum Foundation.

Si Yu’us Ma’ase.

13/08/2026

Madison Orland, one of our Museum Assistants invites you to visit the newest exhibit in our rotating gallery, a 40 year retrospective featuring the work of internationally renowned CHamoru abstract artist Mark Dell’isola. This free exhibit will remain open until October 31, 2026 and is filled with large, immersive pieces that take you through the many evolutions of Dell’isola’s work across the decades.

Visiting hours to the Guam Museum are Tuesdays - Fridays from 9 am - 4 pm and Saturdays from 10 am - 2 pm. This exhibit is funded in part by the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities, the Office of Governor of Guam and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Video edited by Kay Quidachay.

11/08/2026

Immerse yourself in the CHamoru spirit!

Experience I Hinanåo-ta at the Guam Museum Theatre, featuring an incredible lineup of talented musicians, dancers, and storytellers who bring our culture and heritage to life!

Showing on:
• Thursday, August 13, 2026
• Friday, August 14, 2026
• Saturday, August 15, 2026
• Thursday, August 20, 2026
• Friday, August 21, 2026
• Saturday, August 22, 2026
(* Purchase your tickets online at guammuseumfoundation.org)

06/08/2026

features the mitåte!

Join our museum assistants for a behind-the-scenes look at one of the mitåte in the Guam Museum’s collection and discover why it was an essential part of many CHamoru households.

Did you know that corn became an important staple used to make titiyas, empanadas, corn soup, and many other favorite foods? Listen in to learn why the mitåte was such a valuable household tool.

Do you remember seeing a mitåte in your family’s home, or do you have stories about how it was used? We’d love to hear your memories in the comments!

See you next week for another Manaotaomo’na Moments!

Video produced by Kay Quidachay. Script written by Teaghan Ha’åni Carruth, Museum Intern from the University of Hawaiʻi. This series is coordinated by Dr. Kelly Marsh-Taitano in collaboration with our museum assistants.

As the Marianas prepares for Typhoon Bavi to hit, let us recall a previous storm, Typhoon Paka. On December 16-17, 1997,...
05/07/2026

As the Marianas prepares for Typhoon Bavi to hit, let us recall a previous storm, Typhoon Paka.

On December 16-17, 1997, Typhoon Paka struck Guam.
 
It was a devastating typhoon with sustained winds of 140 mph and gusts reaching 185 mph. There were some reports that the gusts may have reached as high as 230 mph, but couldn’t be confirmed as the recording equipment failed due to the storm’s intensity.
 
An estimated 1,500 buildings were destroyed, 10,000 were damaged and 5,000 people were left homeless. Property and infrastructure damages to the island totaled more than $500 million. Around 100 injuries were reported due to the storm, but no loss of life.
 
This is image is from Dededo, Guam in the aftermath of Paka.

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Hagatna
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