January 6, 2023

Folktales Week Chamorro Morning (1-6-2023)

by Chompers

Background show artwork for Chompers

We travel to the island of Guam for our Chamorro folktale today!

Where to Listen

Transcript

>> Rachel: Good morning, it’s time for Chompers, your morning and night toothbrushing show.


Start brushing on the top of your mouth on one side, and brush the inside, outside, and chewing side of each tooth. 


>> Kids: 3, 2, 1 brush! 


>> Rachel: It’s Folktales Week, and today we have another story!  This folktale comes from the island of Guam, where the Chamorro people live.  


When you look at the island of Guam on a map, it’s long (SFX)  and skinny in the middle … sort of like a peanut!


The Chamorro people have a story that they tell about how Guam got to be so skinny in the middle.  And here it is!


Switch to the other side of the top of your mouth, and brush the molars in the way back. 


One day, a group of fishermen who lived on one side of Guam noticed that the place where they fished looked … different. 


They would tie up their boats at night, and then notice the next morning, that the walk to the boat was longer.


There was more water.


It seemed like on their side of the island, land was disappearing. (SFX)


But how could that be?


Switch to the bottom of your mouth, and make little circles with your brush around each tooth


Meanwhile fishermen who lived on the OTHER side of Guam had noticed something too.


They would tie up their boats at night, and then the next morning, THEIR walk to the boat was longer too.


They ALSO seemed to have more water.  So it ALSO seemed like land on THIS side of the island was disappearing. (SFX)


It was like … the island was being eaten away at both sides. (SFX)


Switch to the other side of the bottom of your mouth, and keep brushing! 


The fishermen were confused and worried.  The lived on ONE island … but if land kept disappearing in the middle … and more water kept appearing … their one island might get cut in half and become TWO islands!


And then finally, one fisherman saw something that helped explain what was going on:

(SFX)

It was .. a GIANT FISH!


The fisherman had never seen a fish so big … he stared at it -- he was amazed!  And as he watched the fish he realized … the FISH was eating the land! 


Find out how the island is saved when you come back to Chompers tonight! Until then…


>>Kids: 3, 2, 1 spit!