Heidi Chargualaf-Quenga is a “fa’fa’någue,” or certified CHamoru instructor, who works tirelessly to teach the CHamoru dance to students young and old living stateside through the Kutturan Chamoru Foundation in Long Beach, California. She was photographed at Pacific Island Ethnic Art Museum in Long Beach, and she is part of Manny Crisostomo’s ongoing visual documentary “Manaotao Sanlagu: CHamorus from the Marianas,” translated as “our people, the CHamorus, overseas,” featured weekly in the Pacific Daily News.
We feature the Blas family - retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Blas, his wife Julie and their daughter Ha’ane Rae. During his deployment to Iraq, “we made CHamoru food in Baghdad,” Ryan Blas said. “I met a classmate out there from Inarajan Middle school, we would barbeque.”