By Bryan Manabat
bryan@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
EDUCATORS, policymakers, and community leaders in the CNMI gathered Nov. 5 and 6 at Saipan World Resort for a two-day symposium aimed at assessing and strengthening the preservation of Chamorro and Carolinian languages and culture.
Hosted by the Chamorro and Carolinian Language Policy Commission, the event — held under the theme, “Strengthening Our Language Roots” — brought together teachers, government officials, lawmakers, and representatives from the Public School System and Northern Marianas College to evaluate the current state of indigenous language education and chart a path forward.
“The main purpose is to bring everyone together — teachers, government, PSS, lawmakers — so we can assess where we are in our language and culture,” said Donald Mendiola, board chairman of the commission. “Wherever we see a need for improvement, we address it.”
The symposium featured presentations, workshops, and cultural activities, with a strong focus on empowering educators who serve as frontline stewards of language transmission.
Funding and policy gaps
Acting Commission Director Ramona Camacho highlighted the commission’s biggest challenge: resources.
“Our responsibility is not just to revisit policy but to advocate for financial support from lawmakers,” Camacho said. “Teaching children to speak the vernacular is free, but enhancing education with proper materials and orthography requires funding.”
Camacho and Mendiola emphasized the need for legislation that mandates certified instruction in Chamorro and Carolinian at both PSS and NMC, ensuring curriculum development and teacher training are backed by law.
“We want to make sure that language preservation is not just a goal but a legal mandate,” Camacho said. “There are still missing pieces, and this symposium helps us identify and fill those gaps.”
Language starts at home
Mendiola underscored the importance of parental involvement in language education.
“Parents are the first language teachers,” Mendiola said. “Daily conversations at home in Chamorro or Carolinian lay the foundation. When children come to school, teachers can build on that.”
Camacho echoed the sentiment, pushing back against criticism that teachers alone bear the responsibility for language loss.
“This is a whole community responsibility,” she said. “Teachers enhance what begins at home.”
DCCA Secretary Francisco Rabauliman also stressed the urgency of the issue.
“As I stated in my opening remarks, both Chamorro and Carolinian languages are dying, and this is not news. It is obvious that our local languages are not being spoken like we would expect,” he said.
“We realize that we need to revisit this issue, hold a symposium, bring all stakeholders together, and come up with meaningful, actionable steps to promote and sustain our local languages,” he added.
Bryan Manabat was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College where he also studied criminal justice. He is the recipient of the NMI Humanities Award as an Outstanding Teacher (Non-Classroom) in 2013, and has worked for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Literacy Program as lead facilitator.
