Kepuha (died 1669), also spelled Kipuhá or Quipuha, was the island of

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

's first

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

chief. He granted land in the

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

of Hagåtña to Spanish missionaries, upon which was built the first Catholic church in the Mariana Islands.

Biography

Kepuha was a member of the Chamorro, the ruling caste of

Chamorro Chamorro may refer to: * Chamorro people, the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands in the Western Pacific * Chamorro language, an Austronesian language indigenous to The Marianas * Chamorro Time Zone, the time zone of Guam and the Northern Mar ...

society. As the elder ''maga'låhi'', or high-ranking male, he could make important decisions with the consent of his clan’s, ''maga'håga'', or highest-ranking females. His name translates in the

Chamorro language Chamorro (; ch, Finuʼ Chamorro, links=no (CNMI), (Guam)) is an Austronesian language spoken by about 58,000 people (about 25,800 people on Guam and about 32,200 in the rest of the Mariana Islands and elsewhere). It is the native and spoken l ...

as "try to turn over" or "to attempt to capsize. The Spanish mission led by Jesuit

missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

Diego Luis de San Vitores arrived near Hagåtña on June 16, 1668, where about 200 Chamorro warriors gathered. San Vitores sent Father Luis de Medina and another priest to greet the Chamorros, who brought them to Kepuha's house, which was decorated with palm fronds. The priests gifted Kepuha, who they described as tall and robust, a velvet hat and iron hoops and nails and told the chief that they intended to teach the Chamorros "he law of God and the way to heaven". The Spaniards recorded that Kepuha responded, "You please us, Fathers and you bring us good news which will cause joy to our entire nation for we have wanted you here for a long time," and allowed himself to be baptized by San Vitores Kepuha granted land for the first church on Guam, the Dulce Nombre de Maria, which formally opened on February 2, 1669. The mission also build a school, the Royal College of San Juan de Letran. Due to the

matrilineal Matrilineality is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which each person is identified with their matriline – their mother's lineage – and which can involve the inheritance ...

nature of Chamorro society, the ''maga'håga'' of his clan must have influenced the grant. The Spaniards appointed Kepuha protector of the mission and gave him the title Don Juan Quipuha. The family of Kepuha may have granted the land as a political decision to gain prominence over other chiefs. There was no source of iron on Guam, and Kepuha may also have thought he could control the island's trade in Spanish goods if the mission was based in his village. Kepuha died shortly after the dedication of the church in 1669. San Vitores treated Kepuha during his illness and insisted that Kepuha be buried at the church in a Christian ceremony. However, Kepuha's relatives wanted his body brought to a cave with the remains of his ancestors for a traditional Chamorro ceremony. San Vitores prevailed, which angered many Chamorros and convinced them that the Spanish influence would drastically change the social order. A son of Kepuha, Chief Kepuha II, was angered that his father had not been laid to rest with his ancestors and led a revolt.

Legacy

Today, the chief is honored by Chief Quipuha Park along Marine Corps Drive in Hagåtña, which includes a statue of Kepuha erected in 1976. In 1990, former

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Ricardo Bordallo Ricardo Jerome "Ricky" Bordallo (; – ) was an American (U.S. citizen) politician, businessman, and serving two terms as the 2nd and 4th Governor of Guam with Lieutenant Governor Rudy Sablan from 1975 to 1979, and with Lieutenant Governor Edwar ...

, committed suicide by chaining himself to Kepuha's statue and shooting himself.

References and external links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kepuha 1669 deaths Chamorro chiefs Guamanian Roman Catholics Burials in Guam Converts to Roman Catholicism Year of birth unknown

Biography

Legacy

See also

References and external links