Long ago there was a Chamorro family belonging to the Achote tribe. The
family had a beautiful young daughter who was admired by everyone in the
tribe.
One day the girl became very thirsty. She wanted to drink the juice from
a special fruit. Everyone tried to find the fruit she described but to
no avail. Soon the girl became very ill and died.
The father buried the girl on a hill over looking the village. He placed
a beautiful headstone on her grave and the people covered it with many
beautiful flowers.
One day the villagers noticed a strange plant growing on the girl's
grave. They thought it was magic and built a shelter to protect it.
Five years after the plant appeared, it had grown 20 feet tall, strange
looking fruits appeared. One of the fruits dropped to the ground and
cracked open.
The chief called on the father of the dead girl to eat the strange fruit
but he refused. He called his wife to eat the fruit. She said it was
sweet and chewy and called it coconut. It remains one of the main foods
eaten by the Chamorro people.
Un diha ma'u i suttera. Todu i taotao i lugat ma espihahayi ni' fruta ni'
ginagagao-na i palao'an lao ti sina ma sodda'. Ti apmam na tiempo
mumalangu i suttera ya matai.
I tata ha hafot i haga-na gi eksok gi hilo' i sengsong. Ha na'yiyi
bunitu na lapida i naftan yan meggai na flores ni' manbunitu.
Un diha, ma li'e' ni' taotao i sengsong na guaha tinanom mandodokko' gi
naftan i palao'an. Manhalom i taotao na sina ha' gai atte, pues ma
fa'tinasi tampe-na.
Esta singko anos na ti'empo ya mas di bente pie tinakhilo'-na i trongko.
Un diha, poddong unu na fruta papa' gi edda ya kaka'. Manetnon i
taotao para u mali'e' i fruta ginen i trongko.
I ma'gas i sengsong ha' agang i tatan i matai na suttera para u kanno' i
fruta. Ti malago' ya ha agang i asagua-na para guiya u kanno'. Ha gimen
i nana i chigo yan ha kanno' i sensen. Ilek-na mames yan mangge i
fruta. Ha agang niyok. Esta pa'go na tiempo niyok mas takhilo' gi
fina'tinans i manChamorro.
I TRONGKON NIYOK
Story by Department of Education, Chamorro Studies & Special Projects
Division.