By Andrew Lim
AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW OF PEDRO
CALUNGSOD
In the context of the Spanish-Chamorro Wars
1671-1698
Applying what a Filipino historian wrote, it could be a case of
veneration without understanding.
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| Pedro Calungsod |
But history is indeed written by the victors, and this is no
exception. What is sorely lacking is the viewpoint of the vanquished- the
Chamorro natives.
The widely accepted context is that the indigenous peoples of the
islands formerly known as the Ladrones were “barbarians”, “uncultured” and
needed to be “saved” by converting them to Spanish Catholicism, which parallels
the Philippine experience. This begs the questions of who defines what, and who
needs to be saved from what.
SPANISH ATROCITIES
There is plenty of historical evidence on the brutality of Spanish
authorities in the Marianas – if it had happened today, the perpetrators would
have been brought to the International Court of Justice in the Hague! Large
scale clashes include Hurao's attack on the Agana forts (1671-1672), Aguarin
(1676-77) and the Apurguan uprising (1684).
Robert Haddock on A History of
Health on Guam: “. . . as the Spanish eventually quelled the Chamorro
rebellion, “peace” was established at the price of the extinction of a race.”
Francis X. Hezel, SJ writes: “ What began as a religious mission to
proclaim the gospel of peace soon degenerated into an out-and out war of
military conquest which, as the histories have it, killed off vast numbers of
native Chamorros before the missionaries were finally able to make believers
out of the few survivors.” (From Conversion to
Conquest: the Early Spanish Mission in the Marianas, Journal of Pacific
History, pp 115-137, 1982.)
SPREAD OF DISEASE
An Infographic (Rappler, 10/21/2012) on the life of Calungsod states
that “... Calungsod's group is blamed for babies who got ill allegedly due to
baptism.” This was not unfounded. Although baptismal water is unlikely the
means of transmission, there is evidence that there was an introduction of new
diseases – measles and smallpox, previously non-existent in the islands, and
inadvertently brought in by the Spaniards themselves. The Chamorros had no
natural immunity to these, and medical care by physicians was largely
unavailable. Then there are also cases of infertility due to venereal diseases
which was brought by Spanish soldiers. (Destiny's
Landfall, by Robert Rogers. p71.)
Based on the first census of the Marianas, the population in 1710
was a mere 3,539 – a big drop from an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 due to the
combined effects of oppression and disease.
WHAT THE NATIVES FELT
Hurao was a Chamorro chief who organized resistance to the Spaniards in the islands in the 1600s.
Read his speech to his fellowmen, it eerily sounds like the letters
written by our own heroes:
The Spaniards would have done better to remain in
their own country. We have no need of their help to live happily. Satisfied
with what our islands furnish us, we desire nothing. The knowledge which they
have given us has only increased our needs and stimulated our desires. They
find it evil that we do not dress. If that were necessary, nature would have
provided us with clothes. They treat us as gross people and regard us as
barbarians. But do we have to believe them? Under the excuse of instructing us,
they are corrupting us. They take away from us the primitive simplicity in
which we live.
They dare to take away our liberty, which should
be dearer to us than life itself. They try to persuade us that we will be
happier, and some of us had been blinded into believing their words. But can we
have such sentiments if we reflect that we have been covered with misery and
illness ever since those foreigners have come to disturb our peace?
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| Chamorro Agriculture by Js. Arago |
Before they arrived on the island, we did not know
insects. Did we know rats, flies, mosquitoes, and all the other little animals
which constantly torment us? These are the beautiful presents they have made
us. And what have their floating machines brought us? Formerly, we do not have
rheumatism and inflammations. If we had sickness, we had remedies for them. But
they have brought us their diseases and do not teach us the remedies. Is it
necessary that our desires make us want iron and other trifles which only
render us unhappy?
The Spaniards reproach us because of our poverty,
ignorance and lack of industry. But if we are poor, as they tell us, then what
do they search for? If they didn’t have need of us, they would not expose
themselves to so many perils and make such efforts to establish themselves in
our midst. For what purpose do they teach us except to make us adopt their
customs, to subject us to their laws, and to remove the precious liberty left
to us by our ancestors? In a word, they try to make us unhappy in the hope of
an ephemeral happiness which can be enjoyed only after death.
They treat our history as fable and fiction.
Haven’t we the same right concerning that which they teach us as incontestable
truths? They exploit our simplicity and good faith. All their skill is directed
towards tricking us; all their knowledge tends only to make us unhappy. If we
are ignorant and blind, as they would have us believe, it is because we have
learned their evil plans too late and have allowed them to settle here.
Let us not lose courage in the presence of our
misfortunes. They are only a handful. We can easily defeat them. Even though we
don’t have their deadly weapons which spread destruction all over, we can
overcome them by our large numbers. We are stronger than we think! We can
quickly free ourselves from these foreigners! We must regain our former
freedom!
As told to French Jesuit Father
Charles Le Gobien, secretary to the French Jesuit missions in 1700. ( Histories
des Isles Marianes Paris 1700.)
Thankfully, in current times, the respect for indigenous cultures is
now part of CBCP teaching.
Viewed from this perspective, Pedro Calungsod, by being a loyal
ally/assistant of the imperialist Spanish forces led by Diego de Luis de San
Vitores , was a small player in the subjugation of an indigenous people that
had its own thriving society and culture. Rina Jimenez-David, the Inquirer
writer cites his small role in her opinion column, “Saintly saling pusa”
(saintly accidental participant).
In reality, it was an imperialist war; it was a war to gain access
to more resources and to establish a forward staging base for the Spaniards in
the ongoing battle with Portugal and England for world supremacy at the time.
So next time you feel like praying for intercession from Blessed
Calungsod, say a prayer, too for the Chamorros who suffered and died defending
what was really their own – their land and their culture - from an invading
force.
It should make you ask: Is the destruction of an indigenous culture
worth the price of missionary work, of which Calungsod was part of?
Sources:
- A History of Guam, Lawrence Cunningham and Janice Beaty. Bess Press 2001. Guam Department of Education.
- The Chamorro Spanish War 1671-1698. The Guam Website. (http:// NS.Gov.Gu)
- Diego Luis de San Vitores Wikipedia entry.
- Hurao's speech. Guampedia.com.
- Saintly “saling pusa” by Rina Jimenez-David, Inquirer column October 20, 2012.
- Northern Mariana Islands. Spanish colonial rule, .p2. Britannica.com
- Timeline: Pedro Calungsod, Inquirer October 21, 2012.
- Destiny's Landfall, Robert Rogers. University of Hawaii Press. 1995.
- What history says about Pedro Calungsod by Paterno Esmaquel II Rappler article October 21, 2012.
- Infographic: Life of Pedro Calungsod, Visayan teenage saint, Rappler article, October 21, 2012.
Disclaimer
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The views expressed in this article are those of
the author alone and do not necessarily represent the views of The
Society of Honor, Joe America, other
contributors or those who comment on this blog.
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