Chamorro people

The Chamorro or CHamoru people are the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands. They are divided between the U.S. territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. The Chamorros also have large populations in several U.S. states, specifically those on the West Coast. The Chamorro are a mainly Austronesian people, but some may also have other ancestries such as Spanish or Japanese.

Chamorro

Chamorro people (1915)
Total population
147,798 (2010 census)[1]
Regions with significant populations
United States
Guam	59,381 (2010 census)[2]
Northern Mariana Islands	12,902 (2010 census)[3]
Languages
Chamorro (native) English (auxiliary)
Religion
Predominantly Roman Catholic
Related ethnic groups
Other Micronesians, Filipinos

Language

See the main article: Chamorro language

The Chamorro language is the native language of the Chamorro people. It contains many loanwords from Spanish because of the Spaniards' colonial history on Guam and the Mariana Islands.

Notable Chamorros

• Theresa H. Arriola, cultural anthropologist from the Northern Mariana Islands
• Zach Banner (born 1993), American NFL football offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers
• Manny Crisostomo (born 1958), Chamorro Pulitzer Prize winner
• Joe Duarte (born 1983), mixed martial artist
• Peter Gumataotao, first Chamorro two-star flag officer in the United States military
• Siobhon McManus, teacher & activist
• Susan Pangelinan, Chamorro-American member of the United States Air Force
• Frank Camacho, martial artist
• Jon Tuck, martial artist

Related articles

• History of Guam
• History of Oceania
• History of the Pacific Islanders
• Native Hawaiians