nhd processed paper - suruhanu

8/2/2019 Nhd Processed Paper - Suruhanu

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Noel Carlos

Alfonso Garcia

10th Grade

Father Duenas Memorial School

NHD Processed Paper

March 24, 2012


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Carlos 1

We want to become doctors in the future, so we were looking into the field of

medicine. To actually go into this field, we must enlighten ourselves to its history. We were

interested in practicing here on Guam, so we wanted to learn more about the islands medical

past. During the research, something caught our eyes, the Suruhanu. These people were

unknown to our minds. Little did we know that the island actually had its own natural

healers.

We wanted to get the best sources for our topic. The medical field is very diverse so we

only wanted the top and most important information. We conducted our research by speaking

to actual doctors and Suruhanu. We got their first hand perspectives and thoughts. We also

referred to a book entitled A History of Health on Guam. This gave us added info rmation

on Guams medical history. We also have first hand experiences with both doctors and

Suruhanus. We also have friends who have gone to Suruhanus for minor treatments like

sprained ankles or mysterious bruises. Other than that, we researched online and found some

very interesting articles on Guampedia that helped us draw up more knowledge.

We chose to discuss the revolutionary change of Chamorro culture from suruhanus to

doctors. On the news, you can hear many complaints from our elder Chamorro people

complaining about how the culture is sadly disappearing. We believe that with the theme of

revolution. The audience would enjoy a more modern technological medium. We thought

that presenting our topic on a website would draw the attention of people. It is more creative

and neater which we find is more presentable.

We chose the topic to expose the change from Ancient Chamorro Suruhanu techniques

to modern day medical techniques. We have made a huge revolution. Doctors are coming

from all over the world to Guam to add to its medical diversity. Our project relates to NHDs

topic of revolution as it shows how people made the change from using suruhanus for their

medical needs to using doctors and scientific methods rather than cultural traditions. It is very


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Carlos 2

interesting to see the way people reacted to this. This shows us that our world is changing and

evolving everyday! Major changes like this just shows how we are all advancing as a

community in our world. Hopefully, this change can improve and continue to aid our world.

Time flies fast and by the time we know it weve found the cure for cancer and many more

serious medical issues. There are many people dying because of sicknesses and illnesses that

we have never found solutions to and we hope in the nearby future, we can contribute to

helping these people with their situations.


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Carlos 3

Works Cited

Primary Sources

Ms. Bobbie Cruz "Suruhana"

We interviewed Ms. Cruz to teach and inform ourselves about what exactly

Suruhanus do and their techniques. We also got to do an interview with her for a

testimonial.

Dr. Olivia Cruz/ Dr. Dennis Sarmiento/ Dr. John Garrido

We interviewed them for their point of view and perspective on Suruhanus and their

practice on Guam based on her experiences from many years.

Secondary Sources

"Chamorro Language & Culture." : The Difference between Being a Suruhana, Le'an, and

Using Atgimat. Web. 23 Feb. 2012.

. We used this site to help educate ourselves and provide us with facts and

information. We learned about suruhanus.

"Countries and Their Cultures." Culture of Guam. Web. 23 Feb. 2012.

. We used this site to help give us

idea about Guam's culture and background.


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Carlos 4

"Cunningham, Lawrence J. Ancient Chamorro Society. Honolulu, HI: Bess, 1992. Print. We

used this book to teach us about the medicine and techniques used by Suruhanus.

"Guampedia." Suruhnu Yan Amot (Healers and Medicine). Web. 23 Feb. 2012.

. We

used this site to help show us the difference between the different healers used in Guam. It

also talks about the different varieties of medicine used in the Chamorro culture.

Haddock, Robert Lynton., and D. Carleton Gajdusek. A History of Health on Guam. Agana,

Guam: Cruz Publications, 1973. Print. We used this book to give us a general history and

summary of the medical background of Guam.

nhd processed paper - suruhanu

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