Community members visit ancient burial sites in Saipan

09/15/2025 - 30 community members participated in “I Man Mabisita I Mañainai-ta Siha” organized by the Indigenous Affairs Office as part of Cultural Heritage Month in the Northern Mariana Islands over the weekend. 

IAO Resident Executive Luella Marciano thanked the community for participating in the event. “Ancient Burial Sites should also be part of our celebrations as we remember our ancestors. 

There were [a] few sites that you could sense their presence during and after the prayer,” she told Marianas Press.

CNMI Humanities Council Executive Director Leo Pangelinan conducted research and shared historical information about each site with participants. Traditional healer Donald Mendiola led the group as the spiritual guide. 

The tour’s first stop in Saipan was in Garapan, or Anaguan village, at the IPI Casino construction site. According to the CNMI Historic Preservation Office, 686 remains were discovered there. The reburial took place on August 21, 2020. 

The tour went on to the former DFS Galleria building, where 65 Chamorro skeletal remains were buried within the former settlement. 

The third location participants visited was in Chalan LauLau, or Yuyu village, at the Itaman residents. CNMI HPO said 11 remains were reburied there in 2023. 

The tour went on to the nearby Kaipat family compound in Chalan LauLau where 11 adult remains were found and were also reburied in August 2023.

Participants then visited a reburial site at the NMI Judiciary in Susupe. HPO said 32 human remains were found in that area. They said artifacts, including shell beads and slingstone, were retrieved during the monitoring and hand excavation in 1996. 

The next stop was at the back of the Surfride Hotel in Chalan Kanoa. 47 remains were recovered from that location in November 2016.  Hopwood Middle School was the next stop. 16 remains recovered in August 2003 were placed in a concrete structure near the beach. The tour ended at a reburial site located at the Pacific Islands Club. 

Marciano expressed gratitude “on behalf of our Governor David M. Apatang and Lt. Gov. Dennis Mendiola, DCCA Secretary Frank Rabauliman SHPO, most especially Director Mrs. Merti Kani and her Team, our HPO outreach coordinator for her guidance at each site indicating the number  of remains si Ms. Linda C. Torres, NMI Humanities, Leo Pangelinan who was our guide/historian for the day,  Uncle Donald Mendiola, Our Spiritual Guide, NMI Museum Executive Director Leni Leon,  CCHLHS Carolinian Program Coordinator Ms. Monica Pua, Charles Houston PSS Language Program Coordinatorm the CCHLS teachers that came and participated, our community members, and you folks, our media, and…our Indigenous Affairs Office Staff.  A huge thank you to the families that allowed us to visit the sites on their private property, Surf Rider Hotel, Vice President Mike Sablan for greeting us, and most especially the refreshments that they served during our site visit. Shouts out to Tåsi Tour, and Aunty Terry’s Snack Bar.”

Report by Thomas Manglona II.