From left: Dr. Elizabeth D. Rechebei, Blossom Inos, Chris Inos, Jose S. Roppul, Manuel F. Borja, Harold H. Easton, Governor Benigno R. Fitial, Lt. Governor Eloy Inos and Council board chair Charles P. Reyes Jr. (Council photo).
Six individuals were recognized for outstanding contributions to the humanities during the 2009 Governor's Humanities Awards ceremony held at the Aqua Resort Club on the evening of 30 October.
Governor Benigno R. Fitial and Council board chair Charles P. Reyes Jr. presented awards in four categories: Preservation of Traditional Cultural Practices; Research and Publication in the Humanities; Outstanding Humanities Teacher; and Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities.
Dr. Elizabeth D. Rechebei and Dr. Sandra Chung were selected to receive the Preservation of Traditional Cultural Practices for their work to revise the Chamorro-English dictionary and to develop a new Chamorro reference grammar.
Manuel F. Borja and Jose Roppul received the Research and Publication in the Humanities award in recognition of their recently published book that documented traditional healing and healers in the CNMI.
Harold H. Easton was presented the Outstanding Humanities Teacher award for his contributions to teaching speech and drama and for strengthening forensic and thespian skills among CNMI students.
The late Dr. Rita H. Inos received the Lifetime Achievement award in recognition of her nearly four decades of contributions in the areas of education and cultural preservation.
The Council also recognized financial contributors, organizational partners, and former board members and staff.
The Governor's Humanities Awards ceremony is an annual event co-sponsored by the NMI Council for the Humanities and the Office of the Governor to recognize outstanding contributions to the humanities by individuals, groups and organizations.
Read a newspaper account of the awards dinner.
From left: Council board chair Reyes, Governor Fitial, Philippine Consul General Medardo Macaraig and Japan Consul Tsutomu Higuchi.
Approximately 80 guests attended the awards dinner.
From left. Former Council executive director Paz C. Younis, former Council board chair and award recipient Dr. Elizabeth D. Rechebei and Council board member Felididad T. Ogumoro.
From left: Council vice chair Lillian A. Tenorio, Father Ryan, former Council board chair Carmen C. Gaskins, and Philippine Consul General Medardo Macaraig.
Financial donors pose with Governor Fitial, Lt. Governor Inos and board chair Reyes.
Preservation of Traditional Cultural Practices
Dr. Sandra Chung (left) and Dr. Elizabeth D. Rechebei
Dr. Elizabeth Diaz Rechebei is a retired educator who served as Commissioner of Education for the CNMI Public School System and as a past board chair for the NMI Council for the Humanities. Dr. Sandra Chung is Professor of Linguistics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she has studied the Chamorro language for over 30 years. In 2008, Drs. Rechebei and Chung secured a prestigious National Science Foundation grant for a three-year project to study and strengthen the Chamorro language. For more than a year, Dr. Rechebei has directed a project to revise and expand the existing Chamorro-English dictionary utilizing a cadre of dedicated community volunteers recognized for their expert knowledge of the Chamorro language. She is also overseeing a component to videotape Chamorro oral histories. Dr. Chung has served as a consultant to the dictionary revision project and is working collaboratively to prepare a new Chamorro reference grammar. Dr. Rechebei and Dr. Chung also organized a conference attended by language experts who reviewed the existing Chamorro orthography and offered proposed revisions to make it easier to use. Their work is critical to the perpetuation of the Chamorro language which underpins all indigenous cultural practices in the Northern Mariana Islands. In recognition of these significant contributions, Dr. Rechebei and Dr. Chung have been selected to receive the 2009 Governor’s Humanities Award for Preserving Traditional Cultural Practices.
Research and Publication in the Humanities
Manuel F. Borja (left) and Jose S. Roppul
Manuel F. Borja is an educator and translator. Jose S. Roppul is a Carolinian social consultant and translator. Mr. Borja and Mr. Roppul collaborated to research and write a book on traditional healing in the CNMI. Their work is based on oral interviews conducted on Saipan, Tinian and Rota during which they were careful to respect certain aspects of this traditional knowledge which are considered proprietary. The 725-page hardcover book is entitled Leblo pot Suruhåna/Suruhåno Siha yan Åmot Siha gi i Commonwealth i Sankattan na Islan Marianas/Tilighiyeer Sóusafey me Walawal kka Safey Mellól Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng Mellól Marianas/Directory of Traditional Healers and Medicinal Plants in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (published by the Inetnon Åmot Natibu/Ammwelil Safeyal Faluwash). It presents information on 44 traditional Chamorro and Carolinian healers on Saipan, Tinian and Rota. The book also presents useful information on over 100 medicinal plants including their Chamorro, Carolinian, common English and scientific names. Each plant is attractively illustrated with a series of color photographs and its medicinal properties described. The text is presented in three languages: Chamorro, Carolinian and English. In recognition of this significant cultural and academic work, Mr. Borja and Mr. Roppul have been selected to receive the 2009 Governor’s Humanities Award for Research and Publication in the Humanities.
Outstanding Humanities Teacher
Harold H. Easton
Harold H. Easton is a drama and speech teacher at Marianas High School and an adjunct professor of speech at the Northern Marianas College. Mr. Easton has instilled in his students an appreciation and understanding of both classical and modern theater and has effectively used language to communicate ideas and emotions. Outside of the classroom, Mr. Easton has made major contributions to the development of the Western Pacific Region National Forensic League and the Thespians of the Western Pacific Region. He has served as president of the boards for each of these organizations and has been driving force behind their success. In addition to his administrative duties, Mr. Easton has served as a volunteer coach for students who have gone on to achieve success at national forensic and thespian competitions in the U.S. Mainland. Mr. Easton also directs and produces local theatrical productions that include Shakespeare, classical musical, literary masterpieces and tales of local culture. Mr. Easton has influenced the lives of hundreds of his students and their families by bringing the joy of literature, language and theater into their lives. In recognition of his significant contributions, Mr. Easton was selected to receive the 2009 Governor’s Humanities Award for Outstanding Humanities Teacher.
Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities
The Late Dr. Rita Hocog Inos
The late Dr. Rita Hocog Inos was an educator, administrator and cultural activist. She received a BA in Bilingual Education from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, an MA in Educational Anthropology from California State University, an MA in School Administration from San Jose State, and an Ed.D. from the University of Southern California. Dr. Inos began her career in education as a bilingual teacher in 1972 and later served as the Principal of Rota Elementary School. Dr. Inos also worked for the Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) for eight years, first as Director of Programs and Services and later as Deputy Director of PREL’s Western Pacific Center. Dr. Inos then served as the Commissioner of Education for the CNMI Public School System for over seven years. During her tenure as the PSS Commissioner, Dr. Inos made major improvements to public education in the CNMI including bringing PSS in line with national education standards and securing funding for the construction of six new schools. Following her retirement, Dr. Inos served as a member of the Board of Regents for the Northern Mariana College and remained active in cultural preservation. She played a key role in organizing two successful conferences on Chamorro language and culture held on Rota and Saipan, and more recently supervised working groups tasked with revising the existing Chamorro-English Dictionary. In recognition of her nearly four decades of significant contributions in the areas of education and cultural preservation, Dr. Inos has been posthumously selected to receive the 2009 Governor’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities.