Not all families have CHamoru family clan names per se. However, CHamoru families can still be identified by some of the top elders in their family lineage. When I asked my family what our Leon Guerrero family clan name is, the response I received was, “We don’t really have one, but we are known as familian Matias.” Matias Espinosa de Leon Guerrero, was my great-great-grandfather (1827-1906) and that was how some people were able to identify our specific Leon Guerrero lineage. From a court record, I learned that my great-great grandfather Matias was a shoemaker.
The two elder ladies sitting in the photo are sisters, granddaughters of Matias, and last of the surviving siblings in the 1980s: left: Nan Ocha (my grandmother, Rosa Salas Leon Guerrero Cruz) and right: Nan Lia (Maria Salas Leon Guerrero Techaira).
*Heads-up: The 2024 CHamoru Genealogy Workshop Symposium is being planned for Guam sometime in September. Stay tuned!
