The return of 10,000 latte and cultural artifacts to Guam and the Northern Marianas began this weekend with a ceremony at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu.
The items were brought from the Marianas to Hawaii in the 1920s by Bishop Museum collector Hans Hornbostel.
During the ceremony, Guam Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio described the return of the items as a “profound step toward reconciliation.”
“These pieces are more than just objects. They are a physical manifestation of the connection we hold to our ancestral lands and our culture as a window to the past," he said. "I think about what life was like thousands of years ago for CHamorus, how they sailed across the vast ocean and forged connections with other Pacific peoples."
The ceremony was also attended by Hawaii Gov. Josh Green and a delegation from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Following the remarks by dignitaries, those in attendance placed offerings on the latte.
The Department of CHamoru Affairs and the Bishop Museum have initiated a formal memorandum of understanding establishing a long-term working partnership, according to the Guam Office of the Governor.
The agreement focuses on the long-term growth and development of the Guam Museum with the Bishop Museum.
This includes training professional staff in Guam through Bishop Museum's Te Rangi Hiroa Curators and Caretakers Fellowship program, an initiative funded by the Mellon Foundation.
"These collaborations are foundational as we strive toward institutional accreditation," Department of CHamoru Affairs President Melvin Won Pat-Borja said.
