Research lines
Cooking and Feeding
This line of research explores the transformations and continuities in CHamoru culinary practices following the arrival of the Jesuit mission. Cooking and eating are fundamental to both the survival and cultural identity of any community. By examining the cultural dynamics of food preparation and consumption, we seek to understand which elements of CHamoru foodways persisted and which were reshaped under colonial influence.
CHamoru cooking in Latte times [1000 – 1700 CE]
Before European contact, the CHamoru people developed a culinary tradition deeply rooted in the logic of maintenance activities. Although there were functional divisions based on gender, the same individuals participated in all stages of the culinary process—cooking, farming, harvesting, fishing, and eating. Caregiving was deeply woven into every act of cooking, reinforcing the interpersonal bonds of affection and support that were vital in Latte communities.
Numerous examples highlight how cooking and care were profoundly entrenched—whether during times of illness, vulnerability, interactions with ancestors, celebrations, or even in conflict resolution.
New Culinary Logics in the Colonial Period (1668-1898).
With the arrival of the Jesuit mission in 1668, CHamoru culinary practices underwent significant changes. The introduction of new domesticated animals, such as cattle, pigs, and chickens—previously absent from the islands—altered dietary patterns. Likewise, European crops and cooking techniques began to integrate into local practices, creating a hybrid culinary landscape.
These changes were not merely dietary but were part of a broader restructuring of Indigenous life. Food became a tool for social control, as colonial authorities promoted new dietary habits and labor structures to support the missionary settlements. Yet, despite these imposed transformations, many CHamoru food traditions persisted, adapted, and found new meanings within the colonial framework.
Food, Identity, and Resistance
Examining CHamoru culinary traditions through archaeological and historical sources provides insight into the ways in which food became a space of negotiation, adaptation, and resistance.
By combining a wide array of archaeological analysis (faunal and botanic remains, ceramic and stone archaeometry) with the study of historical textual sources, this research seeks to reconstruct the material and symbolic dimensions of cooking and feeding in the past of the CHamoru people. Understanding these dynamics not only sheds light on CHamoru history but also contributes to broader discussions on food as a site of cultural resilience and transformation.
Living with foreign animals
An important part of this research Line will be dedicated to analyse culinary changes related to the introduction of mammals such as pigs, deers or cattle.
