UOG Pioneers Digital Publication About Seafaring with Mellon Foundation Grant

The digital publication will be used as a textbook for the courses taught by UOG professors Melissa Taitano, Ph.D., and H. Larry Raigetal, who both hold the title of pairourou, or master navigator, and will co-author the publication. Different from an e-book, the publication will be hosted online and integrate various modes of digital storytelling, from enriching audio to dynamic visuals to engaging text.

“Historically, Micronesian cultural knowledge has been transmitted through the oral tradition, which is fluid and captures complexities and Indigenous concepts of time and space in ways that are not possible in a linear printed text,” said Taitano. “For example, while the lyrics to a chant can be printed in a book, the meaning of the song may change based on how it is sung.”

This pilot project will explore the best approaches and practices for creating a digital publishing program in Micronesia. With this grant, UOG Press can expand its capabilities and branch into the world of digital publications.

“This project represents an exciting new chapter for UOG Press and the communities we serve,” said UOG Press Director of Publishing Victoria-Lola Leon Guerrero, who will serve as the principal investigator for the grant. “Digital publishing will give us the ability to explore ways to use technology and modern tools to more organically tell the stories of our island and region. It also presents an opportunity to reach more readers throughout the region and to ensure the knowledge shared is done so respectfully.”

UOG Press met with stakeholders of the vibrant seafaring communities in Guam and Saipan to discuss the publication and gained valuable feedback that will help guide this project.

UOG Press also partnered with two established digital publishing programs —RavenSpace, an innovative digital publishing platform in Indigenous Studies founded by University of British Columbia Press; and Brown University Digital Publications, an award-winning humanities-focused archive of digital scholarship. Both institutions were previously awarded Mellon Foundation grants, and their founders will serve as consultants and collaborators, offering guidance on digital publishing standards and best practices.

Partners from Brown University Digital Publications visited Guam last week to meet and consult with UOG stakeholders for the project. They also participated in a tree-planting event that was organized to mark the start of this project in a way that aligns with broader cultural lessons taught in seafaring, namely that of reciprocity, collaboration, and honoring the land. A da'ok seedling was planted on campus on Sept. 25, 2025.

“This particular tree is significant. The da'ok tree, it’s been used to build canoes,” President Anita Borja Enriquez said at the event. “Through our Island Wisdom initiative and our traditional canoe house, we’re building capacity to perpetuate traditional navigation.”

“The seafaring culture is not only a lifelong learning, it is an all-encompassing and holistic approach to life,” Raigetal said. “To be a navigator, one needs to carve a canoe. To do so, it is fundamental to learn about the land and resources from it including the tree needed for a canoe. The process of canoe-building starts when a tree is planted. The tree is called a ‘hasusu,’ which translates to literally ‘a standing canoe.’ Planting this tree is not only commemorating the project launching but also recognizing that our Indigenous ways will always remind us to honor the land and our ancestors by planting a canoe for the future generation before carving one for us.”

UOG Press encourages the public to follow them on social media platforms at @uogpress and to sign up for their newsletter by sending a request to uogpress@triton.uog.edu to stay updated on the project’s progress.

For more information, contact UOG Press Publicist and the project’s manager, Via De Fant, at defantv@triton.uog.edu or 671-735-2153.

About University of Guam Press

The University of Guam Press publishes an array of academic and literary publications with a specific focus on the unique history, environment, peoples, cultures, and languages of the islands that make up Micronesia. Visit uogpress.com to learn more about them and browse their wide selection of publications and art.

About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty and empowerment that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and guided by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at mellon.org.