Precious moments and childhood memories at Guam museum

'I Famagu’on-ta: Growing Up on Guam; features 300 photographs depicting different generations of families 

By Johanna Salinas

 When guests enter the Guam Museum, they will be greeted by a familiar scene: zoris of all sizes lined up along a screen door and an outdoor kitchen with a tunki grill. These are among the common things Guamanians remember from their childhood.

The gallery exhibit “I Famagu’on-ta: Growing Up on Guam” features 300 photographs depicting different generations of families and installations representing different periods that bring nostalgia.

The pictures were donated by more than 80 local families who responded to the Guam Museum’s call for submissions.

For Eva Aguon Cruz, Guam Museum’s new executive director, “I Famagu’on-ta: Growing Up on Guam” is a personal project.

She grew up in the 90s—the decade of transition that bridged the analog past and the digital future.

Life was much simpler then, like an endless vacation. Family interactions were not distracted by technology. The precious moments were captured with analog cameras.

“I remember always just being with my family. That was just it—family all the time. And not just my siblings, it was all my cousins and all my aunties and uncles and elders,” Aguon said.

“It was really so free, carefree. We were playing in the jungle. We got to go into the ocean all the time, camp out at the beach. Those are the things I remember the most, not having a care or worry in the world," Aguon added.

The exhibit opened on May 3 and will run through May 31.

“This exhibit is meant to capture growing up on Guam,” Cruz said. “It’s the heart of the family—and the rhythm of the family and the different places we get to move through.”

Many of the installations are connected to family homes and those of the elders. “That’s why we have the front door of our nana’s house and the outside kitchen. We also got a playroom for kids,” Cruz said.

The museum director said the photograph collections brought a plethora of Guam experiences throughout the decades.

“We hope people can come and take a walk down memory lane and into these familiar places that spark a glimmer in their memory and their heart,” Cruz said.

Tonya Dee McDaniel, a museum assistant, shared her childhood photos as well.

“I don’t know anywhere else other than Guam. This is where I grew up,” she said. “The nostalgia section had most of my photos. They were just places that aren’t on Guam anymore—particularly the old Underwater World, how it used to look inside. And the old Blockbuster. Things like that would make people remember what Guam used to have—renting videos and petting the sharks.”

While the exhibit evokes nostalgia for older Guamanians, the photographs offer the younger ones a glimpse of the past and an opportunity to reflect on their own childhood.

“People coming here should expect a lot of memories,” said Indigo, 12. “There’s a lot of cool pictures. They’re all so true. They’re all places that I know on Guam. Growing up on Guam is really fun. You can go to the beach anytime you want.”

“There’s a lot of good views on Guam,” said Mona, 12. “There’s a lot of ocean and a lot of island.”  

“The photos are really interesting and I like seeing the background of the true Guam,” said Greta, 12.

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