FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (April 9, 2021 – Hagåtña) In the wake of numerous clearings of entire CHamoru villages that hold sacred ancestral burials and as 3,000 of our ancestors are being stored in boxes and scattered in offices, Prutehi Litekyan: Save Ritidian (PLSR) is organizing a community candlelight vigil and ceremony to pay respect to those who were disturbed in their final places of rest. We will also gather to honor our land that has been violently scarred as a result of the construction of the new marine base over the ancient village of Måguak.

The ceremony will feature a handful of speakers who will highlight the history of CHamoru burials, Måguak, Finegayan, and Litekyan.

“The loss of more than 900 football fields of native land to buildup construction is a grave loss for Guahan, and along with the impacts to our land, there is a deep sense of alarm about the ways CHamoru graves are being treated and the lack of information being shared with our community in that regard,” said PLSR.

“We are also honoring the source of life that lies below the land clearings: our Northern Guam Lens Aquifer. Without this aquifer, 80-90% of our community would not have access to clean drinking water. We should be concerned about the ways our aquifer will be impacted by 6.7 million lead bullets shot above it per year. We look forward to our community coming together in reverence of these special parts of our history and identity.”

Safety is a priority. Social distancing and mask wearing will be enforced. Residents are also asked to bring water and candles or lights. To ensure there is ample parking, please carpool.

The community candlelight vigil and ceremony will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Apr. 10 at the Ritidian Overlook. It will be live-streamed on PLSR’s Facebook page.

For more information, please email litekyan.opa@gmail.com.
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