Hagatna,
Guam
Friday,
November 2, 2012
.
Breaking
Generational Curses
The other day a friend asked
me what I enjoyed most about my time in Guam. I told her that I enjoyed the
friendships that I've made and especially ministering to the clients at Oasis
Empowerment Center who are coming out of addictions. For the last two weeks I've
been able to teach some classes to these beautiful, yet broken women. Last week
I taught on "living in the dash," the symbol on a gravestone between our date of
birth and date of death. We talked about what people would write about us on our
gravestones and then I had them write out their dreams, which addictions would
only hinder us from living out. This week I started teaching on perceptions and
identity; how we see ourselves, how others see us and how God sees us. Then I
had them start to make their family trees to the best of their knowledge,
especially identifying where in their family history there were patterns of
addiction, abuse, divorce and other generational curses.
.
Another worker took my class
yesterday because I was sick, but today we prayed with all of the clients and
specifically broke each one of these curses from their generation all the way
through their parents, grandparents, great grandparents and further down their
family line. It was an amazing time where these women received even more
freedom. One of them said that their heart was racing as she started to pray.
Another said that she felt heat through her whole body. All of them said that
they felt a burden lift. We all have choices to make in life. Many times we have
predispostions to patterns of sin because we have been handed down these
patterns from our family. God said in Exodus 34:6 that He is "visiting iniquity
of fathers on the sons and on the sons of sons, to the third and to the fourth
generation." I believe that a key to recovery from addictions is breaking off
generational curses from our lives. Another major curse that we broke off with
the clients was Taotaomona, which is indigenous Chamorro spiritism. So many
Chamorro people here in Guam practice Taotaomona without even thinking about
it. I borrowed the following artice about Taotaomona from the internet so that
you could see the darkness we are fighting against here in Guam...
.
Taotaomona
The taotaomonas (people before
recorded time) are the ghostly apparitions of the ancient people of Guahan. The
indigeneous people of Guahan have occupied the islands during the Early Prelatte
Phase (prior to 1485 BC to 500 BC), the Intermediate Prelatte Phase (500 BC to
AD1), the Transitional Period (AD 1 to AD500-1000) and the Latte Period (AD 1000
to AD 1521) [reference pg 48 Tiempon I Manmofo'na by Scott Russell]. The
Spanish-Chamoru War between 1671 and July 1695 resulted in the deaths of
thousands native inhabitants (a great percentage due to European pathogens).
Included in the collateral deaths were the manmakahnas (ancient medicine healers
later dubbed suruhanos and suruhanas by the Spanish)whose spiritual leadership
had been replaced by the Spanish clergy. Many of today's ancient Latte Stone
sites were once villages burned and destroyed by the Spanish soldiers during
that war. The Chamorus believe that roaming and inhabiting the jungles and caves
of the Marianas are ancestral spirits with unresolved but determined purpose.
Historian Benigno Palomo writes, "While it is often said that the ancient
Chamorro had no organized priesthood, no temples and no defined religious creed,
therefore, no rituals, according to Padre San Vitores 1669, the Chamorros
venerated the spirits of their ancestors, called aniti. The aniti were sacred
and powerful spirits who could help them. When angered, however, they could do
harm. As a result, the spirits and relics of the dead, especially of one's
ancestors, were feared and respected. The chamorros had rituals which were not
completely revealed to the Spanish."
.
Guam's indigenous Chamorus
believe that the twilight before sunrise and the twilight at sunset are the
periods when the spirits begin to stir and move through the land at night. The
taotaomona commonly assumes the form of a male physically large and robust.
Other metaphysical forms taken may be white lady aparitions accompanied by
scents of flowers or lemon, large men or 'small children called duendes hiding
under mushrooms'. Some of the taotaomonas are described as headless and having
deformed bodies. The Spanish era traditional depiction is that they were giants
but monstrously ugly. This ancient concept of ghost is incongruous "to Christian
beliefs and referred to as pagan ghostly forest-men" [pg 89, The Chamorro]. The
modern contemporary view however is that the taotaomona are living ancestral
spirits. Mavis Warner Van Peenan, "Chamorro Legends on the Island of Guam 1945"
wrote, "Could that ugliness be the self-deprecation that the Chamorro felt was
required of him under conquest?" If a person gathers plants in a jungle, they
must ask permission "gue'la yan gue'lo, kao sina yu' manule' tinanoum-mu ya
yanggen matto hao gi tano'-hu fanule' ha sin mamaisen" in Chamorro. Mavis Warner
Van Peenan writes, "The Taotaomona, being a strong man himself, disliked anyone
weak. Therefore, a Chamorro talking to him, must disguise his present weakness,
and talk loudly and boastfully. Thus his Taotaomona would be proud of him and
never frighten him when he was walking along some dark night."
.
The taotaomonas of Guahan are
said to roam the jungles and are present around the ancient latte ruins, large
basalt and coral boulders and caves, as well as amongst the thick dense hanging
roots of the Banyan Trees. If you enter the jungles and disturb the taotaomonas,
they may pinch you, leaving red marks or swellings on your body, or they may
cause illnesses which are difficult to diagnose by conventional doctors.. The
only treatment for this sickness is to visit a suruhana (Chamorro female
traditional healer) or a suruhano (Chamorro male traditional healer). You may be
given herbs or a massage as treatment but almost always you will be instructed
to revisit the site where the illness began and ask forgiveness from the
"guelotas and guelatas" or ancient grandparents for disturbing a burial site.
The mindset of the Chamoru Culture is rooted on respect which is extended to
those who have passed on beyond the world of the living. Those who enter the
jungle, cave or an unexpected clearing under a large rooted tree without
exhibiting proper respect will fall ill.
.
When Chamorus exhibit strength
bordering on the unnatural, the indigenous perspective assumes that that person
actually believes he is empowered by and draws potency from the spiritual realm.
The psychology of the supernatural is concomitant with physical strength. In
"Guam and its People" by Laura Thompson 1947 Pg 176, "An interesting development
in this regard is the concept of taotaomona partners. A few modern natives are
believed to have such partners (called ga'chong) who give them physically
enhanced strength. These men are recognized by the unusual feats of strength
they are able to perform. According to one informant: "Some old people say that
they have the power of taotaomona in them because their ancestors had taotaomona
as partners. Such a partner can help you when you are alone but not in the
presence of another person ... When the man dies his taotaomona partner tries to
become attached to another member of the family and in this way causes illness
in the family." The concept of taotaomona partners is a variation on the
guardian spirit cult which has frequently been found in rapidly changing
marginal cultures. It is one means by which individuals attempt to gain strength
from their old culture and recapture its values in order to cope with the
baffling problems presented by their changing environment ..." (thompson)
Thompson states that the term maligna meaning "evil spirit" is taken from the
Spanish. The Chamorus pronounce this as maknganiti designating a malignant
being. Further note that the Spanish (Jun 15 1668-1898) designate the words
"aniti or soul" as well as taotaomona (people before time) as evil spirits. The
Indigenous Chamorus however refer to them as ancestors. Compiled by: Rudolph
Villaverde
.
Christian
Jung
Madolenihmw,
Pohnpei
