Chamorro Agency and Us Colonial
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UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI’I LIBRARY “PRACTICING ECONOMY”: CHAMORRO AGENCY AND U.S. COLONIAL AGRICULTURAL PROJECTS, 1898-1941 A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI’I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN PACIFIC ISLANDS STUDIES SUMMER 2018 By Elyssa Juline Santos Thesis Committee: David Hanlon, Chairperson Terence Wesley-Smith Tarcisius Kabutaulaka Lola Quan Bautista We certify that we have read this thesis and that, in our opinion, it is satisfactory in scope and quality as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in Pacific Islands Studies. THESIS COMMITTEE _______________________________ Chairperson _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ © 2018, Elyssa Juline Santos i For my Nina, Christine Miranda (January 3, 1971- June 23, 2018), whose personality I share and whose spirit accompanied me throughout the writing of this thesis. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A great number of individuals and institutions are deserving of my deepest appreciation for their support and contributions to this thesis. My passion for Guam History, Pacific History, and oral history is owed to the mentorship of instructors at the University of Guam (UOG). My former History professor, Dr. Anne Perez Hattori, continues to tell me not to sell myself short and embark on new journeys. Graduate school would not have been possible had it not been for her encouragement. Like her, Dr. James Perez Viernes has always looked out for my best interests and continues to inspire me as a young Chamorro scholar. I met Dr. Viernes around the same time as Señora Teresita Flores who showed me the depth and beauty of the Chamorro language. Señora Flores continues to demonstrate the value and pleasure of a career centered on culture, language, and heritage. Last but not least amongst this UOG family is Dr. Michael Clement, Jr. who is both a great History mentor as well as my appointed life coach. I appreciate his accepting every late-night phone call from Hawaii to talk me through each “crisis.” Through Dr. Clement, I met the lovely Francine Clement whose strength continues to inspire me. Through Dr. Hattori and Dr. Viernes, I learned of the Center for Pacific Islands Studies (CPIS), an institution deeply committed to serving Pacific communities and Oceanian students. It has been a pleasure working with committee members Dr. Terence Wesley- Smith, Dr. Tarcisius Kabutaulaka, and Dr. Lola Bautista, as well as other CPIS faculty and staff to include Dr. Alex Mawyer, Dr. Mary Hattori (now at Chaminade University), Dr. James Perez Viernes (now at UH Mānoa), Dr. Jan Rensel, Dr. Julie Walsh, Jennifer Mercado, Samalaulu Chrissy Lam Yuen, and Malia Infiel. I am grateful for the early brainstorming sessions with Dr. Terence and his patience throughout the paperwork process. I also appreciate Dr. Tara for taking the time to sit with me and map out my thoughts. His sense of humor has also been refreshing and made the writing process much more enjoyable. I am also iii grateful for Dr. Lola’s thorough reviews as well as her warmth which sustained me throughout this journey. A special thanks goes out to Dr. Mawyer for helping me improve my confidence and telling me “you’re right where you need to be.” Through Dr. Anne Hattori and Dr. Viernes, I was introduced to the East-West Center (EWC). The Center’s institutional support has made graduate school become a reality and has contributed tremendously to my scholarly, professional, and personal development. Thank you to former Dean of Education Mary Hammond for your warm welcome and support even post-retirement. Un dångkolo na si Yu’us Ma’åse to the Education team, especially to Bronson and Dean Ann Hartman. Dean Ann, I will always appreciate your making time to chat and learn about my interests, helping me build my professional network, and eating pizza rolls with me by the WES food table. To my colleagues in the East-West Center Participant Association, I am grateful to have served with you. It was also a pleasure working alongside Gretchen Alther whose collaborative work with Pacific islander community leaders is extremely admirable. Thank you to Stella Kolinski who opened her doors to me throughout my days at the Center. I am also deeply indebted to Mama Trudy and Papa Al Wong for welcoming me into their EWC ohana and into their home when I had a beg bug issue at the dorm at the time of my defense (the final stretch had been a real test of strength and perseverance). Much love also goes out to the members of the Pan-Pacific Association (PPA) who served as my family away from home. Mo, Jonathan, Omid, Enly, Sopa, and Teo… I love you, bros. To my sisters a.k.a. the “Mānoa Valley Girls” – Mary, Katherine, Trish, Liz, Diliaur, Taylor, and Amy – I will forever cherish the moments we shared at “the fort” as well as our decompression sessions at Chiang Mai, Ross, Whole Foods, and Targét. And who can forget the other two musketeers – Payal and Soksamphoas – who I began this EWC journey with? iv Beyond the East-West Center, I’ve learned a great deal from my Pacific History professors, Dr. David Hanlon and Dr. David Chappell. As my Committee Chair, Dr. Hanlon has been extremely encouraging and patient throughout this research process. I am fortunate to have taken as many of his classes prior to his much-deserved retirement. As a Pacific historian specializing in the region known as “Micronesia”, he continues to be an inspiration to myself and others. While taking classes under Dr. Hanlon and Dr. Chappell, I had the pleasure of learning from History classmates Amanda Sullivan Lee, Terava Lana Casey, Ami Ishihara Mulligan, Kaipo Matsumoto, and Garrett Hillyer. I appreciate their writing workshop invitations, pep talks, and tips on “how to grad school” while being a History student. This research is archive-heavy thanks to the help of the staff at the Micronesian Area Research Center (MARC). Thank you to Dr. Monique Storie, Auntie Lou, and Mrs. LaVonne for sharing with me MARC’s treasurers as well as your food. A special thanks goes out to Auntie Carmen for her love and affection, and for assisting me long-distance to retrieve necessary source information. The staff of the UH Mānoa Hawaii-Pacific Collection – Eleanor Kleiber, Stu Dawrs, Kapena Shim, and Anne Rabinko – are also greatly appreciated for their assistance and friendliness. Providing me a safe space to practice my indigenous activism include Kumu Noenoe Silva and scholars Vehia Wheeler, Serena Ngaio Simmons, Joy Enomoto, and Kim Compoc. Thank you to Aiko Yamashiro for reminding me to remind myself why I’m here in the first place. Much love to LeeAna yan i ma’estra-hu Kisha Borja-Quichocho for your therapeutic red rice and kelaguen and for talking with me whenever I needed my Chamorro fix. Much love also goes out to Nohno Yoanna, Auntie Kathy, and Malia for being my escape from academia, my shoulders to lean on, and my inspiration as Pacific community leaders. v I will be forever grateful to my elders who’ve participated in prior research interviews featured in this thesis: my great-grandmother, Francisca Quintanilla Franquez, Ben Meno, Ben Gumataotao, and Nito Blas. Un dångkolo na Si Yu’us Ma’åse to Dr. Miget Bevacqua, Ken Gofigan Kuper, and i mañelu-hu Andrew, Victoria, Betu, Hannah, Jesse, Tia, Kallen, and Manny for their unapologetic Chamorro-ness, inspiring activism, and support from home. Last but not least, un dångkolo na si Yu’us Ma’åse to my family on Guam whose chenchule’ and prayers have kept me alive while living abroad for the first time. Thank you to my parents, Francine M. Leon Guerrero and Joey M. Santos, and my brother, Brendan Santos, for their endless love and support throughout my life. I am also deeply indebted to my grandparents and great-grandparents who continue to make sacrifices for myself and for our families. Thank you to Grandma Julie and Mrs. Umagat for helping my mom fly out to attend my graduation and to Ms. Connie and Mrs. Mendiola for holding down the fort while she was with me. Thank you, Grandma Julie and Papa Charles, for always coming to my financial rescue and supporting my education. I also love my Auntie Ciyn, Nina Lorie, Auntie Jeannie, Auntie Lisa, Auntie Irene and Nina Chris for being my role models as strong Chamorro women. A special thank you is also dedicated to the Edelo family who hosted me in Hawaii. I am deeply indebted to Auntie Lola who continues to nurture my mind, body, and soul. I love you all. Last but not least, thank you to my Marenau for your love, support, and patience. vi ABSTRACT This thesis is a historical analysis of economic development on Guam during the early U.S. naval administration (1898-1941). It focuses largely on the development of the agricultural industry which was perceived by colonial officials as the most accessible to Chamorros and therefore the industry with the greatest potential to transform Guam into a modern economy. By the early twentieth century, the United States was experiencing an economic depression, making it increasingly challenging to sustain its overseas empire. Consequently, the pro-imperial bureaucrats embarked on a campaign to make its colonies like Guam more “self-sustaining.” To lower the cost of administering the island and to combat food and funding shortages, the naval government imposed a series of development projects. Said to be implemented for the benefit of the people of Guam, these colonial projects worked to inscribe notions of American patriotism and loyalty onto Chamorro bodies and instill in them western economic values and practices.