Matua Council for Native Chamorro Advancement President Liana S. Hofschneider, second right, with her husband Richard Hofschneider, right, Herman Tudela, left, and volunteer, Raymond "Bo" Quitugua, display an artist’s rendition of a "respectable, more dignified" reburial facility for the remains of their Chamorro ancestors at the back of the unfinished Imperial Pacific International building in Garapan.
Photo by Emmanuel T. Erediano
“TIRED of waiting for empty promises,” the Matua Council for Native Chamorro Advancement said it will raise money through crowdfunding to build a “respectful infrastructure” at the reburial site for the remains of Chamorro ancestors in Garapan.
According to the council, when IPI was allowed by the CNMI government to build its casino and hotel resort in the former Samoan housing area in Garapan in 2016, the investor pledged to build a beautiful reburial site for the ancestral remains of Chamorros in the Commonwealth. The area used to be a burial site of ancient Chamorros, the council said.
On Aug. 21, 2020, the ancestral remains of Chamorros, some believed to be high-ranking clan members and village officials, were reburied in the southwest portion of the property leased to IPI.
Matua Council President Liana S. Hofschneider said in 2015, when IPI applied for an archaeological permit prior to the construction of its casino and hotel resort, one of the conditions was to ensure the proper reburial of Chamorro ancestral remains by constructing an appropriately designed memorial.
She said it has been nearly five years since the ancestral remains were reburied, but a memorial has yet to be built to “honor our Chamorro ancestors — over 1,000 of them — whose remains were desecrated during the excavation at the property for the construction of IPI’s casino and hotel resort,” she added.
For many years, she said, "we have been asking the government and IPI to put up a respectable infrastructure for the reburial site."
She said she and her fellow Chamorro activists feel really bad because “as you can see now, all over the island, there are very presentable memorials for the remains of Japanese and Koreans who perished on Saipan during World War II. Ironically, no one is funding the construction of a memorial for ancient Chamorros. We are tired of asking. So what we are doing today is crowdfunding.”
She said they will seek support from the community, especially Chamorros, “to please help the Matua Council fund the infrastructure at the burial site.”
They are going to collect donations online, she said, adding that their legal counsel will be the caretaker of the funds, which will be placed in a special account.
She said they are now in the process of hiring a legal counsel.
Once they have collected enough for the construction of the reburial facility, Hofschneider said the council will build a memorial as depicted in the painting by local artist Luis Ogo.
Matua Council official Herman Tudela said it was a “desecration” when the bones of their Chamorro ancestors were dug up by IPI.
IPI operated a casino on Saipan for four years until the Covid-19 pandemic forced its closure in March 2020.
On April 19, 2024, IPI filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing over $165.8 million in debts. Chapter 11 allows corporations to restructure while continuing operations.
