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Guam: Who are the Taotaomona? Any Stories? |
Travel Info I am half Chamorro; my dad was born in Guam, but now we live in the states. My parents have told me about the Taotaomona but I want to know if anyone has seen them. Did anything happen to you? Travel Tips Taotaomonas (people before written time) can be encountered anywhere on the island but mostly around latte stones, caves and banyan trees. They are said to appear as big human figures with an undistinguishable heads, white lady apparitions or small dwarf like figures (duendes) and carry a strong scent of flowers. I'm careful not to disturb the ancient spirits by saying little prayers while walking through jungle or ancient landmarks, but there have been occasions where a strong floral scent would be present in an area where there are no flowers. I do recall one encounter at the "white lady" bridge in Guam where a friend was taunting the spirits one night and didn't make it back to school for several days because of an "illness". Coincidence? Others I spent a year on Guam and we heard stories about the Taotaomona. However I never saw one. I think it can be classified as a legend and part of the lore and culture of the Island. I liked my year on Guam and would like to go back for a visit. Enjoyed the people and thought it a very nice climate. Sorry, but Guam is a US Territory and not part of Philippines. No idea about Taotaomona, maybe its a legend or folklore. I heard stories about them growing up, but whenever we would go visit family in Guam, I never saw any. First, just to clarify...the white lady is a ghost, not a taotaomona. Taotaomonas are the spirits of the ancient Chamoru. They live in old, old trees. They're supposedly really tall with palm leaves sticking out the sides of their heads (like ears). They can be protective, mischievious, or harmful...depends on their mood, i guess. When you walk into the jungle, you're supposed to say a prayer in Chamorro to ask their permission to come in (I never learned it, I always just asked in my head). My mom says when me and my twin sister were little we got really sick and the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. So, my grandpa took us to a suruhanu (Chamorro "witch doctor") who said it was a taotaomona that was messing with us. He did something, I'm not sure what (I never really asked), and we got better. But nothing has ever happened to me since. |
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