Image is of the Polowat-Marianas Voyage 2001. Two traditional outrigger canoes, the HALAMETAW and the QUEST, with a crew of sailors and navigators from Polowat, and with members of the Univ of Guam Seafarers took part on various legs of this trip. The HALAMETAW returned to Polowat after stops in Guam and Saipan. The QUEST returned to Guam at the Paseo Park canoe house (Sahyan Tasi Fache Mwan - The Meeting of Great Spirits/Vessel of the Sea). |
Once upon a time, Guam was blessed with a Goddess of the Seas who would
direct the ships to a safe entry into the island. The goddess would appear
in any form that was needed to guide a ship to safety.
Sometimes she would appear as a ball of fire, leading the ship in the right
direction. The ships would always arrive safely, and the captains of the ships
believed it was because of the blessed Goddess of the Seas.
One day, as a ship was sailing near Guam, a terrible storm hit suddenly and
blew the ship off-course. The ship had drifted so far that none of the ship's
crew knew where they were. The goddess, using a brilliant ball of fire,
guided the battered ship safely back to the harbor. To this day, many
captains believe in the Goddess of the Seas, and feel protected when nearing
Guam's port.
This legend taken from the book "Hemplon Nåna Siha: A Collection of Chamorro Legends and Stories" might relate to an ancient recollection of a "brilliant ball of fire" or supernova which may have guided the latte people to Guam.
