The Guam History Pages

Prehistoric Mariana Islands

 

 

 

 

 

II. The Latte Phase

 

The second prehistoric settlement period or occupational phase for the Mariana Islands is known as the latte phase. It is a period of time when latte stones were built in the Mariana Islands. Latte stones were used in building wood and thatched pile, or elevated houses. The stones are known as megalithic house posts. A megalith is a huge prehistoric stone structure that was made to interlock without the use of cement or mortar of any kind. A megalith also is a word that describes ancient architecture that may have specific meaning to the native people. While most latte stones were made of limestone, some were made of basalt. Limestone is coral that had become part of the rock formation of the island, while basalt is a dark gray volcanic rock.

 

Latte Stone sites found on Guam, Rota, Tinian and Saipan all estimated to have begun around 800 AD. The initials A.D. after a date refer to the present dating system and stand for the Latin words, Anno Domini, which means in the year of our Lord or during the common era. There were sites especially on Rota and Guam that were dated to be around 1200 AD. One latte site on Pagan Island was dated at about 1325 AD. Almost all of the information for this period comes from archeological reports, linguistic studies. Information gathered from early written records, and by the study of the native oral histories. Although the ancient Chamorros did not leave behind a written record, the early visitors wrote many interesting, although not always true, stories of how they lived.

 

All village sites for the latte people were found along the coastal regions of all the Mariana islands. All of these settlements were located so that the people would have an easy access to the open ocean and access to fresh water. Some settlements were also found inland and near the banks of rivers. Most of these inland settlements were found to have later carbon dates associated with them. There are at least two sites on Guam that were located far from the ocean, or at a place where ocean access would be difficult at best. Archeological evidence points to some of the latest latte sets. Perhaps the village was constructed far inland in order to hide from the cruelty of the Spanish. In this case, the normal life of these people would have been so disrupted, that they would have had to change their survival tactics to include more river resources.

 

Some Latte stones were only 2 ½ feet high. These were generally the older latte stones and were probably constructed to keep the houses high enough above the ground to protect the people from tsunamis. The House of Taga on Tinian island is said to be about 18 ½ feet high. This is the tallest latte set that was completed and used by the ancient people. The As Nieves latte quarry contain stones that could reach as high as 22 feet. These stones were still being manufactured by the people when the site became abandoned. Most historians believe that some condition kept the laborers from finishing this latte set. It could have been from disease that swept the village, killing many of the people, or because of war.

 

Generally, the older villages had smaller latte sets. Most latte sets had between 6-12 haligi and tasa. Haligi is the Chamorro word for the pillar or post of the latte set. Haligi are somewhat rectangular in form, tapering slightly at the top. Tasa is derived from the Spanish word for cup. This is the Chamorro word for the capstone of the latte. The capstone almost looks like a cup without a handle on it. The bottom of the tasa, was carved to fit the top of the haligi perfectly. The latte stone was made to allow for some movement, but was made in such a way to be durable and stable as well. The ability of the latte stone to withstand many of Guam's earthquakes is a testimony of the ancient people's skills in engineering.

 

Some latte stones were quarried, or carved from rock directly from the reef flats like those found on Urunao in northern Guam. Other stones were quarried from the side of limestone cliffs, like the stones on Tinian island. Some latte stones were quarried from the limestone in the ground, like the abandoned quarry site on Rota. It is easy enough to imagine the ancient people placing the carved tasa upon each haligi as they constructed their homes. But the larger and taller sets poses some question among scientists. For example: How did the people place the capstone on top of the House of Taga?

 

Latte stones were made as parallel sets to hold rectangular houses. The smallest set had six while the largest set had 12. There is one set described as having 14 latte stones. These parallel rows were all set parallel to the shore. Usually in a village ares, one or two of the latte sets were made to stone perpendicular to the shore. Scientists believe that these houses were set differently because they were not used as simple house posts, as most latte sets were used. The buildings that were made to stand at an angle to the shore were probably used for some other purpose like a men's house, canoe house, or the house of a high ranking chief. The building of latte stones during prehistoric times in the Mariana islands tells us that the people were developing a complex society, one that had different levels or ranks of people. This ranking could be based on skill, knowledge, power or birth- either one or a combination of those characteristics.

 

 

Pottery

 

During the latte phase, Marianas Plain Ware was commonly used for storing or cooking food. The pottery was made with black sand temper and was very durable. The pottery was designed with thicker walls and they were large pots. The size of the pottery reflected a growth in the population with a need to preserve food. Rice was introduced during this time as well. The introduction of rice at this time helped the population increase because rice can be stored in a dry state to be cooked later. Although the people still fished every day, they were less dependent on good weather to eat.

 

Sometime during the latte phase, the women began making pottery with more decorations on them. They carved parallel lines, circles, semi-circles and zigzag lines onto the rim of the pots. They then filled these decorations with afok, or lime. This type of pottery was called Marianas Lime Filled Impressed Ware. The designs were distinctive to the Mariana islands. Some archeologists believe that certain clan groups developed special designs only for their clan. The designs prove that women were highly skilled pottery makers; it showed the highest technological advancement of skills for women. The ancient Chamorros took special care when working with their crafts. It also shows that young women learned to make pottery from their elders. Pottery was used everyday and because of this, remains one of the most abundant artifact found in any latte site.

 

 

Weapons

 

There was an introduction of weapons during the latte period. When prehistoric societies begin to practice warfare, it means that there was some competition for resources like land and water rights. Another reason for warfare could be a competition between high ranking men to hold the title of chief. There are legends told of great chiefs of Guam and the norther Mariana islands.

 

The Acho' atupat or sling stone and the human bone spear tip are two artifacts used as weapons. The tibia (human shin bone) was often removed from grave sites and used to carve barbed spear tips, or tips that had some backward-facing points along the sides. The barbs were carved in such a way that if a spear tip entered the body, it would be difficult or impossible to remove it without causing more injury or death. Some burials showed the barbed spear tips within the skeletal remains. The woven sling or atupat that was used to throw sling stones was probably made of pagu bark, or wild hibiscus fiber with a loop on one end to fit the hand. The other end was released as the stone is first twirled and then thrown. The acho' of the acho' atupat was football shaped. There were many sling stones found for this period, which suggested a constant practice or war.

 

Padre Sanvitores, the first Spanish priest to establish a mission on Guam, mentioned that the ancient Chamorros were very accurate when throwing this weapon. Dr. Kurashina, an archeologist, mentioned that this period shows an increase in physical injuries found in the burials. The sling stones varied in size, some only a few inches long while others were very large, almost as large as a football. While most acho' were made either of limestone or basalt, some were also made of clay. The clay sling stones were most likely used for practice within the clan groups in preparing young boys to become warriors.

 

Another weapon was a tunas or walking stick. High ranking men walked around the village with the tunas. These sticks also had a stone attached to the bottom. It has been suggested that the tunas could also have been a farming or digging tool as well.

 

 

Ancestor Worship

 

One indication of ancestor worship practiced during the latte phase was the use of human bone to make weapons. It is possible the people believed that the bones of their ancestors held their spirit and strength. By making weapons with these bones, a warrior would gain the strength of their ancestors. Another indication of ancestor worship comes from Padre Sanvitores' dairy. He described how the people hung woven baskets along the walls of their homes. Within these baskets, the people would place the skull or hands of their ancestors. The people would occasionally take down these baskets and shine the bones and talk to their ancestors. The skull and hands represent the knowledge and skills of the ancients. Burials on Guam showed that some of the remains were missing parts of the body, particularly the skull, tibia, and hands. Sanvitores also indicated that the makahna or witch doctor of ancient Guam had a large collection of skulls in his home. The makahna practiced the black arts and also worshiped the ancestors.

 

 

Stone and Shell Tools

 

The ancient people used the lusong or stone mortar to grind their food or mix medicine. Some lusong were made from limestone, but most were made from volcanic rock. Some had more than one indentation. These could be family stones where more than one woman within the family worked together to grind food. The Chamorro lommok or stone pestle was a tear drop shaped stone pounder. The lommok was used with the lusong for pounding food, medicine, or for making magic.

 

Another tool for the latte phase is the stone or shell adze. This is a carving tool. The latte phase adze was a little different than the adze used during the pre-latte phase. The shell used during the pre-latte phase was a non-local shell. This would indicate a constant travel to areas other than the Marianas for the shell to make their tools. In the latte phase, the shell of the adze was entirely local. This could indicate that the people just did not have the time to trade long distances. Perhaps they were busy preparing more food for the larger population or they were busy practicing war.

 

Stones and shells were also used to make food scrapers, sinkers for the fishing line, and sinkers for nets. During the pre-latte phase, many of the tools and artifacts were made of shell and fish bone. During the latte phase, more artifacts were made of stone.

 

One such stone artifact was the poio or fishing lure. The poio is also called acho' achuman. The rock used to catch the achuman fish. A half coconut shell is attached to a rock with rope. The shell is filled with coconut. Openings are carved into the shell that would allow the coconut to escape a little at a time while the lure is in the water. The fish come to eat the coconut, and fisherman uses a hand net to catch the fish.

 

Another stone artifact is the fishing weir. A weir is a trap of piled stones that are piled in a circular shape just before the reef, in the shallow waters. Fishing weirs have been used since prehistory in locations all around the world. During high tide the fish swim closer to shore, when the tide goes out, the fish become trapped in the weir. Although the opening is large enough for the fish to go in, the angle of the entrance meant that the fish would become trapped.

 

 

Weaving

 

We can assume the people made many woven articles for their every day use. Although woven materials rarely survive in the ground long enough for study by archeologists, all the people of the pacific created similar woven articles. There were also many written documents that mentioned the skills of the people in weaving things like hats, mats, sails, and so on.

 

Shrimp traps were usually made of thinly woven strips of bamboo. These traps were designed in such a way that the shrimp would swim with the current into the trap but was unable to escape because strategically placed bamboo strips blocked the entrance. Other materials used for weaving include pandanus leaves, pagu bark, nipa leaves, wild sword grass, river reeds, and coconut leaves. Nipa is a tree that grows along the banks of rivers. The leaves of this tree is similar in shape to the coconut, although the plant does not bear the coconut fruit. The leaves are thicker and more durable than the coconut leaves, so it is a fiber that is preferred for making thatched houses.

 

The Chamorro talaya, or throw net was made of wild hibiscus fiber, or pagu bark. The weave of the net was closely woven to catch smaller schools of fish within the reef. There are four basic kinds of fish and so four types of talaya weave. These were talayan menhis, manahak, ee-e and tiao. The chenchulu is a drag net used for community fishing. The net is placed over the channel in the reef and members of the fishing party help to drag the net to shore, forming a smaller and smaller circle. The owner of the net usually gets the largest share of the catch and the rest is divided among everyone else. Usually, different families of the village send their family representatives to help, so they can get a share of fish. Community fishing helped to ensure the entire village had food, it also emphasized the need for people to help each other in order to survive.

 

The Chamorro word chenchule' is derived from the word chenchulu. Chenchule' refers to the help one gives to relatives or neighbors when they are having a social function like a wedding or christening. Today, this help is in the form of money. But chenchule' is also in the form of labor or gifts that are needed by the family. For example, neighbors might come to help cook, or bring vegetables from their farm. Others might come to help build a temporary shelter, or to pick fire wood for cooking.

 

 

Summary

 

As population began to grow during the latte phase, the society began to make changes in their way of life. They started to build more durable house structures, created weapons to protect their land and water resources, and developed tools such as pottery that helped them preserve food. The society became more and more complex as competition for resources increased. In the early latte phase, the stones used for pillars of houses were only about 2 ½ feet above the ground. As the population grew, so did the height of the stones. This change through time helps us picture how clan groups moved from having respect for a leader in their group to bestowing honor and prestige to great chiefs and warriors.

 

Other indications of a complex society come from artifacts such as weapons, and pottery. All of these developments point to highly skilled workmanship that would require some years of training to learn. Although the people did not leave a written record, the early visitors described in writing and drawings, great chiefs that began to control large areas of land. By the time of the arrival of Padre Sanvitores, the great latte stones on Tinian island were already made. The latte phase of Marianas prehistory was a time of great change for the ancient people. Some archeologists believe that the society was on the brink of creating kingdoms on each island.

 

 

Vocabulary

 

latte phase                                 latte stones                         pile houses                megalithic                               limestone                                   basalt                                    A.D.                            haligi                                              tasa                                             pillar                                      quarried                    complex society                         

Marianas Plain Ware               acho' atupat                          barbed                      atupat      

bone spear tip                          tibia                                        pagu                          tunas                                          

ancestor worship                     lusong                                    lommok                    adze

poio                                            acho' achuman                    weir                           nipa                    

talaya                                         chenchulu                            chenchule' 

Marianas Lime Filled Impressed Ware  

 

 

Study Questions

 

1. Describe a latte stone site.

2. How did the introduction of rice into the society help population growth?

3. What did the practice of warfare show for the ancient latte phase?

4. What two things did the tibia spear tip prove about the ancient society?

5. What made the latte phase adze different from those made during the pre-latte phase?

6. Describe how chenchule' helped to keep the village working towards the good of all members to ensure survival in ancient times.