The Guam History Pages

Chapter 2     Vocabulary 

 

1.  The latte phase - The time when people began building latte stones.  It was the second prehistoric occupational phase  and began about 800 A.D.  to 1200 B.P.

 

2.  A.D. - Anno Domini, In the Year of Our Lord.

 

3.  Megalith – A huge stone structure.

 

4.  Limestone – Coral that had become part of the rock formation of the island.

 

5.  Basalt – A dark grey volcanic rock.

 

6.  Pile houses – Houses built on piles or columns that elevated them above the ground.

 

7.  Latte stones – Megalithic house pillars.  Most latte stones were made of coral limestone, but some were also made of basalt.

 

8.  Pillar – post or column.

 

9.  Haligi – The Chamorro term for the pillar or post of the latte stone.

 

10.  Tasa – The Chamorro term for the cap or top of the latte stone.

 

11.  Complex society – A society made up of different levels of people.  They may be divided by blood, economic level, education, or skills.

 

12.  Padre Diego Luis de Sanvitores-  The first Catholic missionary to establish a church on Guam.

 

The Latte period is marked with the building of latte stones as house pillars in the Mariana Islands. 

 

Latte Stone sites found on Guam, Rota, Tinian and Saipan all all estimated to have begun around 800 AD. 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.

 

Marianas Plain Ware was the pottery the people began making.  They were large containers that used a black sand temper.  Most likely used for cooking or storing food.

 

During this period, there was also the introduction of rice and warfare to the Mariana Islands.   Ancient sites were developed near the coast and near a fresh water source.  Some Latte stones were only 2 ½ feet high.  The House of Taga is said to be about 18 ½ feet high. Generally, the older villages had smaller latte sets.

 

Most latte sets had between 6-12 haligi and tasa set in parallel rows. There is one set described as having 14.

 

The Acho' atupat or sling stone and the human bone spear tip are two artifacts used as weapons.

The tibia (shin bone) was often removed from grave sites and used to carve barbed spear tips.

 

The sling was probably made of pagu 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.

 

Padre Sanvitores,  mentioned that the ancient Chamorros were very acurate when throwing this weapon.

Dr. Kurashina, an archeologist, mentioned that this period shows an increase in physical injuries found in the burials.

A tunas is a walking stick.  They also had a stone attached to the bottom.  The tunas could also have been used for either war, or for farming.

 

Lusong or stone mortar – the ancient people used this 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.

Lommok or stone pestle- The Chamorro lommok had a tear drop shape.

 

Some people say that a lusong with more than one indentation was used for making magic.  It could also have been a group of women sharing the same lusong.

 

Ancient Chamorros practiced ancestor worship. Skulls and hands were removed from burials and put in baskets that were hung in their homes. Ocasionally, these skulls were taken down from the pride of place on the wall and polished with coconut oil.Some graves had more than one skeleton, likely buried at different times.  Certain parts may be missing from the burials:  the skull, the hands and the tibia.

 

A shrimp trap made with thinly woven strips of bamboo. These were laid in the river or streams of Guam.

It was designed so that the shrimp could easily go in but could not come out.

 

A poio or fish lure.  This is also called Acho' Achuman.   Achuman is a fish and acho' means rock.

 

Fishing weirs have been used since prehistory in locations all around the world.  Stones are piled in a circular shape just before the reef, in the shallow waters.  Although the opening is large enough for the fish to go in, the angle of the entrance meant that the fish would become trapped.

 

Pandanus could be used to make baskets, mats and even sails for the canoe.

 

A talaya is a throw  net.  This is used to catch schools of fish during their season near the shore.  There are 4 basic kinds of talaya with the net closely woven and named for the fish it is woven for.  Menhis,  manahak, ee-e and tiao.

The drag net is called Chenchulu.  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 representatives to help.

 

Alaguan Bay Ancient Village, Rota  This site covers about 25 acres, and a survey conducted in 1988 lists the following: three 12-pillar, six 10-pillar, and 42 six- or eight-pillar latte.  Based on the distribution of these latte, seven distinct residential groups were identified by archeologists.  Based on the dating of charcoal samples taken during the excavation, it was determined that Alaguan was settled between 700 and 900 years ago

 

Compare and contrast the pre latte period with the Latte period.

 

1. Pottery                                                                   

2.  Size of Settlements

3.  Houses

4.  Tools

5.  Weapons

6.  Food

7.  Burials