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Legislature clears path for CAHA to award missed Guam Masters Awards for 2018 and 2022
Summary
A bill enabling the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency (CAHA) to retroactively grant up to eight Guam Masters Awards for the 2018 and 2022 award years was advanced to third reading; senators said the measure restores honors missed due to administrative delays and the pandemic.
The Guam Legislature advanced a bill authorizing the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency (CAHA) to retroactively present up to eight Guam Masters Awards for the 2018 and 2022 award years, two years in which CAHA said awards were not issued.
The Guam Masters Award recognizes living master practitioners of the island’s heritage arts — including weavers, carvers, storytellers and traditional craft specialists — for exemplary practice, teaching and efforts to preserve cultural traditions. Supporters on the floor emphasized that the bill addresses missed recognition and called the measure a restoration of dignity for artists who were not honored due to administrative and pandemic‑related interruptions.
CAHA staff testified in committee that 13 nomination packets had been submitted and vetted for a recent round, of which five met eligibility criteria; the council asked legislative authority to proceed with awards that could not be issued in prior years. Senators recounted examples of past master awardees — carvers, storytellers, weavers and traditional healers — and urged prompt action, noting many nominees are elders.
The bill was amended on the floor to add cosponsors and then placed on the third‑reading voting file. Senators urged CAHA to move quickly, observe the statutory selection criteria and publicize the program and winners so the public — and the next generation of apprentices — can learn about the honorees’ work.
Why it matters: the Guam Masters Award is a high cultural honor that recognizes lifetime stewardship of Chamorro and other local heritage arts. Supporters said retroactive awards correct an administrative lapse and publicly reaffirm the community’s commitment to cultural continuity.
Looking ahead: with the law advanced to third reading, CAHA told senators it had already conducted judging for nominations and would proceed to board action once legislative authorization is in place.
