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Q. What is the Inetnon Åmot yan Kutturan Natibu/Mwiischil Safey me Kkoor Aramasal Falúw (IÅKN/MSKAF)?

A. The Inetnon Åmot yan Kutturan Natibu/Mwiischil Safey me Kkoor Aramasal Falúw are Chamorro and Carolinian phrases meaning “Association of Native Medicine and Culture.” The IÅKN/MSKAF is a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation and chartered in the CNMI on 31 January 2007 and whose purposes are:

1. To advocate, recognize and support traditional healing and cultural programs of the indigenous Chamorro and Carolinians,
2. To help protect habitats of medicinal plants through restoration, legislation, educational programs, resolutions, community awareness, conferences, and workshops,
3. To document this cultural tradition in the vernacular languages, and
4. To publish educational materials, posters, brochures, and also to produce non-print materials such as DVD’s, CD’s, and TV programming.
The Association is composed of volunteer Chamorros and Carolinians and governed by a board of directors. The board has honorary membership representing the Indigenous Affairs, Carolinian Affairs, and the Office of the Saipan Mayor. The board has members representing Chamorro cultural/traditional medicine expert, Carolinian cultural/traditional medicine expert, farmers’ association or related, women’s affairs, forestry, R&D, and community members at large.

The Association started in 2007 as Inetnon Åmot Natibu/Ammwelil Safeyal Faluwasch (Native Medicine Association) and in 2010 it filed an amendment to its organization and became Inetnon Åmot yan Kutturan Natibu/Mwiischil Safey me Kkoor Aramasal Falúw (Association of Native Medicine and Culture).

Q. Who are the present officers and members of the IÅKN/MSKAF Board of Directors?

A. As of August 2011, the officers and members include: Isidoro T. Cabrera, President; Anicia Tomokane, Vice President; Cynthia P. Reyes, Treasurer; Frances M. Sablan, Secretary; Vicente S. Borja, Board Member; John S. Castro, Board Member; Vic C. Deleon Guerrero, Board Member; Joe T. Limes, Board Member; Liz D. Rechebei, Board Member

Q. What are some of the IÅKN/MSKAF’s projects?

A. After forming as an official organization, the Association applied for a grant and was awarded one from the Administration for Native Americans to research and publish a directory of traditional healers and medicinal plants in the CNMI. The three language (Carolinian, Chamorro, English) 731-page directory was published in 2009 and it received the Northern Mariana Island Humanities Council’s Governor’s Award on Research and Publication. The directory is available on-line at www.mytenda.com and on Saipan at the Saipan Chamorro-Carolinian Village Cultural Centers Headquarters on Capital Hill, the Chamorro and Carolinian Language Policy commission, the CNMI Museum of History and Culture, the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library, Joeten Shopping Center in Susupe, Tendan Natibu (Departure Terminal, Francisco C. Ada International Airport), Tun Goru Snack Bar, Kagman Mobil Station, and Fu Dogs & Qi (First Floor, Nauru Building, Susupe). On Tinian the directory is available at Fleming’s Store and on Rota it is available at the Rota Chamorro Village Cultural Center (Community and Cultural Affairs Office).

In 2010, the Association applied again for a grant from the Administration for Native Americans and again it received one to establish cultural centers on Rota, Tinian, and Saipan, and to research and publish a manual on the lost traditional Chamorro art form of Chamorrita. While the manual is expected to be published by the end of October, 2012, the cultural centers have been established on Rota and Saipan and one on Tinian is to be established by the end of December, 2011. At these cultural centers, traditional knowledge and practices are taught on at least two Saturdays each month.

Q. Why did IÅKN/MSKAF choose to work on publishing a directory of traditional healers and medicinal plants?

A. Publishing a directory of CNMI traditional healers and medicinal, and the book serving as a resource material on CNMI traditional medicine, is one formal way that the IÅKN/MSKAF can:

1) Give respect and honor to our traditional healers for their knowledge and valuable contributions to our island communities,
2) Bring back the awareness of CNMI traditional healing practices to all our indigenous populations, especially to the younger generations, and with this awareness, economic and health benefits will continue to be available to all, and
3) Help with the identification of traditional medicinal plants so that all generations (especially the younger generations who are the future decision makers for our Commonwealth) can continue to make knowledgeable, wise and valuable decisions concerning traditional health benefits for its indigenous citizens, and so that CNMI medicinal plants can be known/identified easily and protected continually for generations to come in the CNMI.

Q. Why did the IÅKN/MSKAF choose to establish village cultural centers in the CNMI?

A. The board of directors purposely expanded its field from starting as an association of native medicine to becoming an association of native medicine and culture so that traditional Chamorro and Carolinian knowledge and practices, in addition to native medicine, can be revitalized, honored, strengthened, supported  and preserved, because they are slowly fading away and these knowledge and practices do strengthen native families and communities, as well as provide economic and social self-sufficiency.

In applying for a grant to establish the cultural centers, the Association had the cultural experts/elders and the Chamorro and Carolinian youths in mind, with the cultural experts being the teachers and the Chamorro and Carolinian youths being the students. The planned lessons at the cultural centers include traditional knowledge in hut making, cooking, food preparation and food recipes, coconut oil making, sea salt making, bead making, weaving, arts and crafts (using natural resources), rope making, making traditional household tools, meat and fish dryer, navigation, fishing, farming, land hunting, story telling, conflict resolutions, songs, dances, and the use of the Carolinian and Chamorro languages.

The centers will also have gift shops where items made at the centers, or items made outside the center from knowledge gained from the center, can be on display and be available for sale. The gift shops will be in operation by the end of October 2011.

The centers are available as resource centers for teachers teaching Chamorro and Carolinian heritage studies and offer students in the Chamorro and Carolinian cultural clubs opportunities to gain more knowledge and practices about the Chamorro and Carolinian cultures.

In June and July of 2011, close to 200 students from the Public School System came to the Saipan center for a day of cultural immersion, learning more about the Chamorro and Carolinian traditional knowledge and practices including native medicine and songs and were given opportunities to speak the Chamorro or Carolinian language.

On Rota, the center coordinated cultural experts going to the schools during the school year to teach traditional knowledge and practices and students were also brought to the Rota Chamorro Village Cultural Center to participate in the Saturday cultural center activities.

Q. Why did the IÅKN/MSKAF choose to develop a manual on the traditional Chamorro art form of Chamorrita?

A. The reason the Board wanted a Chamorrita manual is because it wanted this Chamorro art form to be revitalized by both adults and youths. There are only a handful of people in the world who are can sing traditional Chamorrita and the manual will help others to know about Chamorrita and learn how to sing it, thus preventing this art form from being totally lost in the Chamorro culture.

What is exciting about this manual is that it will include information from people who are knowledgeable about traditional Chamorrita who are from Guam, Rota, Tinian and Saipan.

Q. Can you talk more about the Administration for Native Americans (ANA)?

A. Yes, the Administration for Native Americans (ANA) is an agency of the Administration for Children and Families, under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ANA was established in 1974 through the Native American Program Act (NAPA). ANA is the only federal agency serving all Native Americans (562 federally recognized Tribes, American Indians Organizations, Alaska Native Organizations, Native Hawaiian Organizations, and Native populations in the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). The Administration for Native Americans is headed by a Commissioner, Commissioner Lillian Sparks. She was appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Q. What is the mission of ANA?

A. The mission of ANA is to promote social and economic self-sufficiency for American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Native American Samoans, Natives of Guam, and Natives of the CNMI. ANA provides community-based project funding to improve the lives of Native Children and Families thereby reducing long-term dependency on public assistance. Funding for community-based projects is provided through three (3) competitive discretionary grant programs to eligible Tribes and non-profit Native American organizations.

To promote self-sufficiency, ANA invests taxpayer dollars in community-based projects focused on social and economic development, language preservation, and environmental regulatory enhancement. To achieve this mission, ANA provides project grant funding to eligible Tribes and Native American non-profit organizations on a competitive basis. The demand for ANA project funding is approximately $100 million annually, which is more than twice the funding amount available. ANA funds short-term projects, not programs, that have definite goals and objectives to be achieved by the end of the project period. ANA's program areas do not overlap program areas of other Federal agencies.

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Last Updated on Monday, 22 August 2011 23:59