Umagahaf
Written by Clarissa Mendiola | February 2020
fina’denne’ three ways | photo by angela
Pulan : Umagahaf - to catch shrimp
They call me Reese now, and I love it. It’s a nickname my family has called me since ever since, and family is what we’ve created with the collective. We’ve been gathering for many moons now and I understand the importance of this consistency each time we come together. Building community is not a passive effort—it takes showing up over and over again, being honest, vulnerable, and living core cultural values with pure intentions. It’s not easy for me, I’ve shared with the collective from the very start that this is out of my comfort zone—opening up to new people, allowing new to become familiar. As I get older, it’s simpler to put energy into the relationships I already have. But ultimately I’ve had to ask myself: what kind of ancestor do I want to be? And creating a family with the Pulan Collective is just one part of my answer.
When we came together in February, there was no way for us to know it would be the last time we gathered in person before shelter in place orders were imposed. But looking back, and perhaps it’s because our collective was growing closer and stronger, the gathering was full of gifts: calendula seeds from Lehua’s garden, honey harvested from hives in Barrigada and Tamuning by Hafa Adai Honey, my prima’s small business, the new edition of Mariquita from Auntie Mart. And then there were the gifts on the table: pork fried rice, baked salmon, biringhenas, pickled cucumbers, a trio of fina’denne inspired by our CHamoru New Year meal at Prubechu. All of the dishes we’ve shared as a collective also graced our family fiesta tables growing up, and in creating this new family, we invoke these familiar flavors with every gathering.
Angela’s brand new neni girl joined us, too. We took turns holding her and cooing at her, passing her off to Angela when she was ready to nurse. I think of “Lineage,” a stunning piece by Roquin-Jon Quichocho Siongco, three needlework figures, each grooming each other’s long flowing hair.
I am so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to show up for this collective. Growing up away from Guam, there’s a sense of distance at all times, a lingering feeling of inaccessibility. Being in community together is a way to bridge that distance. While we have different interests and passions we are connected on such a basic level, and those connections bubble up in every conversation we have about our childhoods, family, food, our experiences as CHamoru women living on Turtle Island.
A rhythm has developed and our intentions are aligned with i pilan.
Menu:
baked salmon fillet
pork fried rice
lechen biringhenas
soy & vinegar cucumbers
kale salad
fina’denne’ selection
poppy seed cake and cookies