Died 1680 Name Matapang Matapang | ||
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Sinong matapang dito
Matå'pang (died 1680) was a Chamorro maga'låhi or chief of the ancient Chamorro village of Tomhom on the island of Guahan. His name meant "to be made pure by cleansing," in the ancient Chamorro language.
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Mata'pang is best known for resisting the Spanish invasion of his country and for his conflict with a Spanish priest Diego de San Vitores, an early missionary of the colonial Spanish empire on Guam, and his Filipino associate, Pedro Calungsod, resulting in the deaths of the foreigners at the hands of Matå'pang and his companion Hurao.
Today Matå'pang has become iconic among many activists for Chamorro self-determination.
Bill Introduce to allow fishing rights to Chamorros
Academic critiques
Professor Vince Diaz has critically examined the legacy of Maga'låhi Matå'pang in his presentation and later article "In the Wake of Matå'pang's Canoe." His talks deconstruct the varying accounts of Matå’pang from both indigenous and colonial views. In doing so, he utilizes the metaphor of the canoe — the literal and symbolic seafaring vessel of the Chamorros — and delves into the linguistic variations of the word matå’pang between Chamorro and Tagalog. “The first step is to displace momentarily San Vitores as the principle sign in favor of Native perspective and reality, so that the new protagonist is Matå’pang,” said Diaz. “The second step would be to appreciate Matå’pang in native discourse, that is, in terms of how it has and how it can be understood and comprehended in indigenous ways.”