By Sara Mar, May 18, 2021
Colonization is not merely stealing land. It is a robbery of autonomy. An erasure of identity. And an oppression of culture.
Native Pacific Islanders have endured centuries of colonization. In 1521, the Spanish began colonizing the island of Guam, which led to the near complete genocide of the indigenous Chamorro population. Those who did survive had their culture forcibly stripped away. The Spanish suppressed the Chamorro language and replaced the native religion with Christianity. Even the Chamorros’ matrilineal system all but disappeared.
The Spanish maintained colonial rule over Guam for more than 300 years. In 1898, possession of the island changed hands as the United States took control. US occupation lasted until World War II, when Japanese forces captured the island. The three years of Japanese occupation – and violent US attempts to reclaim Guam – were marked by brutality, rape, and massacres. The US re-occupied Guam in 1944 and incorporated the island as a territory in 1950.
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