Fanohge Chamorro

Historical perspective

The composition of the Guam Hymn was greatly influenced by the socio-cultural and political history of pre-World War II Guam during the Naval Era. It was a time when the island was administered by Naval governors and the speaking and writing of the Chamorro language was discouraged.

It was first written in English in 1919 and translated to Chamorro in the 1970s when Chamorros were experiencing a resurgence of pride in the language and culture.

The Guam hymn, or Kantikun Guahan, more commonly known as Fanohge Chamorro, was written and composed by Dr. Ramon Manilisay Sablan, the island’s first Chamorro medical doctor, and an outspoken Chamorro rights activist. Fanohge Chamorro was adopted as the official song of the territory in 1919 and translated into Guam’s native language, Chamorro, by Lagrimas Leon Guerrero Untalan in 1974.

Chamorros, the indigenous people of Guam, have long fought for political independence from the United States Naval government. The struggle for self-determination continues after the passing of the Organic Act in 1950, which gave Chamorros a limited form of self-government, United States citizenship and transferred the power of the government from the Navy to the U.S. Department of Interior.