By Johanna Salinas
Ritidian has been Rosalia Mateo’s stomping ground, where she collects native herbal plants that she concocts into traditional medicine known in CHamoru as “amot.” Mateo is one of Guam’s few remaining traditional healers.
“I’ve healed a lot of people with the medicine from Ritidian,” said Mateo, better known as “Mama Chai.”
Her healing method is a combination of traditional physical therapy and medicinal plants.
“I have the ability to massage the pain out of a person, but I need my amot to do so," said Mateo who has healed thousands of clients suffering from skin problems, respiratory issues, pain, infertility, women’s health issues
"I am glad we still can be here. Ritidian is where we can find our amot in abundance," she said.
Ritidian— “Litekyan” in CHamoru—is an archeologically rich site located on the northernmost tip of Guam. It contains cultural resources such as latte sets, water wells, limestone mortars, cave drawings, pottery and shell artifacts.
Cultural activists and traditional healers, known as “suruhano/suruhana,” consider Ritidian a “sacred place.” However, they are worried about the possibility of losing access to medicinal resources if the military decides to close off the area.
“I’m scared one day we might not be allowed to enter (Ritidian),” said the 88-year-old Mateo, who has been practicing traditional healing for 68 years.
The Navy’s live-fire training complex project for the Marines is under construction in Ritidian. The Department of the Interior also plans to build new facilities at the Ritidian unit of the Guam National Wildlife Refuge.
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“Ritidian is so special. My teacher, Mama Chai, and I always come here to collect
medicines for healing. The feeling here is so sacred driving to Ritidian. Driving down here everyone gets quiet, there’s a stillness about the place,” said Vinessa Duenas, Mateo’s student.
“It’s not just sacred caves with the ancient pictographs. The restricted area has a lot of plants and archeological sites that are important to our history,” she added.
Mateo and Duenas were among the residents who joined the “Walk for Water” spiritual march along the coast of Ritidan Beach on Oct. 13.
“The land, the spirits needed us to come here to Ritidian,” Duenas said. “The spirits really liked it. This kind of event doesn’t usually happen with so many of us coming to Ritidian to protect the water, protect the land.”
The procession was organized by Micronesian Climate Change Alliance along with Fanohge Coalition, Atbansa i Amot Para i Hinemlo i Taotao, Independent Guahan, Hita Litekyan and Gi Matan Guma’.
Susan Marie Taitano Aguon, another traditional healer, said military activities also threaten to compromise Ritidian's water.
She said the procession was “also for the military so they can help us protect our areas like Litekyan and our water.”
“There’s a buildup around the water. We’re afraid that source won’t be there for generations to come,” Aguon said. “We also have indigenous plants, called amot, that are rare around the island. We can only get them here and they’re also dying.”
Aguon noted that young CHamorus are growing up without knowing their culture.
“The young ones have begged us to teach them the medicinal traditions because of that disconnection of the generations,” she said. “All we need is respect, if you don’t know what we have gone through and are still going through as islanders. It seems we are outsiders to our own culture, our own people.”
Manny Duenas, president of the Guam Fishermen's Association, was pleased by the young CHamorus' growing interest in their cultural heritage and identity.
“I'm humbled by the fact that young people want to reach back into the past and use it as a stepping stone for the future,” Duenas said. "It was fantastic for our people to understand where the ancient ones lived and passed through."
He also noted the importance of having continued access to Ritidian and its resources.
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