Spirits of the Ancestors
Chamorro · deity · perennial · Recorded classification
Chamorro ancestral spirit-class, entered as a single deity-class figure (spirit-classes map to deity/demigod). Native terms taotaomo'na ('people of before') and aniti ('ancestral spirit'). Gloss 'Spirits of the Ancestors'. Sex recorded as unknown (a collective of both sexes). Under Spanish Christianization the ante of the ancestors were recast as ghosts and demons.
Domains
- ancestral spirits
- guardianship of land
Powers
- guards the land and protects or punishes its users
Epithets
- taotao mo'na People of BeforeGuampedia, 'Taotaomo'na' (tertiary)
Sources
- The taotaomo'na ('people of before') are the ancestral spirits (aniti) of the Chamorro, dwelling in the land and especially the banyan, who protect kin and harm trespassers.: Cunningham, L.J. (1992). Ancient Chamorro Society. Bess Press, Honolulu (reference); Russell, S. (1998). Tiempon I Manmofo'na: Ancient Chamorro Culture and History of the Northern Mariana Islands. Micronesian Archaeological Survey Report 32, CNMI (reference)