Under supervision of Analee C. Villagomez, Nicole Ann Villagomez ‘26 spent spring term interviewing carvers and jewelers on Saipan. She reports, “From these interviews, I have learned about the larger idea of shell jewelry and body ornamentation in Ancient Chamorro society.”
However, she takes this research a step further by examining how the role of jewelry has established both identity and cultural heritage in the Marianas today. From the renaissance of Chamorro jewelry through activism, to the processes embedded with creating each piece, she covers the system that creates the culture of shell making itself.
“Shell jewelry serves as a way to ground and perpetuate identity for the Indigenous Chamorros of the Marianas. The emotions encapsulating this art exemplifies the profound love that many carvers harbor with respect to their island, their people, and those who continue to be touched by the Marianas.”
This internship was made possible through the Gordon Russell '55 Endowment.