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UOG’s Guam Green Growth Makerspace celebrates CHamoru Month with cultural workshops

UOG’s Guam Green Growth Makerspace celebrates CHamoru Month with cultural workshops

UOG’s Guam Green Growth Makerspace celebrates CHamoru Month with cultural workshops


3/7/2025
Female weaving cocunut leaves
Lia Barcinas, local artist and weaver, will be teaching the workshop on woven hat making to be held at the G3 Circular Economy Makerspace and Innovation Hub.  Barcinas returns to the Hub after a successful debut last year.
Hands weaving coconut leaves
The March G3 CHamoru workshops will celebrate cultural artforms including weaving and kamyu making.  Registration is open for these classes and can be found at guamgreengrowth.org.
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The University of Guam’s Guam Green Growth (G3) Circular Economy Makerspace and Innovation Hub is set to host a series of workshops throughout March in celebration of CHamoru Month. These workshops offer a unique opportunity for the community to engage with traditional CHamoru crafts and practices, promoting both cultural preservation and sustainable living.

The G3 Makerspace, located at the CHamoru Village in Hagåtña, is dedicated to fostering a circular economy in Guam, with these workshops moving to blend that mission with the celebration of the island's indigenous culture. By offering hands-on experiences with traditional crafts, the makerspace aims to connect the community with the island's heritage while also encouraging them to think creatively about resourcefulness and sustainability.

“We are very excited for this month’s line up of workshops. Our people are always looking for resources to learn how to do the things that our ancestors did to sustain themselves over centuries, and those resources are not as available as they used to be,” said UOG CIS & Sea Grant Associate Director for Communications and Community Engagement Kyle Mandapat. “I hope people come to these workshops, learn, and help teach these practices to future generations.” 

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS:

  • FINA'NAGUEN TINIFOK: COCONUT HAT WEAVING WORKSHOP: This workshop will teach participants the intricate art of coconut hat weaving, a traditional CHamoru craft on Thursday, March 13 at 5pm.
  • KATUPAT WEAVING: This workshop will teach attendees how to weave a katupat, the traditional mechanism for cooking rice.  It will be held on Thursday, March 20 at 5pm.
  • BUILD YOUR OWN KÅMYU WORKSHOP: This workshop will instruct attendees on how to build their own traditional Kåmyu, the tool used by CHamorus to grate the meat of the coconut in preparation for food or oil making.  It will be held on Thursday, March 27 at 5pm.

These workshops not only provide valuable skills but also foster a deeper appreciation for CHamoru traditions. The G3 Makerspace encourages everyone to participate and learn about the rich cultural heritage of Guam.

"Weaving is a fun way to connect with our traditions. I hope that workshop participants will gain a deeper appreciation for the ingenuity and resilience of our ancestors, as well as a deeper respect for one of our island's most valuable natural resources: I Trongkon Niyok – our coconut trees, the tree of life,” said G3 Circular Economy Coordinator Abby Crain.

For more information and to register for the workshops, please visit the Guam Green Growth website at guamgreengrowth.org.